84 
Kepoet of the Horticulturist of the 
In view of the extreme and entirely unaccountable variability in the 
product of different rows planted with the same seed, and the indeci- 
siveness which always attends the plat system, the question naturally 
arises whether or not the comparison of aggregates is just. The tubers 
selected from the best hills were somewhat larger than those from the 
poorest, and the results of past experiments would lead us to expect a 
somewhat greater yield from the larger tubers. On the whole the 
results are favorable rather than otherwise to the most productive hills. 
Plats 8 and 9 were planted May 3, with the smallest tubers from the 
best and poorest hills of 1886, not cut. The crop was harvested 
October 12, with the following results: 
SMALL' ST TUBEBS FB'M 
THE MOST PBODUCT- 
IVE HILLS. 
SMALL'ST TUBEBS FB'M 
THE LEAST PEODUCT- 
XVE HILLS. 
Mereh'ble, 
lbs. 
Total, 
lbs. 
Mereh'ble, 
lbs. 
Total, 
lbs. 
B 8, Row l 
91 
95% 
116 
96 
103% 
105% 
130 
112 
74% 
81 
78 
61 
86 
91% 
88% 
73% 
3 
4 
6 
7 
8 
Aggregate 
Aggregate 
398% 
451% 
294% 
339% 
B 9, Row 1 
56% 
108% 
109% 
85 
73% 
124% 
120% 
93% 
80% 
97 
89 
19% 
94% 
197% 
95% 
87% 
3 
4 
6 
7 
8 
Aggregate 
Aggregate 
359% 
412 
346% 
384% 
Aggregate for the 
Aggregate for the 
two plats 
757% 
863% 
640% 
723% 
In this case the balance is decidedly more favorable to the most pro- 
ductive hills, especially in plat 8. The seed tubers from these hills 
were slightly larger on the average than those from the poorest, but I 
should not expect so great a difference in yield to come from this 
source alone. 
In order to eliminate as far as possible the errors due to unequal size 
in the seed tubers, plats B 10 and 13 were planted May 3 with tubers 
from the best and poorest hills, of which the average weight was 
exactly the same. The required number of tubers was selected from 
the best hills of 1886, and weighed. The same number was then picked 
out from the poorest hills, and individual tubers were changed until 
the aggregate exactly equaled that of the selections from the best hills. 
The tubers were about the size of small hens' eggs, and were cut into 
halves from the stem to the terminal eye. B 10 was harvested October 
12, and B 13 October 8. The yields were as follows: 
