124 [ ASSEMBLY 
Perhaps the influence of the position of the eye upon the potato is 
best illustrated by the total yield from the one hundred hills, which, 
as we have seen, is one hundred and four pounds for the butts, one 
hundred and thirty-one pounds for the centers, and one hundred and 
forty-two pounds for the seed-end eyes. Allowing sixty pounds to the 
bushel, and expressing our results in bushels, allowing each hill to 
have grown, we have for the total yield, two hundred and six bushels 
for the butt eyes, two hundred and fifty-nine bushels for the center 
eyes, and two hundred and eighty-two bushels per acre for the seed- 
end eyes; or, for the vields of good potatoes from the several kinds of 
eye, one hundred and twenty-three bushels, one hundred and forty- 
four bushels, and one hundred and forty-six bushels of merchantable 
crop. 
While one experiment hardly affords sufficient data for the purpose 
of generalization, yet an experiment as carefully conducted as this one, 
and with the method of planting, should possess some value as indi- 
cating the influence of position upon the seed-eyes used. Yet we must 
remember, however, that if we had used more or less of the eyes in our 
trial the results would not have figured, in all probability, relatively 
the same. We can, however, truthfully express the fact that in this 
experiment we have gained increase of crop from the eyes taken from 
the seed-end portion of the potato, and we may be justified in coming 
to the general conclusion that until further evidence is obtained the 
jected by many, may be considered of equal value 
seed-ends, hitherto re 
with that portion of the potato usually selected for planting. 

The study of our last year’s experiments with potatoes led us to 
formulate a hypothesis that for the best growth of the potato it was 
required to keep the tubers warm and dry, and the roots moist and 
cool. 
Where the theoretical considerations were satisfied we gained a yield 
per hundred hills of one hundred and eighty-four pounds of merchanta- 
ble tubers as against eighty-three pounds grown under ordinary ridge 
culture. The only way we could devise in practice to secure these 
theoretical conditions was by planting the potato on ridges and mulch- 
ing the intervals. Our plat planted in this way yielded us ninety-two 
pounds per hundred hills planted. It became an object this year to 
verify our idea on a larger scale before we could feel justified in claim- 
ing correctness. Accordingly a number of parallel plats were so 
arranged that one-half received mulching in the intervals, without 
hoeing or other care during the season of growth, while the remaining 
half was grown under the ordinary methods. For this experiment we 
recognized, however, during the season of growth that the conditions 
were very unfavorable for success, as the prevailing wetness prevented 
the expected result of our procedure from taking place. During June, 
July and August there were thirty-four days during which more or 
less rain fell, amounting in the total to 10.59 inches, The resulting 
crops are tabulated in the table which follows, and these certainly seem 
to give a sufficient answer that under circumstances of a wet season 
mulching without cultivation is not beneficial to yield as compared to 
the ordinary care in growing without the mulch. 
