156 
On August 27 one very small tuber was measured on @ 
plant that was apparently just beginning to die. At this 
time it was 1-8 of an inch in diameter. September 13 this 
tuber was measured again, and was then 5-16 of an inch in 
diameter. The tops were still not entirely dead, but nearly 
so. September 27 this tuber had grown to 3-8 of an inchin 
diameter, showing that the growth continued until com- 
plete death of the tops. 
From these observations, we may infer that after the 
tops have commenced to die, no appreciable growth will 
take place in the tubers that are of merchantable size; but 
that the youngest tubers may continue to increase slightly 
until complete death of the foliage. 
WHAT BECOMES OF THE PLANTED TUBER OR CUTTING? 
An experiment conducted during the winter of 1884-5* in 
the green house, showed that the greater part of the stored 
nutriment of the planted tuber was consumed by the grow- 
ing plant befsre the topsdied. Another made in the garden 
during the summer of 1885+ showed that this nutriment is 
not necessary to the development of the plant after the 
latter is once established, and that under favorable condi- 
tions, as good a crop is produced without this patrimony as. 
with it. 
The question as to how far this stored nutriment may 
serve as an offset to fertilizers in the soil has a practical 
bearing. It would seem natural to assume that the less 
nutriment the soil affords the greater use would be made- 
of that contained in the tuber, and the results secured in 
1884-5* in the greenhouse experiment seemed to warrant 
such a conclusion. In order to investigate this subject. 
further, the following experiment was planned 
On May 3, twenty large White Star tubers were selected, 
and the weight of each noted in grammes. Ten of these- 
were then planted in a part of the farm where the soil was 
known to be very poor, and the remaining ten in a highly 
fertilized part of the garden. From time to time during 
the growing season the seed tuber was removed from a hill 
in each lot, and the dry matter in it determined; and in 
some cases the entire hill was taken, and the tops and 
young tubers weighed, in addition to determining the dry. 
matter in the seed tuber. A portion of the hills was left 
undisturbed in order to compare the yield of these with 
that of the hills from which the seed tuber was removed. 
The results appear in the following table. 
*See ers New York Agricultural Experiment Station for 1885, p. 207. 
TL. C. P. 209. 

