The Manitowoc Pilot

Amount of Seed for Potatoes.

From different sources we gather the experience of farmers with reference to the amount of seed it is profitable to use in planting potatoes. Our readers should mark this article, and refer to it at planting time.

Johnson says:
For the main crops it is evident from experiment, that moderate sized whole potatoes are the best, from which all but two eyes have been removed; but especially having the crown, which is a congery of small eyes, first removed; for from these proceed little spindle stalks, which are comparatively worthless, and injure the main stem.

For the early crops almost the very contrary to the above is the most advantageous to be practiced. The set should have the crown eye, which is one growing in the center of the congery of small ones above mentioned preserved. Some potatoes have two such eyes, but the generality only one. This is always the most prompt to vegetate, and if not known by this description may be evinced by placing two or three potatoes in a pan of moist earth near the fire. If the earth is kept moist, the crown eye will be in a state of vegetation in five or six days.

To obtain early crops when tubers are rapidly formed, large sets must be employed. In these one or two eyes at most should be allowed to remain. If the sets are placed with their leading buds upwards, few and very strong early stems will be produced; but if the position is reversed, many weak and later shoots arise, and not only the earliness, but the quality of the produce be depreciated.

Another writer urges that farmers do not waste seed by planting more than one or two eyes in a hill—unless it is desired to spoil the crop. He succeeded four fold better than upon the whole potato plan. Would advise three or four eyes in a hill, if planted two by three feet apart; if in drills, six inches apart in row, one or two eyes—five sixths of the seed is saved, and proportion of large to small potatoes, is increased three-fold over the old plan.

Since writing the foregoing, the February number of the Valley Farmer has come to hand in which a Minnesota correspondent gives the product of three potatoes to be ten bushels—from the largest potato he says he raised five bushels—planted one eye in each hill. From the two smaller potatoes he grew the other five bushels planting two eyes in each hill.

A recent writer in the New England Farmer says, where some hills of corn were missing, he planted sprouts or vines picked from the potatoes in the cellar. They were picked off with the finger as close to the potato as possible being 6 to 18 inches long, set out, and grew, and produced equally as well as the same varieties did on the same ground a year previous. The varieties were the 'Coburg' and 'Sand Land' potatoes. He believes the sprouts may be used and save the potato, obtaining an equal crop, and saving all the seed.

A writer in the Farmer and Gardener says, his experience favor the use of 'splits (as the Irish call the potato cutting) with only one eye, or with at most two eyes.—He rejects small potatoes for this purpose, selecting tubers of medium size with long, vigorous shoots. Plant the tubers at least twelve inches apart in the row, observing care to insert them so that they shall spring up evenly.

Thus we might continue to add testimony of this character. We have no more space, but shall keep an eye out for whatever we think will profit our readers on this, as on all other subjects.—Prairie Farmer.