The Daily Herald

Experiment with Potatoes.—Mr. Wm. Clark, Jr. of this town, obtained a couple of potatoes at the Savings Bank, Boston,—not as a loan, but as a gratuity,—last winter, from a few just imported from England, which were supposed to be an excellent kind. They were laid away and forgotten till they had sprouted, and the sprouts had grown two inches. To obtain the greatest possible number from them for seed, Mr. Clark disposed of them in the following manner, in his garden.

The sprouts, seven in number, were broken from one potato, and set out, about sixteen inches apart, with the tops just above the surface, and the potato itself planted; the other potato was planted with the sprouts on, allowing the tops of them to remain uncovered. After the sprouts from the latter potato had grown somewhat, they were spread apart each way, and covered up with soil from their insertion at the hill to near the end of the vines, to make them spread. In doing this, three of the vines were broken off, which were set out, and grew. These potatoes were not hilled at all; merely keeping the weeds down was all that was done to them.

Mr. Clark dug the product of these two potatoes last week, in our presence, and they yielded as follows:—From the hill in which was planted the potato from which the sprouts were taken, was dug 100 potatoes, large and small, many of them very large, and weighing 17 lbs. of over a peck in measure; as the fruit of the seven sprouts were dug 130 potatoes, weighing 35 pounds, making a total of fifty-two pounds, or nearly a bushel, as the product of one potato. One of the sprouts produced 36 potatoes, weighing 8 3-4 pounds. The other potato produced but 90 potatoes, weighing 14 lbs, the broken vines of which were set out producing 20 potatoes, weighing three pounds.

This experiment will afford useful information to those who may wish to propagate rapidly from a few seed, or even when potatoes are scarce for planting.