SELECTING SEED POTATOES.

Western Star, Issue 346, 24 April 1880, Page 3 (Supplement)

SELECTING SEED POTATOES.

A careful and successful potato grower writes as follows ;—Whatever-variety of potatoes is planted select the best tubers for seed. Plant large, well formed, 'smooth potatoes, as it is evidence, of a large well formed-wariety, evidence" of soundness and health, evidence.of perfection ; ... and in order to produce the best of anything tho surest way is to select the best to grow from. Sinall. potatoes used for seed may, and do often, produce fine large tubers, but they,,may be a ■. small variety—some of them,.at least, are liable to be. If they do not belong tq a small, tuber family theh the weight*of*evidence is id favor of them being "imperfect : and unripe, consequently weak and unhealthy. Such stock, either .of - animals or vegetables, is hot fit to propagate from. Nature stores in the perfect seed what is required to promote and perpetuate "the vigorous ; trpd hardy plant. By carefully -- selecting the best of everything to plant, tho finest grain," fruit, roots, and other- vegetables 1 can be produced with reasonable certainty ; but •' if: this fundamental law is neglected the chance* ; : are in favor of a large per cent of inferior produce.; The same natural law governs in the " vegetable that is acknowledged to be so potent in the animal kingdom. Like produces like, and *» faults and imperfections se.emf to be mote readily y transmitted . than, the more; .desirable 'qualities. Very much better, crops, cquld be praised if farmers gave this subject more study' and acted upon the well established principles *6f prodaetioni Many years ago, and in a, peri'bd'iof bur agricultural history when new-, varieties* ofrany’ ; . form were extremely rare,tan: observant;farmer of Pennsylvania, acting qn the principle that perfect grain could only be insured by using perfect seed, ’ originated a superior‘ ‘variety of " wheat which he named ‘barrelwheat.!*-'!This ho ‘ did by holding the s!i av -s of wheat in hisband*: L by the, ports and beatin; the tops o ver a '.barrel. The large,'plump, perfect grains would My out ; and none others. This iiybeat ivas used fis seed, and -the same pfactibe id procUre'. being followed a few years, produced ; wh'at ! seemed to :be a new variety of wheat but whichr was only;-' the - result, of a practical : . application of ■ tbo , natural law. of selecting the fittest. This anecdote is a practical illustration of using nope but the best for seed. Unripe, small potatoes are' unfit for seed;; neither ate overgrown, bellowhearted tubers. The former are weak and imperfect—the latter, like alb abnormal monsters, unhealthy,” This is sensible, „and the, reason*' giveii are sound like the potatoes he recommend* , for seed, ■ ’ ‘