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Wickson, Edward J. (Edward James), 1848-1923

"One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture Answered"



Planting Whole Potatoes.

One man states the only way to cut seed is to take a potato and cut the
ends off and not divide the potato any more; or, in other words, a whole
potato for each seed.
Good results are obtained by planting whole potatoes, but in that case
there is no advantage in removing the ends.

How to Cut Seed Potatoes.

Would it pay in returns to use large potatoes for seed in preference to
culls?
Large potatoes are better than culls, but medium-sized potatoes are
better than either. Many experiments have been made to determine this.
At the Arkansas station whole tubers two to three inches in diameter
yielded 18 per cent more than small whole tubers three-quarters to one
and one-quarter inches in diameter, and large cut tubers yielded 15.8
per cent more than small cut tubers.

Cutting Potatoes to Single Eyes.

Some say only one eye to a piece; others say several eyes - which is
better?
In one experiment potatoes cut to single eyes with each piece weighing
one-sixteenth of an ounce yielded 44 bushels to the acre, while single
eyes on two-ounce pieces yielded 177 bushels to the acre. Experiments in
Indiana showed that the yield usually increased with the weight of the
set and that the exact number of eyes per cutting is relatively
unimportant.

Potato Scab.

Can potatoes be treated in any way before planting to prevent the new
ones from being what is called "scabby"?
There are two successful treatments for scab in potatoes.


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