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The Shape Of Potatoes

The Shape Of Potatoes image
Parent Issue
Day
15
Month
May
Year
1891
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The experiments in trying to grow regular shaped and smooth potatoes by selection of seed, says American tor, does not always result satisfactorily. If the field is heavily mannred, no matter what the seed may be, the erop will be rough shaped and irregrular. The Iotato tuber started out perhaps to produce a regular shape, but the excess of plant food which itsrootsprovided forced it to grow into knots and other excrescences. Yet we believe there is advantage in selecting well shaped tubers f or the production of smooth potatoes. It was thus that the Snowflake potato was first bred, and it yet retains this characteristic. So also does the Early Ohio. If the originators of new potatoes would reject inonstrosities, and plant only the eyes on the side of the potato, rather than f rom its seed end, their seedlings when offered in market would possess advantages which would long continue their popularity. A smooth shape with few eyes, and those on the surf ace rather than sunken, is more important than productiveness, and only less so than quality in nriking a potato popular in the house as well as in the field. All potatoes have uitimately to be subjected to the house wife's or the cook's test of merit, and wiiat they want isgood quality, surface eres and au oval rather thau long 01 round shape.