Plant the Champion of England every ten days until the middle of
June, and thus secure a succession of the best of all.
We all know how numerous have been the varieties of potato
introduced into this country of late years--many kinds sent out at
first at the rate of one or more dollars per pound. I amuse myself
by trying several of these novelties (after they become cheap)
every year, and one season raised very early crops of excellent
potatoes from the Vanguard and Pearl of Savoy. The Early Rose and
Early Vermont have long been favorites. They resemble each other
very closely. I have had excellent success with the Beauty of
Hebron. It is a good plan to learn what varieties succeed well in
our own neighborhood, and then to plant chiefly of such kinds; we
may then add to our zest by trying a few novelties.
Not only much reading on the subject, but also my own observation,
and the general law that "like produces like," lead me to indorse
the practice of planting large tubers cut into sets containing one
or more eyes, or buds. The eye of a potato is a bud from which the
plant grows; and the stronger backing it has, the stronger and
more able is the plant to evolve new fine tubers through the
action of its roots and foliage. A small potato has many immature
buds, which as a rule produce feeble plants.
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