The Farmer's magazine . t is obvious that this importationwould only very partially relieve our exigencies,and that to a great extent we must depend uponour own resources. Now it very fortunately hap-pens that we may obtain a very large provision ofseed from potatoes used for domestic consumption. without to any serious extent diminishing our sup-ply for that purpose. If the eyes be preservedalong with a small ])art of the jiotato to serve as nu-triment for the young plant, they may be plantedin spring and will i)roduce plants as well as thetulier. This is no mere theoretical opinion : it is a
The Farmer's magazine . t is obvious that this importationwould only very partially relieve our exigencies,and that to a great extent we must depend uponour own resources. Now it very fortunately hap-pens that we may obtain a very large provision ofseed from potatoes used for domestic consumption. without to any serious extent diminishing our sup-ply for that purpose. If the eyes be preservedalong with a small ])art of the jiotato to serve as nu-triment for the young plant, they may be plantedin spring and will i)roduce plants as well as thetulier. This is no mere theoretical opinion : it is apractice constantly followed out in Canada andBrussels, and has been exiierimentally tested byvarious persons in this country. The mode of ex-tracting the buds is exceedingly simple: the crownmay be cut otFto the depth of a quarter of an inch;and the single eyes may be removed by a scoop, ofwhich a drawing is presented in Fig. V. A very Fia V. Kepreseuting the scoop for removing the huds oreyes of potatoes. Actual httle practice with the scoop makes the operatorexpert: it is first pressed down firmly over the eye,and then gradually turned round so as to scoop outall the ring marked liy the pressure. The eyesthus removed should be shaken in a bag with a littlelime so as to dust them over %vith this substance ;and, after lying exposed to the air for twelve hoursuntil a skin forms upon them, should be packed upin perfectly dry wood ashes, peat ashes, or othervery dry materials; when spring arrives they maybe planted. By this simple operation a prodigiousquantity of seed may be preserved for next season 110 THE FARMERS MAGAZINE. \vithoiit diminishing to any material extent the dailyamount of food. Of course it is intended that theoperation should be performed just as the potatoesare about to be used for the domestic supply. It becomes an important question as to how farit would be safe to plant diseased potatoes. In thefirst place, it is undoubted that they will germinateand
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