POTATO CULTURE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 15, 12 October 1907, Page 2

POTATO CULTURE.

; NOTES BY A FAHMER. A, Karori gontleman who takes a keen- interest in experiments at potato growing, contributes the following notes, which ho hopes will bo of somo intcrost and value to. Dominion readers: — "Seed should always - be selectod from roots which contain the largest number of tubers; in fact, the most prolific. All seeds should he greened, then packed away with the rose end uppermost. "The hest manure, if procurable, is soot and ashes.- Whatever manure is used should be applied broadcast, not in tho drills. The Growth keeps what is in contact with the seed drier t}ian what is broadcasted. Stable manure induces fungoid 'growths. If stable manure is used it should bo put OVI the.ground, in the autumn, dug in. and the ground sown'with-oats,-'which should also be dug in green and allowed to rot. ' The oats" take tlio roughness off tho sta'olo manure. "I make a practice of picking oil all blossoms from tho potato plants for two reasons: First, in order that all tho strength may go into tho tubers instead of into tho flowers; and, secondly, because I am inclined to think that bees sometimes carry tho blight from affected to unaffected plants. "Sprouted seed potatoes givo a yiold of two tons moro per aero thnn' tinsprouted ones. The advantages of using sprouted seod are:—There are nc misses; also, oven if the planting out of the tubers should be delayed, the,\ will always como away strongly! Experiments have demonstrated a market 1 difference in favour of sprouted kocl in onrlir.osa of crop. Time is everything in catching tho market."