POTATO CULTURE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 611, 14 September 1909, Page 8

POTATO CULTURE.

'PREPARATION OF THE "SEED." •PrepMatidnsVwai'shciTtlyybo(niade for .(main-.; ■i'iero'jp potato' >planting';' and"; in" this connection (•': the: keening >hd Sprouting of • the "seed" • should be'considered, -The simplest and'orie.of . : the most I effectiV6: Method?'; -of /ensuring';the; ■ ii'growth' of (a strong haulm; or' top' is by "groening" the 'potatoes .intended J for., seed; This; is' Iv vibrought ; 'aDout; ; by : :«xposing, ; .the;'tubers'to ilight '-'assmneaadark.'greeri. colour.' ;.Thi3 is ah /old; > It ' '*•and the : opinioii' : 6f-"'gro\v'flrs , : , whb I f haf6.'consist ..ehtly,'adopted this "method, of ! trea£ing:the'6eed ( hinlmvis-more;stnidy ,and robust, tban nhcn tho seed'is not "greened." This ; naturally, results, in -a/better,crop. :: Beeent (; /' experiments.conducted, at :Kew with' a' : view.'to. . tho .effect of lisht ."and..darkness'; v/.-,* upon".•(potatoes', havoi. demonstrated/' that .-'light //(/'■retards (ffio -grbwthjpr; 'sprouting. ;of: a potato, '- " and prevents 'exhaustion'by loss: of ;: moisturo and' continued' formation of sprouUthafc are. . ■- broken : off when planted. ';A -y patato. .Hot ;(?:/''greenbd",'loSesVjjist"(byeri/sfctimes^as/much, j. during ' the .scasonas /one of equal , : ': ;.. that -has ■no t. boen' so/treatedbut''Other ■ ', ' things.; being" enual,'' ft potato'v-that has.'..boon, . "greened" in-tho spring. loses twice as ;much in : 'weight,;asVa .'greened"'/after lifting? > .v : in" the tautump; -• /'Therefore/',tho/' j»r«criing' should ;bb- done' -In (the rautumii,/ but 'it iis;:beti; vnot'.at.all,, j strong, i(firmly:iattacfed : sprouts, of. (. ' ("greened" potatoe.vdo'riot break! off' in plant* ing; 'while tho long weak' sprouts ;of (potatoes c > -to bb .broken' o(f~before ■it':;, iv planting,/.as 'theyhrb^-'t^lcM'.^r'h'nd;' henco':';thb; ecSed is partially'exhausted: The firm "greened". i;:?l.isecd.;is;<not ;bnlT' : less. 'liablo.'.to';,deCay ;.iti . the ' /'ground, but'' will produce ; . a 'stronger/ and,. ■•■((('.('-hfeolthief/developm.eut >(of,<'top.; : :.. ; .'.Thi!se / 'aro;'all ' i'i : . 'poiiifa .of (primo iraportance'-in, these'days»of blight. Another' method of .treating seed potatoes ('which, (has (the donble' ; advantage, of /ensuring : an earlier as well ;as mora prolific : crop is box(irig'rfand' sprouting 'them.:,;,'-This:is an old Ir''■ •' practice vso : fwivai.: market^'gardeners'' around. ' -large'cities-at^.Hknie.arb'concerned, .but'it has* i(' ■'nlSb been .adopted.-i&i.sbniej.'of ■,tho' /large po'-:. tato-gromng..'^districts '' in /'Englandand '- Scotland. It ,'is. adopted. to :Somb; extent in New, (i' "y. Zealand;'( ,Thereis; however, more trouble at.Vv vta'ched ;to .it than to, "greening"-'potatoes,''as .'■ the seed has : . to bo ■ planted without• injuring' tho .shoots. The 'increased-yield,: is; said ..to ;* ( K amply , repay for ( the; boxes'(ih 1 a single season. tho average iiiorcaseiivyiild,'in'.2n'tofe'Cat-'s-v ('"-rled•'out -in ; '(lr'?land.'being' two.(tonsyjer''aero.; •v '. 'The 'niald'ng .(of those boxes has: created.:qnitb an ' V>: ' ?'■ industry 'in. .England :and( BcotUun.ili-.'4ii3 thongb' - they' vary ,somewhat' in :aze, tho .usual dlmen-. ■v-Bitini are by,3ln.,' ;with' Corner. piece's raised- to 7ui.,'.with a cross .handle. The, v&vLjidsed/ooniw.'-idJw?: ,the-ipiling; o£' the (-' boxes'('to' anyineight; andjfat- ; the',same time, 'i^^■'•■ ,^; ad'mil;Vcnough■:■■llßhl;•:'anU:,'air,to■■.■prom'ot«..the' prodnetion of sturdy shoots.,;;- iho, epto.uta '' from -the lower .tabera find thoir ; way/;throngh

those, niove- thorn. . For. Bmall. quantities for. garden.- culture it will, bo .bettor not to placo v moro; than/one .r6w; jn tho boxes.',.- . ; k oirffi'ap a farmer "'.recently expressed., the :opinion ; that.: ;tlier© * arc few./ bettor cash . or i : marHet?cropl,oh; a dairy. ; farm than potatoes. /raking. l ;one ,year. with, another, 'potatoes would 'bring . in' moro - money than- any; other. crop "tliat '.'can bo grown; with the saino ..outlay for • helpGand- fertiliser; The potatoes could sold for more than enough cash to* buy what grain could'be .grown on 1 the same land under ■the.'most favourable circumstances'...; Ini preplaring - a., potato- field good results .could be obtained by manuring , the ground ; at . the rate of ;nbout ; ten loads/oi good stable manure to, the acre,' hatded direct: from the stable. When i possible, it was desirable to allow- the field, to ■ lie , a -few, days ..until the' weed seeds^ that had i been turned, up germinated, so that the young weeds would '.V destroyed -before \ planting time.'. After the ground had' lam. a few davs ■ the* sods should,be cut with a disc-harrow both •waVs/ and: the field then harrowed with *<&»•• mort' spring-tooth harrow until :'a line seed bed was ; estabfishe,d. : ; Much of the labour ordi* ' riariiy'• required : to grow a -crop voi potatoes might ; be- avoided' by thoroughly preparing the; ground before the crop .was .planted. It was, 'his-. opinipn - that, better tubers' .were,; grown when. they : were : planted;: in ./check rows , and cultivated both: ways. - The. neld- .would probably be somewhat .smaller, but ..the tubers wore"; more-uniform' and ."would. grade betteT when marketed.'.' - Just .before the potatoes came thTbugh ; the:ground the weedor or smoothie harrow should - bo. run over '• the .field, as ono day's work-at .this: time would. amount vto more: than Jthat of , ten. men. with hoes -after the tubers were largo , enough tch cultivate. ;It :also enabled'the grower .to * cultivate a .num-ber-of days earlier than, when the field was •not: levelledoff- in;, this;-manner: . The first cultivation-should.be --deep 'and : the -.outside teeth ; of . the 1 machine run fairly>;close to the ' •row. v ' ; ahd ''as- thetops f spreadthe • machine ' "should -be narrowed '..so/ that .-it/ just' removed' : tlie 'eoil 'tetween the\rows. ' It . coiild-genially, he: to&nv'as-a'■ .'fairly,VftlutWe gmdo. that ; the ■ ioot'•area' in i the soil. was about .equal to ; the spread of. the tops.*. ". .' . •. ■ .*