POTATO CROP FAILURES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1196, 3 August 1911, Page 8

POTATO CROP FAILURES.

ADVANTAGES OF BOXING, Tho question of boxing potatoes intended for seed is n much-debated one, and with the planting season at band (he following article by Jlr, R. E. Alexander, principal of Lincoln Agricultural College, should be of interest to growers. Th? difficulties experienced in this country during the last few years by potato-growers may not be altogether due to the causes commonly ascribed, viz., Irish blight, and insect attacks. It is quite possible, i'n the drier districts a: any rate, that the cause is similar to that experienced in the drier districts of Hie South of Kugland, i.e., growing plants too often in one class of soil. Experiments to test the wisdom of obtaining potatoes from northern and colder districts have proved that where crops yielding 14 to 15 tons can be obtained from this new seed, crops from seed grown two or three seasons in tho South of England only yield i to S tons. The result of these experiments 'is that potato-growers in the dry districts of. the South of Kugland stipulate, when purchasing seed,*that it ninst bo from the colder disiriets of the South of Scotland or the North of Ireland.

In New Zealand it is possible that a better class of seed would be produced in ' the southern portion of the South Island than elsewhere. The class of 'seed used, and the treatment this seed' has l«n subjected to, aro the most important factors in potato-growing. The sred "sets" or tubeis are not the true seeds of the potato-plant, they are simply a short cut towards reproducing the plant, such as wo often get in plants grown in the garden, llniortunate'.y, while these tubers fuliil the fiiuctions of seed, they are not protected in the same way, consequently, if s?ed potatoes are not properly handled their value may be very much lowered. Every eye in the tuber will produce ,1 oprout, which will in turn become a plant, but the sprouts from tho different eyes do not produce plants with equal vigour. if the tuber is uninjured ami properly stored, only the first or primary bud will develop;.if this is injured or broken off. as it often is, two or. three buds will develop, and if tlicsa are injured or broken more buds develop, and so on, each crop of buds being less vigorous than ilia preceding crop. Of course, the most vigorous sprouts produce th? most vigorous plants—we might put it that seed potatoes or "'sets" produce first or second or third-clans plants, depending on , their treatment. Our object should be to '.grow only first-class plants, and iu this way prcsmo the vitality of the plant. When "seed" potatoes are stored in a pit or house in such a manner that very little air circulates through, them, they do uot ripen properly, with the result that a large, of the sets fail to produce a plant, causing; a senons loss to- the- grower—this missing of sets is wore marked in some of our newer varieties. . ~ Latterly, potato-growers in the V nifed Kingdom have ■ adopted what s known as the "boxing" system of dealing with seed potatoes. - The- adoption of this system in this country is to be recommended: Special boxes aro required for the purpose. The scantling required for a box would be: Two pieces 2-lin. by 3in. by Jin., two pieces 12in. by Sin. bv J in., four pieces' Tin. by L'in. by lin., two pieces: '2-lin. by G in. by Vm., two pieces l'2in. by llin. by I'm., one piece ■ by 2-lin. by lin.' by lin. Ited pine (not dressed) is the -cheapest and most suitable timber. Tho timber cut and ready for nailing will cost about oils, per ICO boxes—7s. Gd. to 10s. should be sufficient to allow for nailing them together. If taken care of, .these boxes should last ten to fifteen year?. One hundred boxes will hold , about 1 ton of seed. This size of box ' can easily be handled by a boy, and the potatoes dropped from it. The box Js carried in the left hand and the potatoes' 1 dropped with the right. Sred should be selected immediately after digging, and boxes filled to level of the sides, the' tubers being simply poured in "seed size," i.e., tubers about the size of a hen's egg only are used. After filling, the bo.tes are stored till spring. At first it is better to keep them in an open shed or plantation, to -allow tubers to "ripen." As soon as thero is any danger cf frosts, they should bo protected. by .putting them in a closed shed, or if iii a plantation, by lathing rows of bundles of straw round them—a few sheets of corrugated iron will keep them dry. Tt is better to pile the boxes in rows lengthwise— two boxes in each row, with room for a man to walk between—this enables j the grower to inspect the sred and pick out unsound tubers. C'aro . must be taken in the spring to s-se that there is no undue sprouting; as soon as the buds are about 1 quarter of an inch long on the average. let tho light r.n to them, ■this checks the sprouting. The sprouting sc;d may be kept thus for any time within reason before planting. The advantages of the boxing system ►are:—

(1) First bud is preserved—stronger and more vigorous plants are obtained. (J) Steel is properly ripened, and there nro fewer misses—barren sets; can bo rejected. (.1) Greater certainty of crop—no barTon seis arc-plantfd, and in wet springs crop can be put in out of season and yet overtake unsprouted seed. (1) Less weeds iu crop owing to quicker and more vigorous growth. (5) Mixtures can be detected—no two distinct varieties of potatoes hnvo the tamo coloured sprout. (G) Convenience of storing—about twenty square feet will hold one ton potatoes i't the boxes are properly piled. IT) Convenience of handling—the potatoes are filled into these boxes at digging and arc planted direct from them. _ Objections sometimes urged against boxmi;:— , (1) Cost—lf the life of tho box is taken into consideration, this does not' hold. »n '■-' npri'iß—lt is not nceessar.y-4o have % .special house-in New.Zealand potatoes Wild bo stored in the open rn tho manner indicated above. (3) Difficulty of handling—This nbiection is only raised by those who never tried boxes, as there is really much ley handling. (J) Breaking of sprouts-If the sprouts are subjected to even a few hours' Slln . light, they are as tough as the rest of the