BLIGHT FREE. POTATO SEED.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1289, 18 November 1911, Page 8

BLIGHT FREE. POTATO SEED.

NONE IN-THE UNITED KINGDOM. Sir John Il'Call,. tho Tasmnnian AgentGeneral, advices that ho has been making inquiries in Great Britain ami Ireland with a view to ascertaining whether or not it might bo. possible to. obtain seed potatoes which would fulfil the requirements of tho Commonwealth Government under the Quarantine Act. Ho states that licither tho Board of Agriculture, and Fisheries of Great Britain nor tho Department of Agriculture for Ireland can undertake to guarantee any potatoes grown in'tho'parts of tho United Kingdom under their jurisdiction as free from Might. The Secretary to tho Department for Ireland states that it. is not practicable by means of a superficial examination to-as-certain definitely whether ccrtnin tubers arc affccteil or not with the disease. In fact, potatoes which are apparently free from blight when being packed for export may show signs of a disease in tho course of transit, nnd accordingly bo condemned on arrival at the port of landing. He also points out that, although potato Wight has existed in the United Kingdom for a'very long time, there has been practically no diminution of the noioago under this crop. In 1910 Great. Britain had 539,081- 'acres under potatoes, giving an outp'.it of 3.177,139 to-is, or G.ll tons per acre. Ireland in tho samp year had 592,885 acres, with a total output of 2,870,827 tons, an average of 1.81 tons'per ncre. Tho total figura for the United Kingdom (viz., 1,132,669 acre 3, .yielding n,1U7,06(> tons, or an 'average of 5.00 tons per acre) show that, notwithstanding the prevalence of blight.and other .potato diseases, there is still a -hrge area, under cultivation, and that by "mc-ans of proper spraying and treatment, the. farmers in the- United Kingdom are able to obtain a fair output. ; ...