POTATOES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16666, 26 September 1914, Page 10

POTATOES.

GROWING AND MARKETING. (By W. FRANCIS AHERN.) Why is it that Holland, one of the smallest kingdoms of the world, produces moro than six times as many potatoes as Australia ? It may be an oifending answer, yet it is painfully true—we scarcely know how to grow potatoes. When I see the average potato on sale throughout Australia 1 am reminded of the wild potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) that grows like grass in Chili, Peru, and in some parts of Mexico. The whole fact of the matter is we do not properly understand a potato in Australia, and, of course, Hardly know how to grow it in the proper way. You can grow a potato like you can rear a child; you can adapt it in any way you like. You can arrange its size, shape, and the number of eyes on its surface. When you know this, you know how to grow a potato—that is, properly. In only two countries in the world have I seen potatoes grown properly—in Holland and in Colorado, U.B.A. In these two countries the cult of the potato is well-nigh a religion. I saw a farm in Southern Colorado that grew 850 bushels of potatoes to the acre, and the soil was not by any means extraordinary. I have seen as good soil in Australia, in some of the Queensland hill lands. The whole secret lay in the scientific growing of the product. If you have travelled across America you have doubtless tasted some of the potatoes that are served up in the palatial dining cars on those railways. They are choice, flavoury, and decidedly wholesome. If you ask the chef where they came from he is almost sure to say: “Colorado, sir.” First of all, what is a good potato? It is so rare in Australia that a description will not be out of place. Three things are essential in a good potato—good flavour, mealiness, and the least possible waste in preparing for the table. The last-named is as important a factor as the other twoThe amount of waste in preparing a potato for the table is set by the shape and smoothness of the potato, the depth and number of eyes, and the condition of the skin. This is something that should be studied by the potatogrower, since it means everything as far as the sale of his product goes. Potatoes smooth and regular in form, and either round, oval or oblong, show the least waste in paring. And of course every excrescence on the potato in the way of roughness and knobs increases the waste in the article. Many people do not generally know that trade demands the size of potatoes. Medium-sized potatoes are more easily handled, pared, cooked and served. The quality is better in these than in the larger ones as a rule, because of the large proportions of (Cortical. The best size for the house trade is from six to eight ounces, while, of course, from five to ten ounces have a fancy run. The grower who can turn out a potato of fine table quality and appearance smooth and easy to pare, and with little waste, will soon create a demand for his product. And he will, benefit by the increased prices that will be offered for his article in preference to the lowerpriced and,'of course, less appealing potato of inferior quality and appearance. ’ , , a Do you know how to cook a potato? This will cause many readers to smile. But there is such a thing as properly j cooking a potato. Most people boil I potatoes, and for this purpose they | should bo covered with boiling water, and not allowed to stand [in cold water. I If you saw a potato boiied under the two different conditions, as I saw at a | demonstration in the University of Minnesota, U.S.A., you.would understand that there every difference in the method of cooking it. Do you know that a bushel of potatoes m cold water loses by dissolving and in the paring, as much protein as is contained m a pound of rich sirloin steak? When you want soup you use cold water, when y ou > wish to save the meat you start, with hot water. That is a. lesson for the : potato, for the same principle iS applicable to the cooking of the article. Flavour depends on ripeness, and upon the variety. You can amtrol mealiness partially by soil conditions and water supply. A loose soil. dry about the tubers, and not over-watered, nor watered too late, will give a drier j potato than the reverse conditions. Eyes should be . .few and shallow. * When you seo irem eight to eleven eyes

1 . . . ' 1 in a potato it is a good one—a poor potato has from twenty-five to thirtylive eyes. Do not buy this potato if you wish a good article. Then, also, remember that deep eyes mean a large waste in paring. A smooth, thin, tough, skin goes with little waste. Cut a thin slice from the potato, across its centre, and hold it up to the light. You will see a white, dense ring close to the skin, i while the centre appears less solid ana i more watery. The white part next the skin is much more valuable as a food than the centre of the potato. To save this rich part of the potato it is necessary that it must be smooth .and even, with shallow eyes, so that the parings will be very thin. This is the portion that sparkles on the boiled potato when served up whole. ■ A white-skinned potato finds the best market; a few markets only.prefer the red-skinned variety. No good.market likes a blue-skinned potato. And a potato with yellow streaks running ‘ through the inside is not in the same . class as a pure white potato. I once watched a little.girl paring ! potatoes for her mother. In her hurry ■ she was getting them done as quickly !as she could. We weighed some potatoes before and after paring, and found that for every 101 b of pared potatoes she took out of the bag she only put 51b into the pot to be cooked. Her mother paid 7s 6d a cwt for those potatoes in the sack. The little "irl wasted half, so that the cooked potatoes really cost 15s a cwt. And then the best part of the potato, next the • skin, was lost. Find out how much you lose in the preparing of your potato, and you will be surprised at the result.

Most authorities agree that cut seed is better than whole seed for planting. A very simple cutter for the man on the land is made from a block of wood four inches thick, with an opening about six inches in diameter cut through it. Across this opening two knives are fitted at right angles to v each oher. Lay the cutter over a' pail, and a potato laid on the knives and struck with a wooden mallet is cut into four equal parts, and they fall into the pail below. There has been. . at times much argument as to whether freshly-cut seed was better than seed j that had been cut for some time. I am of the opinion, after experimenting, that there is no difference m the growing between seed that had been cut a week or more and freshly cut seed. The time of planting varies, of 1 course, with climatic conditions and locality. For early potatoes the seed should be planted as early in the spring as the ground can be worked, and the danger of hard frosts is over. For late potatoes, that are to be kept ! over winter, the seed should be plant-/ ! ed later; so that the potatoes may remain in the ground until cold weather. One thing is essential to potato growing, if it is to be done pfoperly. and • that is crop rotation. A good scheme is to have potatoes follow lucerne, or some kind of peas. Potatoes go well in a three-crop rotationlucerne, potatoes and grain. In Colorado, in the best fields, nothing but legumes are used as a foundation crop for potatoes. There the farmers grow three or four crops of lucerne or • clover previous to the potato crop. The ■ * soil is broken in the autumn quote (' deep, and in the spring the soil la •’ worked over quite thoroughly with the: disc until fined. From such a field I saw some specimens, three - varieties planted in rows 20 Tods long. Tne r® suit was: Early Six Weeks, 2081 b; Norton Beauty, 5111 b; and White Ohiq, 1141 b. The small yield is . accounted for by the early frost which stopped .all growth, but the potatoes on This. farm were more uniform than those . ; grown on other farms. As to preparation of the soil or th® cultivation of potatoes, I am not going to deal with that in this article, since I shall have something to say on that score in an article on “ How to Double . the Potato Yield ” later on. But I think it would not be out of place if l Aver© to take ti|> some little space on - the selection of seed, since this is | ' verv vital point in the future of the .. potato. Before the potatoes are dug,when the vines are quite green , and in good condition, is the proper time to select. seed. Go into the field . an hour or two selecting the. healthylooking tops, for this denotes good potatoes. When a hill is selected, dig ■ into it. If the potatoes are in size and true, to type, mark that hill for seed. A hill with a dozen medium- . sized potatoes is.a better hill than one containing but six large ones. Do not select your seed potatoes from a bin, . since they are not and will not give you auniform crop. You must study the hills if you want to get . true potatoes. Cut seed is the best, since the use of small whole potatoes tends to degenerate the future crops. Above all, look out for running out in the potatoes, and where this is in eyi- . dence condemn the potato as far as seed is concerned. This running out is denoted by the tubers becoming longer than the true types, or by one end becoming more pointed than the other. If you use this seed you will have po-. tatoes more pointed. The number of eyes increase when the potato is running out, and the yield is useless. If ■' but one potato in a hill shows signs of running out, do not use any from that, hill, even if the others appear all right, since they will inherit the tendency to, run out in due course and the yield will suffer. Potatoes should be stored cold. A cellar sunk in the ground and well protected so as to ensure a steady temperature, is a good storage house. ■ Hi®, potatoes should be handled , carefully, since any injury affects their. keeping ; qualities. 'Darkness and Tow temperature are primary essentials in the storing of potatoes, though, of course, potatoes for seed require more light than those for sale. In the latter case absolute darkness is the best, since. the light iniuries the flavour of the potato through greenness. Our methods of. storing potatoes in shops is not quite correct, since they lose much of their goodness by being exposed to lights. Housewives who understand potatoes always demand them from dark cellars, and "not from the open window bins of the shops. Seed potatoes are best stored in barrels, or in shallow layers in a cellar. Towards the spring they should be spread out thin and exposed to the light, and should be shovelled over weekly to retard sprouting. Lack of rotation is one of the rock® on which potato-growing breaks. Potatoes should follow potatoes but once, and only in exceptional soil a third tiim. Legumes are essential to the permanence in potato-growing. I hav< 6een two regions in a country, the one producing potatoes by the train-load and the other none, .because they would not or could not grow legumes. Then there is the storage. Table stocks cannot be kept at. their bestj nor seed stock, so that it will grow without good . storing. Lastly, there is poor seed. Planting of culls, run-outs, unknown grocery potatoes, is disastrous. You must select your seed. As with poul-r try, you must breed up the strains, yon must have pedigreed, hill-dug 'and pro T fitable seed potatoes. These are worth ; good money, and the potatoes sold from ; them bring good money. Always remember that as far as seed goes there is only one tniism, and it is characteristic in every state of life on this planet—like begets like, and seed front a mixed hill will produce a mixed crop. Seed from a poor hill'will bring'yon within hailing distance of the bankruptcy court, hut seed from a good hill is the one factor above all that has made the Greeley potato the best in the world.