CULTURE OF POTATOES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20562, 13 May 1930, Page 3

CULTURE OF POTATOES.

BY F.P.R

PREPARING THE 'SEED."

Although the gardener is now chiefly occupied with the preparations for the early crop of potatoes, ono should not forget that there is a main crop to be j put in in three months' time. The first preparations in the case of the potato crop consist of attending to the "seed." The sprouting of the sets is worthwhile, as it has so many advantages. Those growers who did not select their seed tubers when the main crop was being lifted should procure the required quantify at once so that it may be. boxed off without delay. One of the most obvious advantages of sprouting the sets is that one can eliminate all thread-eyed lubers and thus save {-pace in the rows. Thread-eyed tubers are those that have weak eyes, and which produce spindly shoots, that develop nothing better than very small, useless tubers. These are obviously 'of no use for planting purposes as the room that they take up could bo better utilised by a good plant. Another advantage of the boxing off method is that the plants appear above the ground in a shorter time and will, therefore, mature sooner. This means that they will receive fuller advantage from the spring rams, and that they will occupy the ground for a shorter period. As they will make more growth before tho dry weather sets in the plants can be expected to give a larger return in the way of an increased crop. As the potato occupies the ground for upwards of twelve weeks at the best of times anything that will lessen the period of development will be. very useful in rendering the plot vacant for the next crop at" an earlier date. Cutting the Seed. When the sets have not been sprouted, tho cutting of the tubers into pieces, where their size warrants this, is a matter of guesswork, as one does not know whether any particular piece will possess enough good eyes to make a good plant. Even though the eyes may appear to be strong and healthy, they may not sprout when the piece is planted, and the result will be a gap in the row. With the sprouted sets, however, the eves have begun to produce their shoots, before they are cut, and one can see exactly where to make the cut and how many the tubers may be divided into. Wlien the tubers are being cut, one must allow at least two strong shoots to each piece, with a, few weaker shoots, if there happen to be any. It might be added that it is not permissible to cut the seed for an early crop—should one be thinking of doing so—as the soil is so wet at the time the sets are put in that they will probably rot. Suitable trays in which to place the seed tubers may be constructed quite easily. They should be about 3in. deep, 18in. wide and 30in. long, with the ends about 6in. deep, so that when the trays are stacked one on another, the air will be able to circulate freely. The bottoms should consist of laths about wide, with up to an inch sepaiating them. The seed tubers are placed in the trays with the "rose" end uppermost; i.e., with the end at which there is the greatest number of eyes facing upwards. Place of Storage. The place in which the trays are stored in order that they may sprout is j of great importance, as on this depends the success of the method. Where there S is sufficient room, the trays should be placed oui, separately, but otherwise they may be stacked. In the latter case their respective positions should be changed fairly frequently so that no tray is at the bottom for 'tho whole period. A change every third day or so should be sufficient. A cool place of storage is essential, as tpo much warmth might encourage .oo rapid a development and the shoots would be too long by the time the tubers were planted. Besides this the warmth might possibly cause the tubers ho sweat or encourage fungous pests, but this is more likely to occur with sets that are boxed after the crop is lifted in the summer. Drvness is, of, course, an essential feature of the place of storage, for moisture will cause the sets to sprout too freely. It is the aim to produce sturdy sprouts, and these are produced only when growth is slow. A further thing to note is that the trays should be allowed plenty of light or else the shoots will be drawn and spindly. Also, the tubers will not green off properly if they are not allowed to receive plenty of light, and this is necessary for the proper sprouting of the sets. One of the older tried varieties is the Northern Star, , which is also fairly blight-resistant. The Arran Chief and Maori Chief varieties are good croppers also, whereas some of the newer kinds, such as the Majestic, are also meritorious. Those varieties that were mentioned as being suitable for early crops may be used as main croppers as well, if the gardener so desires. ROUTINE GARDEN WORK. WORKING THE SOIL. The. soil is now in fairly good condition for working. If one has not yet been able to perform the various tillage operations that have been mentioned in these columns recently this work should be carried out. It is highly • probable that more harm than good will result from the soil being tilled when it, is in a wet state. This is especially so where it is clayish soil that is being dedt with, as wet clay becomes puddled when it is worked, and when it dries out it bakes into hard lumps. The best thing to break the worst clay soil up is Roche lime, applied at the rate of several hundredweight per acre, or about Aoz. per square yard. When dug at this time of the year ground that is not to be cropped before the spring is best left, in as rough a state as possible, so that it will be keeping as sweet as can bo expected. It is a-good plan to sow any vacant plots of this sort with some cover crop that can lie dug in in the early spring, PRODUCE IN STORE. PERIODIC INSPECTION. All produce that is stored will need to bo inspected at legular intervals so that it will not deteriorate to any extent before this fact is noticed. Potatoes in store should be overhauled . and where necessary they should have all the shoots that are* developing rubbed off. This will prevent, wastage" in the produce which will occur otherwise if the sprouts are allowed to use up the stores of food in order to make their growth. Onions should also be looked over at fairly frequent, intervals and the neck of each should be felt during the first overhaul. This is in order to ascertain whether they were dried off properly before they were put into store. If the necks of any are found to be soft and moist these bulbs should bo placed aside so that they will not cause a lot of others to rot besides themselves. If any bulbs happen to have started to sprout they also should bo placed on one side. If they have not made much growth the bulbs should still be fit for use, but otherwise they should be kept for a while and planted 'out. again to provide an early crop in the spring.