BRITISH POTATO NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2654, 25 January 1905, Page 8

BRITISH POTATO NOTES.

(Mark Lane Express, December 5.)

Mr T. Kime, the well-known potato grower, of Mareham-le-Fen, near Boston, Lincolnshire, has recently sent a consignment of 24- boxes holding 1001b each of choice seed potatoes for the Government Experimental Farm Station, Malta, also a considerable consignment of Findlay's Eldorado to a private firm in Australia.

The C4alway County Council have passed the following resolution: — "That the council views with regret; aad alarm the consequences that will result from the failure of this year's potato crop in the country, and more especially in the western congested and poverty-stricken district®, and that the council now strongly urge on the Government the pressing and immediate necessity of coming to the aid of these poor peopl© by giving employment on useful and muchneeded works in "the district*, and by supplying? new seed potatoes for the comings season."

The recent s-evore weather caught several of the Lincolnshire- potato growers napping, and the result was that many of the tuters

got frozen, and some of the London merchants have since lodged complaints against the oondition of the potatoes arriving in the markets.

The following is given as an instance of ths prolificness of the Northern Star : —An East of Fife grower (Mr J. Smith, Abercrombie) planted one seed (about -#in) on April 12. It soon became apparent that the plant was outgrowing all the other .potato plants. The ground wa3 cleared to allow it to come, and at the beginning ai October the plant was 18ft in circunv Serene©. It excited great interest, and many potato growers from the surrounding district came to see it. It was du°- on November 10, and had 125 tubers, many of -which had not reached maturity. The weight was 181b. It was of the dark-leaved Northern Star variety. \