HORTICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2728, 27 June 1906, Page 9

HORTICULTURAL NOTES.

I By J. Gebbik.

SOMETHING ABOUT POTATOES. Exhibited at the National Potato Society ' 3 show, held in the Royal Horticultural Society's Hall. last, December, was a dish of potatoes valued at £225. The dish measured about 15in by 12in. and contained -nine tubers of Langholme Model, priced at '£25 per tuber. The happy possessor of these tubers was Mr A. Fmdlay, the noted Scottish/raiser of many of our best varieties. These tubers were eschirnted in a., stout glass case,- and no doubt many visitors were unable to gratify! th«r natural desire to make a olorcr -acquaintance with them. Other two varieties,^ Gold R«o£ and Diamond Reef, 'at £2 10f> per lb, appeared insignificant after the foregoing. Another noted grower and raiser of new varieties, Mr T. A. Scarlett, exhibited the heaviest tuber of the year. It turn-od ihe scale at 4ib 4-oz, the variety being Table Talk. The same exliibitor staged one of the oldest varieties known. Old Blue, introduced in 1745. It is still in existence, and has never been known to disease. Being full of eyes, and of a dark colour, it is not likely to become popular. —Selection of Varieties. — The constant introduction of new varieties makes the selecting of a few sorts for the gaitlon a difficult matter. The descriptions given in the various horticultural publications of the now introductions render the task of selecting no easier owing to tho different behaviour of the various sorts in different localities. Some sorts, which have yielded record crops in one district, have been total failures in another. Makisig a teit of several varieties and selecting those which are found be-jt adapted for the locality will be a safer method than planting largely of any one sort. One important point is to get true stocks from - reliable sources. The importance of this cannot bo over-estimated. A few of the leading varieties procurable in the colony arc : — British Qc:en.— A second eaily to midsf»*son white kidney, a great croppar, good kce>f er, and cooks well Diamond. — Sent out. by Johnson, an Essex grower, and said to be the be^t main crop potato ever heard of, producing hea.vy crops of perfcctly-shapad tubers, a.nd nothing better when cooked. Sutton's Discover}'.— This ha< taken a high place- on account of its power of resisting disease and its rcmarkabl-o fertility. Tho vigour of this variety i= most evident in late autumn, when th-p foliage remains erect and green after tho shaws of tho 'other varieties have peii=hed. Duchess of Cornwall. — A phenomenal cropper, and comparatively good diseasereeister; holds first place amongst recent introductions. Duke of York. — This is a splendid early white kidney, and a heavy cropper. It is c good keeper, and its cooking qualities • are of the best. It is said to be one of the very best earlies. Eldorado. — An oval-shaped potato, and an enormous cropper. Tho raiser says that it is ono of the most prolific and best dis-ease-resisting potatoes offered. In 1904 this potato was sold at tho high price of £150 per lb. An Essex grower in that year bought a few pounds weight at that price, and sold at £160 per lb. No wonder that it caused a sensation at the time. Highlander. — A grand main-crop variety. On moderate land with very little manure the crop yielded about 18 tons por acre. These were grown in rows, 2ft 9in apart. The crop was absolutely free from disease, blight, or small waste. It is \ery robc«t, but not too tall; vigorous, and hardy con stitution. also a good cooker. Ideal is another of Sutton's introductions. Raised from seed in 1898, its reputation'as an immense oropper of first-rate quality has enhanced. The tubere are kid-ney-shaped. of good form. Th-** eye 9 are quite on the surface, the flesh white, and of the finest texture and flavour. Northern Star. — A good main croD and

late variety, which has proy«d itself to be an enormous cropper, a good keeper, and a favourite with some. May Queen. — An exceedingly handsome kidney potato, which has a great refutation in Cornwall and Jersey for its earliivess, coming in when prices rule high. It is a good cropper, and for an early po'«ito the yield is unusual. Sir John Llewellyn.— A white kidney, in great demand in the Old Country, on account of being a very heavy cropper aid good cooker; tubers large, unsurpassed for exhibition ; one of the very best first earlies to resist disease. Superlative. — A remarkable potato, being a cross between Windsor Castle and Up-to-Date, and possesses the splendid quality of both potatoes. It is considered to be one of the heaviest cropping and best-quality potatoes ever offered; a disease-resisting % ariety. The foregoing varieties have, after exhaustive tests in England, proved to he all that^k-as claimed for them by the raiser?. There are several good varieties of American potatoes in cultivation in the colonies. A few of the newest and proved varieties are : Quick Lunch.— A valuable first early, two weeks earlier than Early Rose, a heavier croppciv and of batter quality. Burpee!^ Great Ditide. — A most ccsirab c main-crop variety, strong in growth: a heavy cropper, and a splendid keeper. The tubere are very .handsome, oblong, thick and round in form, and the table quality ig of the choicest. Eureka, ia another extra early variety, a good oropper. The flesh is white and firm, the skin very smooth and of snowy whiteness and attractive appearance. Vermont Gold Coin is considered the hardiest, most vigorous in growth, most productive, and one of the best table potatoes grown. The tubers, are slightly oblong, the eyes are small, and the skin is thin, smooth, and glossy. A noted American grower states that the variety has the wonderful quality in a marked degree of being fit for table use «w soon as .the tubers reach a fair size, and will retain their fine cooking qualities until very late in the season. He also considers it tho most valuable medium late variety of recent introductions. Of older varieties for jjarden planting. Myafct's Ashleaf kidney is a good early kidney, of good flavour, and prolific (difficult *to procure true stocks). Beauty of Hebron (white). — Excellent quality, and very early, and valuable for market purposes. Snowdrop. — A very abundant cropper, the flesh beautifully white, and one of the best for exhibition. Planted early in September they have been ready for table use by the middle of November. Puritan. — Heavy cropper: flesh white, vigorous grower, and ripens oarly. Up-to-Date. — A well-known variety of enormous cropping powers ; the tubers are handsome, having few eyes, and are eaid to be disease-resisting. An Opoho resident brought into this office on Wednesday two branches of a pear tree bearing full blossom.. The drown of the tree, he assures us, is a mass of bloom, and, besides, he has in his garden strawberry and gooseberry bushes in .blossom. Thegcnial weather of the past few days, so acceptable to the wayfaring man. has its disadvantages, and this premature blossom, ing will mean the lo c .s of fruit through frosts.