PLANTING POTATOES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 26 August 1908, Page 6

PLANTING POTATOES.

i Considering the volumes which have j been written about potatoes an-d potatoj .growing during the last /ew years it is j rather surprising ho\y many, farmers,, and. I even gardeners, still ask for information i regarding method® of' culture and kinds to grow. The "potato boom" of four years ago Brought out quite a crop of guides to growing, as well as new varieties, but very few of either have proved profitable*. There is no hidden secret in potato-igrowing. It is important that the land be well drained aud thoroughly worked. If farmyard or 'stable manure is used it must have been ploughed under in the autumn, and the sam-e course must be followed with basic slag if used. In regard to both farmyard and artificial j fertilisers, regard" must be had for the character and requirements of the par- | ticular soil. Very -good results have been obtained in New Zealajid from, a Special fertiliser consisting of 4cwt superphosphates, 2cwt sulphate of ammonia, and lewt to 2cwt- muriate of potash (according to the soil) per acre. A leguminous cropV such as clovfer, peas, or beans, especially if ploughed in, is an excellent preparation for a potato crop. • In the great potato belt clover, ploughed in,- alternates witli the potatoes. An excess of nitrogenous or potash maaiures conduces to disease. Gocd seed is the next essential. 'It should be selected when the previous 'season's crop is dug, and stored by itself ; 'boxing strikes most farmers as being expensive and troublesome, but it pays i it aLso saves a great deal of time (which is money) when planting. If the seed is selected whsn the pitted potatoes are being sent to market or has been stored in pits it should be exposed to as much, light as possible for a. fortnight s or eo,(j guarding agaimsb frost. Then, a fortnight -or co before planting, exclude the light and sprouting will ensue. Light toughens and 1 " greens " the seed and retards growth ; darkness promotes* growth. The sprouts of potatoes thus treated will •stand a good "deal of handling- without being rubbed off, but by boxing the handling is reduced to a minimum. Whole potatoes about the size of a hen's egg, taken from roots which produced a good number of large, well-shaped, sound tubers, are the best seed ; next, best are l-arp^e- pota-t-oee -exit into &^:g-si;&e-cl pieces 5 and least to be recommended are email (or pig) potatoes. Pitted potatoes axe less vigorous than those which* have been stored in a cool, dry, airy, and welllighted building until plnced in darkness for sprouting. If there is any scab on the seed eoak it for two hours in a solution of one pint of commercial formalin f4O per cent.) to 40gal of water, drying in the air before planting. The best depth of planting for most varieties is 3in, but strong-i^rowing kinds should be set 4in deep. Cultivation by tHe horsehoe or Planet, Jr., should continue as long as the implement can be got between the rows, an-d spraying with Bordeaux ! mixture as a guard against the potato disease should begin early, and be repeated once, twice, or oftener. Most ! growers have their favouriate varieties, Derwent and Up-to-Date predominating [in the main crop. A good strain of Puri- ! tan is hard to beat as an early, and j White Beauty of Hebron will come in I next. Main-crop varieties, in' addition to [ those named, which have recommendations S are Factor and Princess Victoria, both eood croppers and of -good eating quality. i There are probably 50 others which have* done well, but which are not co well known on the market, and it is important i to grow what will sell.