CLEAN SEED POTATOES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3005, 18 October 1911, Page 16

CLEAN SEED POTATOES.

The potato-growers of Tasmania have beem searching for seed that can be guaranteed free from Irish blight. The aid of the Agricultural Department of the island State was invoked, and the Agent-general in London (Sir John M'Call) was communicated with on the subject. In a reply to the Premier of Tasmania the Agdntgeneral states: —" I have been making inquiries in Great Britain, and Ireland with. a view to ascertaining whether or not it might he possible to obtain seed potatoes which would fulfil the requirements of the

Commonwealth Government under the Quarantine Act. I regret, however, to state that neither the Boa<rd of Agriculture and Fisheries of Great Britain nor the Department of Agriculture for Ireland can. undertake to guarantee that any potatoes grown in the parts' of the United Kingdom, under their jurisdiction are free from blight. The secretary of the Department for Ireland states that it is not practicable ■by means of superficial examination to ascertain definitely whether certain tubers are affected or not with the disease. In fact, potatoes that are apparently free from blight when being packed for export may show signs of disease in the- course of transit, and accordingly be condemned at the port of landing. I should like to point out that although potato blight has existedl in the United Kingdom for a very long time, there lies practically been no diminution in the acreage under crop. In 1910 Great Britain had 539,634 acres under potatoes, giving an output of 3,477,139 tons, or 6.44 tons per acre. Ireland, for the same year, had 592,985 acres, with a total output of 2,870,827 tons, an average of 4 -84 tons per acre. The total figures for tht. United Kingdom were 1,132,669 acres, yielding 6,447,966 tons, or an average of 5.6 tons per acre. So that, notwithstanding the prevalence of blight and other por lato diseases, there is still a large area under cultivation, and by mealns of proper spraying and treatment, farmers in the United Kingdom are able to obtain a fair output."