POTATO PROSPECTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10756, 30 April 1913, Page 2

POTATO PROSPECTS.

Mr E. E. M'&o van's Vim.

Amongst the most prominent growers, experimental and otherwise, iq[ tho dominion, is Mr H. K. M'Gowan, oft Wiilowbridge, South Canterbury, wha( is an acknowledged -authority on aUj questions appertaining to the cultivM tion and improvement of the tubersJ At the present time there is much eusslon regarding the prospects of th» current season, some asserting that thflf crop which is now being secured will up to the average of recent yearij whilst others declare that the of digging operations prove most clusively that the return will fall fa*\ short of the average of the last decade* With a view of throwing some tative light on this much-vexed important question, a reporter last} week paid a visit to "Wiilowbridge fotl, the purpose of eliciting Mr M'Gowan'® opinion. At this season of the yeafli Wiilowbridge, like all other potato* growing centres, is a scene of genera* activity, the work of lilting being in full swing, and it looked like encroach*! ing on a busy man's time to ask Mft M'Gowan to spare a few minutes ii| order to talk of-ftrotatoes. However,' busy as ho was, Mr M'Gowan readilji consented'.

" Yes,*' said Mr M'Gowan, " last sea« son I gave you liiv views on the futura, of the potato market, and I an> pleased to say that my predictions hav« since been fully realised, and I thought it was not improbable that you wouitT look me up again this year, particu* larly as there is a keen controversy re>' garding the prospects this season. Urn fortunately, this year I have not had % chance to visit the North Island, butr I have been in correspondence with" several clients all over the dominion 1 where tubers are grown at all extensively , and I think I am now in a ■ ®' vo a fairJ y correct forecast, i , T The crops," he continued, "in th» North Island have been better than usual, especially in the Waikato diswhilst those in the Mastertoa district, though fairly heavv, hava suffered considerably from blight, and those in the Hawke's Bay district from the severe drought. There are now very few North Island potatoes on the market, stocks being about dew] pleted, and supplies will now have to 1 be drawn from the South Island. j _' The Otago and Southland dit« tricts suffered severely through early in the season, and again re^ : cently, and the potato crops arethereV fore on an average verv poor. Those'' in the Orepuki and Te Tua districted are probably, about the best, whilst* those of some of the other district* are either hardly worth digging or ar« totally destroyed. In the Oamaru dis-/ trict the crops are only fair. The cropaj in this far-famed potato-growing dis-». trict usually yield from ten to fifteen tons per acre, hut this year the ave-«; rage will be about from four to sis tons per acre. This is a considerable shrinkage. In South Canterbury this season the crops are, on a whole, very, poor. On account of the early rains and floods, planting was much delayed.! and the ground could not be prepare® properly, and the cold summer was much against the growth of the plants. ' The January frost, too, finally finished things, and some of the crops will scarcely return the seed planted, whilst others will yield nn to about tea tons per acre. Our famous Wil-' lowbridge district has some 700 acres under crop, which in ani ordinary year should give an average of 10 tons per acre, but this season the. average will be about 5 tons per acre-j There are some fair crops in the Tenruka' districts, but they are not up to theif. usual average. j

'' In North Canterbury, agaSn, crops? hare suffered considerably through, the floods, and the average will be pulled' down to about one-half the usual output" . . ( _ "Taking these facts into consideration, I think that the future prospect* - of the potato market are probably bet* ter than they have been for many yearsU" Australia will require a large quantity again this season; in fact, consignment* have already gone forward, and, in the! face of tliis ; I consider that prices must) go up considerably in the near future. I would not be surprised to see £lO pes ton reached in August or September, and probably a potato famine at the end of the season if many are allowed! to leave the dominion for Australia, j " Whilst on the potato business, I do not think that a few remarks on dig- 1 ging operations would be out of placeJ The-digging is rapidly proceeding here,) and the more up-to-date potato growers' now have their potato-digging machine;! in fact, any grower of 10 or 12 acres is considered quite behind unless he has. a. digging machine. With this, digging is now a mere detail, and the cost of rais- ( ing the crop is considerably reduced, in fact, to abaut one-half the cost of dig-| ging by th* fork, whilst the ground is also more thoroughly cultivated, and all weeds, such as sorrel, twitch, yar-j row. etc., are well shaken out and lefd' on the top of the ground ready for raking up and burning. The general favourite is the Hoover machine, which does the work in a. most thorough way, and is a general favourite amongst all' the potato-growers here, as it leaves tha tubers in a nice clean row behind thai machine ready for picking up. I would] urge every grower of 10 acres or more to get a machine, for in a patch of 15acres the machine pays for itself. i " I would also advise all growers who, have good sound potatoes to hold on tight as long a,s they can, for good prices are sure.''