POTATO CULTURE.

Dominion, Issue 1337, 15 January 1912, Page 8

POTATO CULTURE.

A SOUTHERN GROWER'S OPINIONS. A well-known southern potato-grower, Mr. H. E. M'Gowan, of Willowbridge, South Canterbury, states, according to an exchange, that a good, crop of potatoes costs .615 to ,C2O an acre bv the time the tubers aro ou the trucks. "He emphasises tho necessity for constantly changing tho seed ovory two years at least, and see that good .seed is got from reliable growers. He is a great believer in small seeds,, and finds at Willowbridgo tubers as small as pigeons' eggs often givo better results and heavier crops than tubers the sizb of hen's eggs. On poor or light land this is not the case, and he .recommends larger seed. As tho result of experiments ho has carTied out, ho finds that tho following manure applied at the rate of 1J to 2 cwts. per acre, is'.satisfactory on average soilsSuperphosphate i parts, sulphate of potash 2 parts, sulphate of ammonia 1 part. -'-■After a good clover lea, or on very rich soil, superphosphate alone mav bo'found sufficient. Mr. M'Gowan speaks highly of the work-done by potato-digging machines, and -strongly recommends growers oi over ten acres to have.both planting and digging machines. "If you intend putting your potatoes on the market at once, ho says, "put them into new sacks . and brand them plainly with your own brand. If you aro ashamed to put vour own brand on the sacks, givo tho potatoes to the pigs. The old-fashioned method nt storing potatoes in tho oldest bags in the place is condemned, and Mr. M'Gowan •.varus growers against hanging on to their stock for a raising market, as potatoes are risky thmtrs to store. Ho recommends Rellmg straight, from tho digger if tho yrower can get a payablo price.