POTATO EXPERIMENTS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 74, 21 December 1918, Page 10

POTATO EXPERIMENTS

There is a very interesting report in the "Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society" on "Experiments.in Cultivation of Potatoes," the experiments dealt with being:— ' ': ' (1) lhe cutting of seed tubers. (2) The effect of various dressings on cut surface of these tubers. (3). Greened and not-greened seed, tubers with idifferent numbers of sprouts v. tubers taken straight from the damp. (4) Planting tubers of different sizes. (5) The effect of planting at different distances apart. Precautions were taken to obviate as far as possible errors due to difference in soil. ' This was done by repeating the treatment on several plots. Care was taken that the comparison should be as fair as possible between the plots. To summarise the decisions arrived at:

(1) Cuttings the Tubers. T lt was evident that outting the tubers tends to reduce the total crop. The prevalent idea that unless the seed tuber "decays" the resulting crop is likely to be sin all is generally true, and the cutting away the basal part of the tuber is said to bo an aid to decay, but this was not borne out in the ' experiment. It was also found that where tho tubers were cut those that were cut immediately before planting gave a better return than those 'that were cut some time previously. Where the seed of a: variety is limited, a larger, yield will be obtained, if the sets are cut, but-the average return per plant will not be 60 large. (2) Covering the Cut Surface-Out of eight coverings used, plaster of Paris gave the best results as to weight of crop returned, sulphur being also good. Lime was apparently injurious. (8) Effect of Greening, etc.—ln this experiment the results of sprouting in full light showed only a negligible advantage over those ohtained by sprouting in the dark; but it is observed that.the short, sturdy sprouts formed on tubers sprouted in the light are less liable to damage during planting than are the more slender, delicatfshoota produced when tubers are sprouted in the dark, but there is a remarkable aontrast in yield between tubers sprouted in trays and those of the same stock that have been kept in the clamp, where the inducement is to pro'duce spindly shoots, exhausting the tuber by the conditions there. It was also evident that in all cases it wns better to leave one sprout than to nib all off at planting time, and better still to leave two sprouts than one. To leave two sprouts seems also better than to leave all produced, the total yield being grantor with a less number of chats. (4) Size of See<l on Tuber Yield.—Tubers weighing between 2oz. and Soa were considered the most economical and reliable.

(5) In this experiment, nine plots of one square rod each were planted, Hie .distances, ranging from 24 x 12 inoliea to 30 x 18 inches, the results being that from the first plot a total weight of 2561b. soz. was lifted, while from the loiter plot the weight was 1791b. lloz., tho total weight coming down as the distance between the tubers wae increased, while the average per plant went up just as gradually as the distance apart was increased. Thus, at 2tin. by 12, tho average per plant was lib. lMoz., ot 3Gin. by 18in.. it/was 31b. in/.., with a less average of chats. Within the limits of 'tho. .experiment it was found that the greater the space given to the individual plant the greater the yield of that plant would lie, but from the greater number of plants on a given area the' greater the total yield of that area would be, but if it is desired to raise a, large quantity from a small number of seed tubers, the tubers nnwt be planted far apart. ,