Potatoes.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 25 March 1914, Page 2

Potatoes.

IMMAT UK E v. KIPE SEED

(From the Victorian Journal of Agriculture, March, 1914.)

The prevailing opinion amongst growers regarding the condition (he potato crop should be in when harvesting the tubers for seed, is that the plants should be dead, or, as it may be termed, quite ripe, and that fhe crop should not be lifted until a fall of rain has occurred. However, experiments for

s< me years past in Great Britain show that seed dug in an immature state, ' while the plants arc quite green, always give the most satisfactory yield. In the seasons l90(!-7 and 190T-8 tests were car-

ried out in the departmental plots, with similar results. In 1909 a commencement was made to test the influence of constant growing from immature seed v. constant growing from ripe seed. Unfortunately the outbreak of blight in the 191.0-11. crop so marred the results that iliey were abandoned. These experiments were resumed in 191.2 by liarv,sting portion of a plot of Up-to-l)ates and Carman: A parcel of immature and ripe

Carman seed was planted by JL Wicket ts, of Bentleigh, in July anc harvested on the 18th December 191.2. The ripe seed returnee •{tons lewt. 121bs;tlie immature seed 4tons lewt., being an increase of Hon per acre in favour of tht immature seed. The sample oJ the latter was much superior to that of the ripe seed. A field plot at llomsey planted with ITp-lo-Dates gave the following re>ults( planted 9th December, 1912, dug May, 191-']): - Immature seed liion Newt. 0-tlbs: ripe seed -Itons ITcwt. lt)4lbs. I'ield plot; Carman: Immature seed otons scwt (iOllis.: ripe seed 2tons ITcwt 801bs. In the above experiments it will l.e noted that the increase is considerably over 2tons per acre: and it should be stated that in both varieties the produce from the immature seed was a much finer sample than from the ripe seed. In the above experiment seed was taken at various stages of growth, and it was found that those in the most immature conditions produced the -trongest buds, the most vigorous plants, and the heaviest crop. Some striking results were obtained from a crop of Up-to-Dates treated in the above manner. No. 1. -One drill was liffed in January. 1013: the plants at this stage were quite green, and the skin on the tubers was easily rubbed off. No. 2. The next drill was allowed to remain in the ground until the plants were quite dead, and these were lifted in "May. "Plantin'.r time, in October, they were examined and tested for germinating power. No. 1 produced per cent, of vigorous buds; No. 2 had oi.lv 0.09 per cent .of vigorous lv,ds. These results are verv remarkable.