POTATO CULTURE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 35, 21 June 1907, Page 3

POTATO CULTURE.

Boxing and Spraying

As this is the time to consider the question of seed potatoes, we should like to again put the question of boxing the seed before our readers. We think it always wiser to bring the seed, if possible, from a colder climate than the one where the potatoes are to be grown. This is the invariable practice at Home, where Scotch seed in Lincolnshire has been found to give much the best results. It is generally supposed that the Northern environment imparts to the seed a certain extra vigor. There the early purchase and boxing of seed has largely superseded the system of planting from the bag, or from the heap, for it is found that the best results are produced when the first sprouts are preserved. The first sprouts are the strongest, and if planted from boxes, should give potatoes a week or fortnight earlier. The second shoots are much weaker, and never give the same results. The spraying experiments carried out by Prof. Winter at the North Wales College, Bangor, showed that tha sprayed portions gave an increase of 17 cwt. over the unsprayed potatoes, and this in a year when there was very little disease present. The following dressing is sufficient for one acre: —24ft. sulphate of copper (98 per cent pure), 30ib. pure washing soda, 120 gallons of water. Washing soda is recommended in preference to lime.

As in practice it will usually be difficult to dissolve the above quantity at one operation, we would suggest that the mixture should be prepared in a wooden vessel which will hold 25 gallons of water. First wash out this vessel thoroughly and pour into it 15 gallons of clean water; then take 41b of sulphate of copper broken to a fine powder; place it in a canvass bag and stir it about in the water until the sulphate of copper is all dissolved. Next dissolve slb of washing soda in five gallons of water in a separate tub ; and then pour the washing soda solution into the salphate of copper solution and stir well. The mixture should then be tested with blue litmus paper; if the litmus is turned red more washing soda should be dissolved and steadily added until fresh litmus paper put into the solution remains blue.

The quantity thus prepared is sufficient for one-sixth of an acre.

As the nozzles of spraying machines are easily choked, the mixture should be poured into the machine through a canvas cloth.