Is the Potato Doomed ?

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 282, 8 June 1917, Page 2

Is the Potato Doomed ?

| To the Editor]

Sir,-1 was interested in your leading article under the heading "Is the Potato Doomed?" but fail to follow your reasonings. First of all you say the original stock has become extinct; what stock do you refer to? Solanum Tuberosum we have, and Solanum Commersonii is just as subject to disease as any; the other varieties of Solanum won't cross successfully. Again you say "other plants reproduce themselves from seed and each generation starts with an entirely new life." Do they ? There may be the infusion of new blood, but it must come from the same family and the same applies to the potato. "The potato is suffering from senile decay " you say. Indeed! and how old are the potatoes we are cultivating to-day ? I should guess just about half your age, Mr Editor. A certain variety succeeds in certain districts and is therefore grown to the exclusion of almost all others Thus some forty years ago in Scotland " Regents" were the popular variety. Disease attacked them and Mr Patterson, of Dundee, set to work and produced the variety known as " Victoria " which stood its ground till the next disease cycle. Then Scotch " Champions ";were evolved and saved the situation during the Irish potato famine; later we had Up-to-dates now useless in this district, and it is only about 15 or 16 years since the "Northern Stars" arrived here; Mr Findlay, of Markinch Fife, is the raiser, and the price then paid for stock was 5s per pound. It is not so long since Lapstones and Hobarts could be grown here but not now.

I believe what is wrong with Pukekohe potatoes is simply bad treatment. Our North Island is not adapted to longevity in potatoes because they do not get sufficient rest, and double cropping with seed sets from previous crop ultimately tells against the constitution. Scotland, much more than Kow or Paris has done marvels in evolving good strong growing potatoes, and in that country change of seed from one kind of soil to another is c rasidered of great importance and the long winter there gives the tubers the needed rest. Our handsome tubers grown in the South Island owe this in some measure at least to climatic influence

It is true this district has had hard luck during the past few seasons owing to blight and so-called " gravy-eve," but these are not new. Potato blight has been known for many years and potato rot, wet rot or gravy eye also. Some of the land about is potato sick and requires a few years rest. Let growers go further afield and break up virgin land, or turn over old grass pasture and good results will follow.

So I don't believe, Mr Editor, in " the doom"of the potato " nor think "'potato-less days are ahead " by any means. Some enterprising man or Society should take up the work of breeding new varieties, and a good successor to " Stars " would result, for it is marvellous the vitality and variability of seedling potato cross*'-, but time, vast patience and money are essontial. I am, etc , E. ALLAN, Bmkland, 21th May, 1917.