GARDENING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 21 September 1907, Page 3

GARDENING.

A FEW POINTS OX THE CARE AND PREPARATION OF POTATOES. (By G. Seymour, Potato Expert.) The following questions are being asked every day:— 1. What is the best way to keep potatoes for seed? 2. Is it better to plant whole seed or cut? 3. If cut, what slmold be the size of sets, and what number of eyes should be left to each piece ? 4. What is the best depth to plant? si. What width is desirable between the rows, and what distance should the sets be apart? (i. How long should seed be cut before planting? It is proposed to briefly answer these questions seriatim:— 1. Keep your seed in a cool, dry place, at a temperature of 35 to 40 'degrees Fahr. As possibly no grower has cool storage, a good substitute is a piece of firm, dry ground, under the shelter of pines or other evergreen trees. Spread the tubers out thinly and turn often. Some growers recommend excluding the light. This is a mistake; the more they are exposed to the light, and, if possible the sun, the hardier they become. A tuber that has become green will resist an ordinary frost, and may remain exposed the whole winter on the surface of the ground without rotting. 2. The matter of cutting seed or planting whole sets is largely a question of £ s. d. On the question of cutting, nearly everyone has his own method. Some say cut to one eye; others say plant the whole sets; while some hold that the stem end does not produce such good potatoes as the crown. Another will advise to cut the crown off. It may happen that, under certain conditions, all these methods give satisfactory results. But the question is, what is best all round.? First, it is not wise to cut to one eye, unless the seed is very strong, the land a first-class potato soil, and in good tilth. Whole seed should be used if the ground is very , moist, and the weather warm at planting time, or when green manure is , ploughed down on the seed. A, large , number of experiments have proved that the stem end of the tuber will ■ produce as good potatoes as the crown. Do not cut the crown off, as it is here, . as a rule, the strongest shoot starts. ; The rules to observe in cutting seed are: First look out for the well-formed eyes, which throw out the strongest • shoots, and cut the tuber so as to have ! at least one to each set.

.1. In a dry season large sets are the best, as the plant in the early stages of growth depends largely on the parent tuber for moisture until well established. It is better to leave more than one eye, as all eyes do not throw out shoots. A large set, with many eyes, is just as liable to rot as a smaller one with only one eye. It is the condition of the tubers and the state of the land that causes seed to rot. Sets with a single eye should only be planted in well-prepared land suitable for potato growing. 4. From four to five inches has been found the most suitable depth to plant. 5. The width between the rows, and distance between the sets must be regulated largely by the character of the land and the variety planted. On ordinary soils 27 to 30 inches has been found a suitable width, and from 15 to 18 inches between the sets. 0. The seed should be planted the same day as cut. It is not necessary to use any material to dry the cut sets, as a cut tuber does not bleed. The potato is composed of starch, and naturally dries quickly. Do not cut more seed than you pan plant in the day, for, if rain falls, your work may be stopped for several days. After rain, do not start planting with cut seed until the ground is dry.