POTATO CULTURE.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 July 1917, Page 6

POTATO CULTURE.

A FEW HINTS. (By "Sunshino"). At the present season a few hints on potato growing under local conditions, particularly at this end of the district, may not be amiss and I trust may prove advantageous to those intending planting this most important of our vegetable foods. Experience has shown the writer that in tho past too little attention has ■been devoted to wdiat may appear to some but details yet are in fact essential points to remember and have considerable bearing upon the ultimate result of the crop. It is intended to'give in this article a few of the first points leading up to what can be made a satisfactory crop in this district. To any extent planting has not yet begun except in the particularly well sheltered situations near the coast, therefore a word or two on seed selection should be in place. It it not my intention to mention varieties here, as those best suited to local conditions can be obtained from a reliable seed firm, and as there are already several proved varieties anything of any experimental nature should be left to experimentalists to try out for the future guidance to growers generally. In securing your supply of seed too much care cannot be taken to ensure, as far as lies in your knowledge, that the seed has been well selected and as far as possible is not a mixed sample, and is as strong and vigorous in the shoot as you can get. Avoid as far as possible seed which has been sacked any length of time. Once being in possession do not be in a hurry to plant as a few weeks' laying out of the tuber in a shed, or the boxing off of them will repay you handsomely and the advantages so derived cannot be overestimated as will be shown later. Failures of crop and poor results can in many cases be attributed to the planting of badly or insufficiently shot or sprouted seed. Next week's article will deal with the many advantages so derived, the sprouting of the tubers being a very important part I indeed. Too much information cannot I be given regarding the seed potato at I this stage. System of planting will be I dealt with in a later' article but to I those who are anxious to get in some | early sets, plant them in stable or other such manure (if possible) and as near to if not right upon the surface. Early seed at this season of the year imust | have warmth (on no account down to I six inches below the surface as is sometimes advocated) but in doing so care ' must be taken in spacing and at least three feet left between the rows to allow for extra banking.