POTATO-GROWING.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 July 1921, Page 8

POTATO-GROWING.

HOW TO'IMPROVE IT IN | TARANAKI. SOME USEFUL HINTS. Mr. L. B. Webster, of Webster Bros, j Auctioneers, New Plymouth, writes us ‘ at some length referring to the many | little points found by experience to be > advantageous for the satisfactory growing of potatoes in Taranaki. Much has been said and written rela- • tive to the best method of growing pota- ; toes in this Dominion, he says, and con- ; sidering the difference in climatic condi- ■ tions over north and south islands, it i is apparent that different methods must j be adopted in greatly varying districts. ' It is therefore with reference to Tara- ■ naki that the article is written, and the ; information given is the result of nearly 1 20 years’ of practical experience in ’ potato growing, selection, sprouting, cut- ■■ ting and planting, form the main points, , from which it is hoped information may f be gathered with a resultant improve- ; ment in the crop. ' • SELECTING SEEDS. < In selecting seed the best choice is \ usually from bulk samples received , from the South Island, it having been I found highly advisable to transfer seed i grown in a colder climate to a mote j genial one. The ideal method of selec- i tion, of course, is to select only the best j producing plants at digging time, and save both large end small tubers for = seed. This, however, cannrt be. done ? commercially. A knowledge of the var- • iety desired for planting is of great as- ; distance in selecting from the bulk ex- • hibited for sale, and by purchasing only i from a reliable source this knowledge j i can be acquired, and once obtained, the ■ I grower can go with confidence and select i j those varieties known to bi true and to ■ j their liking. A very reliable means of I identification where tubers do not take j I a distinct color or shape is in the color I i of the "shoot” or “sprout” of the “seed ' I set. From experience the writer has ‘ ; found that it ‘is not advisable to save ■ ’seed ,'.n Taranaki, as the tubers being j from five to seven months out of the i I ground lose a great, deal of their vital- > • ity, and though they will naturally pro- ; J duce, it' has been noticed that with the j ! same variety planted alongside of fresh > ■ southern seed, the growth of the haulm ; ! is weak and the crop not comparable 1 • with that from the. fresh seed. The i writer after many years of this test is i most emphatic on this question, and now saves none of his own tubers for seed purposes. SPROUTING BEFORE PLANTING. Perhaps the most important point of all to remember is the sprouting of seed sets 'before planting (and this branch should be read in conjunction with "cutting” later on), as without sprouting, or shooting the sets, it is impossible (a) to cut to advantage where necessary, (b) to eliminate weak or wire eyes, and (c) to ascertain the class or habit of the particular seed so important when the cutting period is at hand. The simple and best method of sprouting seed is with the shallow box or tray, with the tubers placed “crown” or “eyed” end upward —a small matter, but one which means so much in the result of the digging. CUTTING OF TUBERS. The cutting of tubers is a much debated point and a most important one. Here again a hard and fast rule cannot be laid down; and here again a knowledge of the variety selected will help the grower considerably. Various varieties of potatoes make growth in the sprouting stage in different forms, and if a close study is made of this factor it will 'better assist the grower in his judicious cutting of sets. Some varieties produce from each live eye but a single shoot, others sprout or shoot in “clusters” or “bunches” from each live eye, and as each shoot develops into a “haulm” or “stem” it is in the case of a set having, say, four live eyes, each making a single shoot, you will have four haulms to produce the crop. You have, on the other hand, say, four live eyes, each making clusters or bunches of four to five shoots. You will thus have sixteen to twenty haulms producing the crop. Result on one hand, a satisfactory crop of good sized tubers, on the other a very greatly increased number of tubers, but the bulk of,4hem small. This is the reason, in che v writer’s opinion, why Gamekeeper and Maori Chief, in particular, and others with the clustering or bunching habit in sprouting invariably produce a great number of small tubers. It is plain, therefore, that it is most essential to always first sprout the seed, which will itself present to the grower its habits or peculiarities, and so enable growers to cut to best advantage. The old time theory that because a set is small it should be planted whole, and because of its size it should be cut, has proved to b? a fallacy, as possibly the preceding paragraphs will show. Even with tubers not requiring cutting for increase of seed sets, it has been found advantageous to cut off the base of the tuber, as it is recognised to be necessary and essential for the parent tuber to decay, but only is this advisable where sprouting has been first adopted. SURFACE SYSTEM OF PLANTING. For the past 10 years the writer has adopted the surface system of planting, the main object of which is to get the maximum of warmth and minimum of ' moisture. In Taranaki and more particularly in North Taranaki where earlier planting can be done the surface, system has many advantages over the old style, or trench system. As it is not genearlly possible to grow late crops satisfactorily in Taranaki, the early to midseason have proved to be equal to anything in the Dominion. Being assured of an abundant rainfall from July to November, and in order to get full benefit from the increasing rays of the sun, surface planting has proved so far a great success and a great labor savor. The method followed is difficult to explain my means of this article. The ground having been dug and left in the rough vhe line of each row in made with an indentation about an inch, and in this is spread stable, pig or farm yard manure, where possible to obtain. The sets are set well down into this, then covered with three to four inches of soil, the top squared off. leaving the rows in the form of a long ridge. Artificial manure, such as blood and bone, super, or potato manure containing potash, should 'be spread along the top of the ridge and dissolving, -the rootlets of the tuber, which feed practically on the level of the tuber, will take this in in soluble form. The first banking is done at time of planting, and after the growing plant is up about 6 to 8 inche| above the ridge the final banking can be done. By settling the . rows as far

as possible north and south the mai'imum of warmth is obtained, i,e., ; from east to West over the entire ridge, an abundance of moisture is assured, atid surplus rainfall allowed to run off betweent the rows. The old 1 ’style of trench . planting gives a minimum Of warmth and a maximum of moisture. One point in surface planting must not be forgotten. In order to get soil for the above surface bankings an extra foot ■ (at least 3ft.) must be allowed between the rows. On the score of labor saving, ’ when the crop is ready to dig the ridges are simply levelled off, and thus the arduous work of digging down below the surface is avoided. With a double mould ‘ board, plough or ridger, practically the ! same method can be adopted in the ' field. i In conclusion, the writer is of opinion ' that if more care and attention be paid ■to the various headings referred to above, and the crop better cared for, it ; will be found that the potato will yield *to cultivation in a similar manner to i other crops, and so this district can be made to increase its productiveness to a very considerable extent. PUKEKURA PARK.

A SUCCESSFUL YEAR. ANNUAL MEETING OF BOARD. The annual meeting of the Pukekura Park Board was held last night. PresMessrs. C. E. Bellringer (chairman), E. ('. Hughes, A. T. Moore. P. E. Stainton, W. C. Weston, W. A. Short and H. Dempyny. The -.hairman, in his annual report, stated: “The report which it is my privilege to make must of necessity deal with work done in Which I was unable, to take part. I can 2re freely recognise the splendid work of those who worked assiduously in thf> interests of the park. The outstanding, feature of 1920 Was the effort made io.raise money for the board, ably directed by Mrs. C. H. Burgess. As a result £l3OO was raised, and this has placed the financial position of the board in a most satisfactory state. The curator (Mr. W. W. Smith) resigned his position during the year. The board has decided to carry on without a curator for the present, owing to a residence being unavailable. The sports ground has been leased to a special sports committee representing the various sports clubs in the town. The_ tea kiosk has been renovated and general improvements carried out to the lawn and fence, greatly improving the appearance. In place of pinus insignia trees a number of native trees have been planted. Air. Victor Davies kindly gave the benefit of his experience in the planting of various trees. The nursery has been replenished with trees and snrubs for future planting. We are looking for a good display of roses during the coming season. Under the direction of the board the Acclimatisation Society has built a fish hatchery in the park at the head of the lily pond. This should prove an additional attraction to visitors. Messrs. A. T. Moore and H. Dempsey have been elected members of the board on the recommendation of the Borough Council. I desire to thank the secretary for the ready assistance he has given the board, also to members for their ready services. Members may look back on the year with much satisfaction. A credit balance of £BBO was reported. The chairman said the year had been one of the most successful that the board had experienced, and the park was at the present time looking better than it had ever done. Much effect had been addgd by the planting of a number of- native trees. The report was adopted. GENERAL. Mr. C. E. Bellringer was re-elected chairman for the ensuing year, and a resolution in appreciation of his services was passed. It was decided that the board meet and inspect the improvements at the park on Thursday, July 14, at 3 p.m. It was resolved that the donation of £3OO from Mr. C. H. Burgess be placed aside as a special fund, the purpose of which is to be decided later. Mr. Weston made complimentary reference to the work of the secretary (Mr. P. E. Stainton), who had carried out his duties in a most satisfactory manner in spite of many difficulties. Other members corroborated Mr. Weston’s remarks. A discussion took place on the general appearance of the park. Mr. Weston said the park was getting rather crowded, and he thought that trees should be planted very judiciously. Mr. Huglies spoke strongly on the damage that was being done to the terraces. The chairman said he understood the sports club had undertaken to look after them.