544 



Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. 



[Aug. 2, 1920. 



Ploughing the land sufficiently early to conserve the late autumn and 

 early winter rains is not practised to the extent that is warranted. Fallowing 

 for three or four months allows the soil to become thoroughly aerated 

 and sweetened, and its physical condition is much improved, thus ensuring 

 a good seed-bed. 



The majority of sowings were made in August and early September. The 

 latter end of July may safely be "aimed at" without fear of frost, but 

 providing the soil be moist there is little risk from the latter, as was 

 instanced at Mount George, where the young plants were subjected to seven 

 frosts, some more or less sevei'e. Besides, earlier sowing means heavier yields, 

 and the plants are nearing maturity before the laud becomes dried out by 

 the hotter weather. 



The following figures dealing with three of the most popular vai-ieties will 

 help to illustrate the value of early sowing : — 



The superiority of Up-to-date in the earlier sown plcjts is astonishing. 

 After August sowing it averages about the same as Brownell's Beauty and 

 Satisfaction. Probably it is because the latter varieties are reliable croppers, 

 and that too during the warmer months of the year, that they are more 

 popular among the Macleay, Manning and Hunter River potato growers, 

 who rarely plant earlier than 1st September. One seldom hears of heavy 

 yields from these late sowings unless sown on old cattle camps, or the sets 

 are planted too close to be safe, under average conditions. 



On several sections of the coast, mostly around the Paterson and Upper 



Hunter, farmers had experienced considerable loss by planting sets which 



had been saved from a strain extending into the third generation. For 



instance, at Paterson, Satisfaction was sown in 1917; seed from this farm 



was sown close by in the spring of 1918, and seeH' from the 1918 crop 



was sown again in 1919, this time alongside the Department's seed from 



the tablelands. Satisfaction was the variety, and the results were as 



follows : — 



t. c. q. 



Local seed ... ... ... ... 2 3 



Departmental (Tableland seed) ... 5 17 3 



No wonder Hunter farmers pn'fer tableland seed ! 



lb. 



24 per acre. 

 1 •> 



