DITISIOy OF HORTICULTURE 



645 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



Market gardeners and farmers of the Ottawa VaUey would do well, therefore, to 

 investigate the value of these few leading varieties, viz. : Table Talk, Dalmeny Hero, 

 Dalmeny Regent, (Davies) Warrior, etc. Of course when annual importations of 

 seed stock are made from natural potato districts, tTie importance of this selection of 

 varieties to suit local conditions is not so apparent. This point will be further 

 discussed in the following paragraphs. 



VALUE OF IMPORTED SEED FOR THE OTTAWA VALLEY AND SIMILAR DISTRICTS. 



For the past number of years it has been noted that potatoes grown from tubers 

 produced at Ottawa have given smaller yields than imported seed of the same variety 

 and strain. Not only has this been the case at the Experimental Farm, but it is also 

 common among many of the vegetable growers and farmers of this district, although 

 in some apparently favoured locations, there appears to be little, if any, advantage 

 gained from the importation of seed. The reason for this apparent inability of the 

 Ottawa district to produce seed potatoes of good vitality is not known, but a theory, 

 which is the best to hand, is that it is a question of the over maturity of the tubers. 

 In other words, it is considered that, on account of the potato tops drying up and 

 withering relatively early in tlie season, as is generally the case at Ottawa, the tubers 

 when dug, are fully matured and, although excellent for table use, are too mature and 

 consequently have too little vitality for seed purposes. 



Experiments are now under way to prove either the fallacy or the truth of this 

 theory. 



To give a clearer idea of the value of good seed, as compared witTi seed of poor 

 vitality, an experiment was conducted at Ottawa this past season, with home-grown 

 seed versus seed from the Experimental Station at Fredericton, JST.B. Both lots of seed 

 were originally from the same source, in fact the Fredericton seed came from Ottawa 

 in 1913. Five varieties of potatoes were used, and the Ottawa seed of each variety was 

 planted side by side with the Fredericton seed of the same variety. Both were planted 

 in uniform land and treated in the same manner. The following table gives the results 

 of this experiment: — 



In every case the Fredericton seed gave larger yields than the Ottawa seed, and 

 the differences were in all cases very marked, leaving little doubt as to the greater 

 vitality of the imported seed. It will also be noted that, in all cases but one, the 

 growth of the imported seed was quicker than that of the Ottawa seed. Until a way 

 has been devised, whereby the potato growers of the Ottawa Valley and similar dis- 

 tricts can grow seed of good vitality, it will mean a great many dollars in the pocket 

 of the average farmer to import annually his seed potatoes from some well known 

 potato district. It would pay farmers and growers of a community to co-operate in 

 the purchase of seed potatoes, thus enabling them to obtain a low price and also a 



Ottawa. 



