FIELD CHOPS. 735 



Report of experiments upon the potato crop, 1905-6, K. Portkk and R. C. 

 Gaut {County Council LanvnKter, Ed. Com., Agr. Dcpt., Farmer's Bui. 3, pp. 

 28). — This is a report on experiments with potatoes conducted at the county- 

 council farm and on various farms during the tw.o years. 



Planting sprouted tubers resulted in larger crops and a greater production 

 of tubers of large size than when unsprouted tubers were planted. Seed pota- 

 toes from the south of England did not give so good results as northern-grown 

 seed, and seed from localities within the county was not so productive as that 

 introduced from a more northern latitude. The yield from Irish-grown seed 

 sprouted was below that from Scottish-grown seed sprouted. 

 • The use of 20 tous of barnyard manure per acre was slightly more profitable 

 than the use of 10 tons when the price was not more than 96 cts. per ton. A 

 light dressing of barnyard manure with a suitable application of commercial 

 fertilizers was more profitable than the use of barnyard manure alone. The 

 results also indicated that large and profitable crops of potatoes can be grown 

 with the use of a complete mixture of commercial fertilizers. When barnyard 

 manure is to be used in conjunction with commercial fertilizers the following 

 application per acre is recommended: Barnyard manure 10 tons, sulphate of 

 auuuonia 1* cwt., superphosphate 4 cwt, and muriate of potash Ih cwt.- On 

 land well stored with humus, or on soils which have been liberally treated with 

 barnyard manure in previous years, the use per acre of 2* cwt. of sulphate of 

 ammonium, 6 cwt. superphosphate, and 2i cwt. of muriate of potash is consid- 

 ered adequate for satisfactory crops. 



Cooperative variety and fertilizer tests with potatoes. 1906, M. Weibull, 

 J. Nathokst, and L. Forsberg {Malmo. Ldiis. K. Hushall, SdUsk. KvrtlssJcr., 

 1007, No. 1, PI). l'i3-19o). — A report is given of the third year's work with po- 

 tatoes conducted on 20 different farms with 15 factory and S table varieties. 



The use of commercial fertilizers showed an apparent increase of 21 per 

 cent in the yield of tubers and 11 per cent in the yield of starch over the 

 check plats. In another series the increase was 19.6 and 11.9 per cent, respec- 

 tively, as compared with an increase of 10.7 per cent in the yield of tubers 

 and 11.4 per cent in the yield of starch on plats receiving barnyard manure. 

 Where barnyard manure and commercial fertilizers were applied together the 

 yield of tubers was increased by 14.5 per cent and the yield of starch by 0.03 

 per cent. The check plats produced 26,380 kg. of potatoes and 5,060 kg. of 

 starch per hectare (about 11.74 tons of potatoes and 2.25 tous of starch per 

 acre). 



Potato variety tests, 1906, H. J. Dannfelt {K. Landtbr. Akad. Handl. och 

 Tidskr., J,6 (1007), No. 2-3, pp. 179-200).— Tests were conducted on 48 farms 

 in 7 different counties in Sweden. 



The best results from varieties grown for industrial purposes were secured 

 with Silesia, which produced 5,570 kg. of starch, and from Industrie, which 

 gave 31,120 kg. of tubers per hectare (about 2.48 and 13.85 tons per acre). 

 Among the table varieties Up-to-Date ranked first in yields of both tubers and 

 starch, producing 31,600 and 4,803 kg., respectively. Of the sorts grown for 

 factory purposes, Ftirst Bismarck and Brocken contained 20.3 per cent of starch, 

 and Opal 19.8 per cent. 



Notes on seed potatoes, F. Parisot (Bui. Mens. Off. Renseig. Agr. [Paris], 

 6 (1907), No. 10, pp. 1173-1175).— The author describes two kinds of seed tul)ers, 

 one of which after winter storage is firm to the touch, has large eyes and short 

 solid sprouts of several millimeters in diameter, and the other which is soft 

 with the surface roughened or shriveled and dried, with small eyes and fine 

 slender sprouts. The first kind he names normal and the second abnormal seed 



