IRISH GARDENING 



155 



The Immune Potato Trials. 



Notes on the New Seedlings. 

 Unless the wart diseaso oT jjotalocs (Si/iicfn/- 

 triu7n enrI()biofict<m) can he checkod. and tliat 

 speedily, it l)ids fair witliin a very few years to 

 l)ecoiue the most serious of tlie problems with 

 which the Potato-grower in this country has 

 to deal. The Food Production Department of 

 the Board of Agriculture have taken various 

 steps to check the spread of Wart Disease : among 

 them the prohibition of the planting of non- 



of Oridskirk on tlui resistance of a variety is 

 autlioritative. 



Tills year the scale of the trials Ivas been 

 eidarged. Not only has the total number of test 

 plots risen to over 3(10, but a number of interesting 

 points have; been demonstrated. For example, 

 a crop of an immune variety may be found which 

 to the untrained eye looks uniform in type when 

 growing in the field and which produces tubers 

 of superficial similarity. These crops freciuently 

 contain " rogues " which are susceptible to wart 

 disease, and therefore render such " seed " quite 

 unfit for planting in infected land. 



l)All'oni[,S NATUnALISED AT STKAl'b AN . C'o. KtI.DAKK 



immune varieties in various areas, an investiga- 

 tion of the cause and possible cure of the disease, 

 and the trial of new seedlings believed to be 

 immune from the disease. 



The inspection of the trials of Potatoes which 

 are being tested at Ormskirk this year for im- 

 munity from wart disease took place during the 

 week commencing 30th .July. For several years 

 these trials have been conducted on a small 

 tlmugh steadily increasing scale. Obviously, it 

 is a matter of vital importance to the Potato- 

 grower to have a recognised centre where new 

 varieties or fresh selections may be tested for 

 immunity under rigorous conditions. The Food 

 I'roduction Department issue annually for the 

 guidance of Potato-growers in areas infected with 

 Wart Disease, a list of the Potatoes that have 

 successfully passed this test, and the verdict 



The trials this year are arranged so as to 

 illustrate points of this kind, and to demonstrate 

 the importance not only of producing a pure 

 stock, but of keeping it pure by carefully re- 

 moving the '• rogues " each year. For instance, 

 in one plot we find a carefully selected stock of 

 a variety, and in the next plot are the " rogues " 

 which were picked out by expert examination 

 of the " seed " previous to planting. 



Each year new seedlings are sent for trial, 

 and the result is that the annual visit to Ormskirk 

 has bceome a recognised and a pleasant addition 

 to the duties of all the most experienced growers 

 in (ireat Britain. The trials also appeal to the 

 merchant, the farmer, and the allotment holder : 

 and a day was set apart for the visit of representa- 

 tives of each of these classes. 



The production of a really good first early 



