8 Nov. 



[907.] 



Potato Experimental Fields. 



653 



Mr. John Newton's report is as follows: — 

 The seed was planted the second week in November, 1905. British 

 Queen and Twentieth Century were the first plants over ground, and Dunion 

 and King Edward VII. the last; all the others came up at the same 

 time. 



February 27. — 175 points rain. Early Puritan and Royal Kidney 

 ripe; Dunion, Empress Queen, and Up-to-date still blooming, and Warrior 

 and King Edward finished growing, not ripe. 



April 25. — Frost. King Edward, Northern Star, Early Puritan, 'Royal 

 Kidney, Evergood, Goodfellow, British Queen, Duke of Rothesay, General 

 Kitchener, Sir John Llewellyn, Duke of York, all dead ripe. Warrior, 

 Dunion, Scottish Triumph, Up-to-date, Twentieth Century, Factor, 

 Duchess of Buccleuch, Empress Queen, still green and growing. 



June ist. All dug. The following all worth trying again: — Duchess 

 of Buccleuch, Factor, Twentieui Century, Scottish Triumph, Warrior, and 

 Up-to-date, Northern Star, wild stringy lot ; Empress Queen and General 

 French not much good ; King Edward tubers very badly shaped and 

 stringy. All others small sample and not of much account. 



There are far too many varieties of potatoes, especially white- 

 skinned sorts ; a great number are of little value, and could be well classed 

 out. It is to be hoped that at no distant date an effort will be made to have 

 a thorough investigation of the present bewildering list of varieties, with 

 a view to weeding out all worthless sorts. There can be no doubt but 

 that ten or twelve of the present standard varieties would be sufficient for 

 local requirements and export. In order to carry out this work satisfac- 

 torih' the tests should be continued for .several years in order to arrive 

 at the value of each kind. In this way they could be grouped according 

 to cropping and cooking qualities, and all light yielding and inferior 

 cooking sorts should be rejected. 



