Warping. Ill 



prices. Not only is the land especially well adapted for this 

 crop, but also the produce could be taken easily to market at a 

 low rate by water transit. With the development of railways, 

 however, other districts- were opened up for potato growing, 

 and were able to compete with this locality, and prices con- 

 sequently fell. The rotation of crops most generally followed 

 on warp land is a three course shift : — 



(1) Potatoes. 



(2) Wheat. 



(3) Oats, or seeds, or turnips, or beans. 



The potato crop is expected to give the greatest monetary 

 return ; it is very highly manured, and in good seasons pays 

 exceedingly well. 



It is most important to grow only a suitable variety, some 

 kinds being comparatively valueless upon warp land. For 

 years the Up-to-date, the Reading Giant, and the British 

 Queen were most popular and profitable, but these are now 

 " grown out," for, like all other varieties, they could retain 

 their vitality only for a limited number of years. It is a well 

 known fact that no variety of potato can be grown for more 

 than eight or ten years, and then only by repeatedly changing 

 the climate and soil ; after that time lighter crops are produced 

 and susceptibility to disease is much greater. 



During late years the Evergood and the King Edward VII. 

 have been most generally grown, but other new varieties are 

 now gaining ground and will no doubt eventually take their 

 place. 



Warp farmers manure their potato crop very heavily, the 

 most up-to-date of them give about 15 tons per acre of farm- 

 yard manure, or cow-keepers', or horse manure from the 

 towns ; if they have ploughed in their second crop of clover, 

 as frequently happens, rather less farmyard manure will be 

 given. In addition to this about half a ton per acre of artificial 

 " potato maiiure " will be purchased from a farmers' company, 

 or from some firm of good repute. The better course, which 

 is pursued by some men, is to mix their own ingredients, and 

 experiments have proved tliat a mixture of 6 cwt. of super- 

 phosphate and 4 cwt. of nitrate of soda produces excellent 

 crops. Potash is of little value upon warp. We have known 

 a yield of 14 or 15 tons of potatoes to the acre under this 

 treatment, but 10 or 12 tons may be considered a good crop. 

 Of this there will be 1 or 2 tons of waste, and a similar quantity 

 of small or seed. The potato crop is followed by wheat, and 

 this, it may be said, is always good, the only fear being that 

 the crop may be too heavy and get laid. Only short-strawed, 

 stiff-growing varieties of wheat should therefore be grown, and 



