FOREWORDS. 



FEW people recognised prior to 1914 that the British folk 

 would later on have to face the problem of a possible 

 shortage of potatoes for food. Until then we were able to 

 produce, with the exception of the very earliest supplies, 

 which were imported in large quantities from the Canary 

 and Channel Islands, sufficient to meet the then require- 

 ments of the population of this country. But since the 

 advent of the great European War, such immense quantities 

 have had to be exported to the front to feed our great 

 army that the supply for home consumption has neces- 

 sarily been considerably curtailed. Another difficulty in 

 production, too, has arisen in consequence of the military 

 authorities having taken so many of the workers on the 

 land to serve in the forces, that it has not been possible 

 for farmers and market gardeners to plant so large an 

 acreage with potatoes as in former years. It is, therefore, 

 no wonder that our supplies should not be abundant, or 

 that these should increase in value. 



In face of these facts, it becomes the imperative duty of 

 occupiers of gardens and allotments to cultivate their own 

 supplies, and not rely, as in the past, on obtaining them 

 from the shop or market. Happily, this fact has already 

 been seriously recognized by country and suburban 

 dwellers, and a greater area of land has been laid under 

 tribute for potato culture than was previously the case. 

 Allotments especially have increased a hundredfold 

 throughout the country, and these have been wisely 



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