PROPAGATION. 49 



cumstances. 6. As a rule, it is profitable to use dung and 

 artificials together in moderate quantities, and, on the 

 whole, this may LKJ regarded as the mot economical way 

 of manuring the potato crop. 7. As dung varies so much 

 in composition, it is safest in the majority of cases to use 

 " complete " artificials with it, although nitrogen appears 

 to be more important in this connection than the other 

 ingredients. 



CHAPTER VI. 



PROPAGATION. 



A GOOD deal of attention has been paid to the subject of 

 propagating potatoes by cuttings and eyes, during the last 

 year or two, more especially in regard to new varieties, 

 which raisers and purchasers desired to obtain a large stock 

 of as speedily as possible. There is nothing new in the 

 method of propagation of the potato by cuttings; it has 

 been practised by our forebears in generations past, as we 

 have pointed out in the opening chapter of this Handbook. 

 But the system has never met with popular favour among 

 growers till the " boom " recently set in, and then it was 

 revived with a considerable amount of energy by raisers 

 and growers of recently introduced sorts. There seems, 

 however, to be a great diversity of opinion among potato 

 experts as to whether the system is a wise one or not. 

 Some assert that it has a deteriorating effect upon the 

 stock, weakening both the stamina of the tubers and their 

 yielding properties. Others, again, assert that the system 



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