50 THE POTATO. 



does not affect the stamina or the yield of the crop; but, 

 as sufficient time has not yet elapsed to clearly demon- 

 strate its good or bad effects, it would be premature, per- 

 haps, to express a decided opinion upon it, one way or 

 the other. Physiologically, we hold the opinion that the 

 yield from a cutting cannot be as perfect in stamina or 

 quality as that from a properly prepared tuber or set. 

 Each tuber or set is composed of cells, containing food 

 stored up for the sustenance and support of the shoot or 

 shoots it may in due course put forth, and when the tuber 

 is placed in the earth, and growth begins, such shoot or 

 shoots have a supply of food to enable them to make vigor- 

 ous, healthy growth, until they are able, by means of their 

 own roots, to collect food on their own account. Now, a 

 plant which has been thus nourished in its early stage of 

 growth must naturally be more vigorous and fruitful than 

 one which has been reared from a cutting, which is de- 

 prived at an early stage from deriving support from its 

 parent, and has to put forth roots of its own to maintain 

 its existence. However, the matter is one which requires 

 to be put to a series of practical tests to determine whether 

 the produce of cuttings is really inferior to that obtained 

 from sets. 



Since writing the foregoing we find, from the following 

 facts published in the "Gardeners' Magazine," that ex- 

 periments have been made with potatoes grown from cut- 

 tings, cut, and whole tubers: " The very high prices paid 

 for the newer varieties of potatoes have resulted in their 

 rapid propagation from cuttings. This is thought by many 

 cultivators to be harmful to the variety and likely to 

 materially impair its vigour of growth. In order to deter- 

 mine the effect of intensive propagation on the vigour and 

 productiveness of varieties, an experiment was commenced 

 at the Harper- Adams' Agricultural College under the aus- 

 pices of the Education Committee of the Staffordshire and 

 Shropshire County Councils last year. In carrying out the 

 experiment three plots of ground w r ere planted with : 1 , 

 whole sets; 2, cut sets; 3, plants from cuttings. The 



