CULTURE FOR EXHIBITION. 97 



CHAPTER XI. 



CULTURE FOR EXHIBITION. 



THE interest centred in the potato at the present time is 

 probably keener than it has been since its introduction 

 into this country, owing, to a very great extent, to the 

 increasing number of new varieties which are annually 

 introduced . Unfortunately, many of the most handsome 

 are practically useless except for appearance. In our 

 opinion, though they are very taking on the exhibition 

 table, the latter should not be encouraged, and in making 

 awards we have always contended that judges should seri- 

 ously take into consideration the quality of the varieties 

 placed before them. This is generally done in the case of 

 all other productions placed in competition, and why this 

 should not be more rigidly enforced in respect of what is 

 unquestionably on, of the most important necessaries of 

 everyday life, we are at a loss to understand. Many enter- 

 tain the erroneous opinion that high-class exhibition pota- 

 toes can only be procured on soil w r hich is naturally most 

 favourable to their growth. This, w r e assure the reader, 

 is not the case, as by adopting somewhat artificial means, 

 which necessarily entail a certain amount of labour, 

 tubers of the highest quality can be ensured, if one is 

 prepared to give the extra trouble required. 



Preparing: the " Sets." The first, and one of the 



most important, items is the selection of suitable varieties, 

 a list of which we give at the end of this chapter. The 

 next thing in importance is the preparation of the " sets." 

 This unquestionably plays a most important part as to the 



