140 



Commercial Gardening 



might be applied in the same way. When the tops are well through the 

 ground, sulphate of potash 2 to 3 cwt. per acre may be strewn over 

 the drills, afterwards covering when earthing up. 



4. Lime or chalk, at the rate of 80 to 100 bus. per acre, should be given 

 to soils that have been cultivated and heavily manured for years, to rectify 

 any acidity that may have arisen through excessive moisture and putrid 

 organic matter. Where lime or chalk is difficult to obtain, such soils will 

 benefit by a dressing of basic slag, 5 to 10 cwt. to the acre. This should 

 be strewn in the drills at time of planting. 



Sprouting* Potatoes. The practice of sprouting seed potatoes before 

 planting them is gaining ground amongst farmers as well as gardeners. 

 Shallow boxes or baskets of any description may be used for the purpose, 

 but that most generally useful is a wooden box (see fig. 483) about 

 2 ft. long, 12 in. wide, 3 in. deep, having four corner posts about 7 in. 

 high. A batten is nailed to each of the two end posts, and a cross handle- 

 bar 2 ft. long is fixed 

 from one to the other. 

 This enables a man to 

 carry two sprouting 

 boxes at a time. 



The object of sprout- 

 ing the tubers before 

 planting is to induce 

 growth to start from one 

 or two of the best eyes, 



and thus secure active growth in every case. If the tubers are well ex- 

 posed to the light, but protected from frost, the sprouts will be slow in 

 growth and sturdy; in the dark they would become pale and long, and 

 would be easily broken off, in addition to which the tubers would also 

 shrivel. 



Another advantage of sprouting is that planting may be deferred for 

 a month or more beyond the usual time. This is particularly valuable 

 in the case of early varieties, as they can be kept sprouting indoors instead 

 of running the risk of being killed by the early frosts in the open. 



The sprouting boxes referred to cost about 4d each, and will hold about 

 20 Ib. of seed potatoes. With fair wear and tear they ought to last for 

 several years, and are so constructed that they can be stacked on each 

 other easily either full or empty. 



It is better to have only one layer of tubers in a box, although two 

 layers may be admitted when space and boxes are a consideration. The 

 sets should be examined occasionally after sprouting has commenced, and 

 all sprouts except two or three at the top should be removed. In this 

 way the reserve material in the tuber is directed to the best sprouts, and 

 these in turn will form good sturdy stems, from the base and joints of 

 which masses of fibrous roots will penetrate the soil. 



Does it Pay to Sprout? There can now be little doubt of this. Each 



Fig. 483. -Sprouting Box for Seed Potatoes 



