Vegetable Growing for Market 



141 



tuber planted is known beforehand to be in a growing and healthy con- 

 dition; consequently there is no danger of blank spaces, so often caused 

 by the non-development of some tubers. Each square yard of land pro- 

 duces its fair supply of tubers (if sufficient space has been allotted), so 

 that the maximum results are secured. The following figures, taken from 

 Leaflet 58 of the Irish Department of Agriculture, show at a glance the 

 advantage to be gained by planting sprouted " seed " potatoes: 



TABLE SHOWING EESULT OF SPROUTED AND NON-SPROUTED POTATO "SEED" 



Perhaps the only serious argument that can be used against providing 

 boxes for sprouting potatoes is the question of space and light. The boxes 

 themselves, even if they cost 4>d. each, are not a very serious item; and as 

 they will last for several years, with care, the cost should be distributed 

 over that period. It is, however, useless going to the expense of boxes 

 unless there is some frostproof place to store them; and not only must 

 the place be frostproof, but it should be also as well lighted as possible. 

 Sprouting seed potatoes in the dark would be sheer waste. Any rough 

 barn, with glass side and top light, would do for the purpose, and by 

 allowing free circulation of the air the temperature would not rise high 

 enough to start premature sprouting. The advantage of plenty of light 

 is that it causes the skin of the tubers to turn green, and thus, it may 

 be presumed, perform a certain amount of work in assimilating carbonic 

 acid gas from the atmosphere by means of the chlorophyll corpuscles 

 in the cells. In this way the tubers remain plump and fresh, and do not 

 shrivel, as they would in darkness: and the sprouts remain short and 

 sturdy, and are not so likely to get broken off at planting time. Tubers 

 exposed in this way also resist the attacks of fungoid diseases better 

 than those kept in the dark. 



Size of Seed Potatoes. A good deal has been written on this subject, 

 the main point being to discover whether it is more economical to plant 

 large, small, cut, or medium-sized tubers. After many experiments and 



