450 THE POTATO 



the protection from the GuK Stream. Potatoes 

 are planted the first of March and they commence 

 harvesting in June. The soil is a wonderful light, 

 warm, sandy loam. The conditions here are the 

 best I have seen in Europe for potato production. 



There are five thousand acres of early potatoes 

 produced annually in this district. They are, 

 without exception, of one variety, Sutton's Epi- 

 cure. This variety clearly fills all the requisites 

 of the climate conditions in that it is a low, sturdy 

 grower with tough leaves and vines. There are 

 stiff sea breezes and violent storms that come from 

 the sea. These do not injure or damage the plant 

 by whipping and beating. It is an early, strong 

 grower, the tubers form early, it is round and 

 white, and yields well. It is much in demand in 

 the cities throughout Great Britain. 



I visited Mr. John Hannah, Girvan, Mains, the 

 leading and largest potato grower of the district. 

 His system varies httle from that of Mr. Wallace 

 of Terreglestown. He has the same total acreage 

 of 300 acres, and has continually the same acreage 

 in potatoes — 260 acres. He differs from Mr. 

 Wallace in that his potatoes are all sold for market 

 in June and July, and he does not grow and save 

 his own seed. Every year Mr. Hannah buys his 

 seed in July from other growers in the district. 

 By selecting his seed from the best fields and crops 

 there is apparently no disease whatever, so far as I 

 could learn. 



His potatoes are all sold to dealers in the dif- 

 ferent cities. The same merchants come back 

 year after year and buy the same fields at from 

 $140 to $175 an acre. The merchants lift (dig) 

 and barrel the potatoes, and Mr. Hannah puts 

 them on the cars. It is surely a novel system of 



