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to supply nutriment to the young plant until such 

 time as it can avail itself of food provided in the soil. 

 Sufficiently large seed is required to ensure these 

 conditions without allowing the young plant to become 

 stunted. It is for this reason that very small seed, such 

 as chats, which pass through a mesh of 1-g-in. sieve, are 

 not so valuable for seed the shoot is naturally small, 

 and the food supply is short, so if the preparation of 

 the land is not good there is small probability of a 

 successful crop. Seed larger than that which passes 

 through a 2-in. sieve is wasteful, as it has a full 

 market value, and much more has to be used to plant 

 an acre. 



While recommending, as being under ordinary 

 circumstances the most profitable, that seed between 

 the 2-in. and 1^-in. sieve should be used, it is not 

 intended to imply that larger or smaller seed 

 should not be planted under other conditions. In 

 experimental trials larger seed generally shows itself 

 to be most productive, but if sound and of good 

 quality it is wasteful to use them on a large scale, for 

 they possess a very much greater selling value than 

 that of smaller tubers, which, if not used for seed, 

 must be sold as inferior ware, or be consumed by stock. 

 Large tubers injured in digging or insect-attacked, 

 are more profitably used as seed than food. Where 

 land is well prepared those which pass through 1-J-in. 

 sieves, but not through l, are quite capable of pro- 

 ducing a good crop. Where the land is badly worked 

 such plants would produce an indifferent crop. 



