200 



them with all risks, to dig and market them. Those 

 experienced in growing can usually estimate the yield 

 fairly closely, but those less accustomed to estimating 

 them are often very far out in their guesses. As a 

 rough guide, when the rows are 27 inches apart, 

 and the plants 15 inches from each other in the rows, 

 each tuber about the size of a lawn-tennis ball that is 

 found at the root represents a ton per acre. Thus, if 

 after digging a number of plants of average growth, 

 the average number of tubers of this size is seven, the 

 yield is probably about seven tons per acre. Larger 

 ones give a correspondingly larger increase, and 

 smaller the reverse. If a large number of plants are 

 missing, so that frequent gaps occur, these must be 

 brought into consideration. If the crop is not mature 

 the probable increase must be borne in mind. The 

 yield of potatoes varies very much in accordance with 

 the variety, and the treatment the crop receives. It 

 is stated that as many as thirty tons have been grown 

 on an acre, but we have never seen twenty on a large 

 acreage, and have no recollection of seeing more than 

 fifteen in open field cultivation. On the Warminster 

 trial plots the rate of over twenty tons has been grown 

 in some instances. Where very heavy crops are grown 

 a large proportion are so big that they are only sale- 

 able as " bakers' stuff," for mixing with flour in the 

 manufacture of bread ; as " baked potato stuff," for 

 baking by " all hot " men, who sell them from street 

 ovens ; or as cattle food. For these purposes they 

 have less value than " seconds." Consequently, though 



