NEW POTATOES 115 



Railway Company, who conceded specially low rates 

 alike for manure, seed, and potatoes, thus encouraging 

 the great expansion which has since taken place. From 

 Girvan alone the new potatoes despatched between the 

 middle of June and the end of August, 1905, amounted 

 to 13,700 tons, while from the Ayrshire coast as a 

 whole the quantities forwarded to all parts of the 

 United Kingdom during the same period amounted 

 to over 50,000 tons. In order to cope with this traffic 

 the Glasgow and South-Western Railway had to 

 supplement their ordinary service of goods trains by 

 running daily four new-potato ' specials,' occasionally 

 augmenting even this number with some * extra specials ' 

 in the interests of the same traffic. 



The growing of new potatoes in Ireland, many parts 

 of which country are especially well adapted to the 

 industry, has received much attention of late years. 

 An article on the subject by Mr. M. G. Wallace will be 

 found in the Journal of the Department of Agriculture and 

 Technical Instruction for Ireland for October, 1905. 

 Mr. Wallace says : 



The progress of early potato growing in Ireland continues. 

 There has been no great or rapid extension, but wherever the 

 Department have tried experiments the people who conducted 

 them under the guidance of the Department have themselves 

 continued to grow early potatoes, and their neighbours have 

 followed their example. Already the industry has assumed such 

 proportions as to affect the English and Scotch markets, and this 

 year the fields of growing crops were visited by large numbers of 

 merchants from England and Scotland. Happily, the crops were 

 good enough and early enough to satisfy these merchants as to the 

 possibilities of the industry in Ireland, and accordingly, on their 

 return home, they handled with alacrity the consignments of new 

 potatoes sent to them from the growers they visited. Consequently, 

 the Irish early potato crop has now come to be reckoned as a 

 serious factor in the supply of new season potatoes for the British 

 markets. Though no extravagant prices have been received, the 

 season 1905 has been a satisfactory one. The crops have generally 

 been good and very early. They did not suffer from adverse 

 weather, and on the whole prices were remunerative. 



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