Potatoes. ' 269 



either because they can be bought cheaply or because they are 

 using seed of their own crop and all larger Potatoes have been 

 sold off the place as " ware." Such small seed should never be 

 used, as they necessarily produce weakly shoots and the 

 resulting crop is smaller, both in bulk and in the size of the 

 individual tubers, than when larger seed is used. Other 

 growers sometimes use full-sized tubers for seed, but this also 

 is a mistake, as unless several of the " eyes " are removed, 

 which is obviously impossible when a large breadth is being 

 planted, each tuber throws up a large number of shoots which 

 tend to rob each other of light, air, and nutriment, and the 

 usual result is a large crop of undersized tubers ; besides which 

 to use large-sized seed is wasteful, as a much greater weight is 

 required to plant a given area than when medium-sized tubers 

 are used. As the result of numerous experiments it has been 

 conclusively proved that the best results are obtained from 

 whole tubers weighing between 2 and 3 oz. each, which will 

 pass through a riddle with a 2in. mesh, but not through one of 

 liin. As to cutting large tubers, this practice is not advisable 

 except when seed of the proper size cannot be got, or where 

 the seed has run out and it is desired to finish a row. When 

 tubers are divided it is a good plan to dip the cut portion in 

 air-slaked lime, to prevent an undue loss of sap. 



Boxing and Sprouting. There are numerous ways of storing 

 seed Potatoes through the winter, all of which to be effective 

 must provide for the exclusion of frost and damp. The worst 

 way is to allow the tubers to remain in an ordinary out-door 

 clamp until planting time, with the usual accompaniment of 

 sweating, disease, and premature growth often into a tangled 

 mass of shoots which have to be removed before planting, with 

 the result that the seed is much weakened, to the ultimate 

 detriment of the crop. The best and most up-to-date method 

 is to sort out the seed as soon as it is dry after lifting and 

 place it directly into boxes or trays ; but whilst this has much 

 to recommend it, and may be considered indispensable for the 

 early crops, it is a rather serious business when large areas 

 have to be planted, particularly when the amount of frost-proof 

 storage space is limited. As a matter of fact excellent crops 

 can be grown from seed carefully kept in store in a dry cool 



