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1 



perate countries by propagating the plants from seed. Seed- 

 tubers from hill-stations or from a temperate climate give 

 better crops. As it is difficult to preserve the seed of these 

 superior varieties in the plains until next sowing season, and 

 as the exchange of seed with a hill country or a temperate 

 climate has been found beneficial, the attempt to preserve 

 seed may not be attended with good results, i.e., degeneration 

 is likely to follow. The cost of seed is the great obstacle to 

 extensive cultivation of high-class potatoes. In October, when 

 sowing is done in Lower Bengal, seed costs Rs. 5 or Rs. 6 a 

 maund, and an acre of potatoes costs about Rs. 75 in seed 

 alone. As very small sized potatoes do not give good 

 result, a large weight of seed is required. So far all attempts 

 to preserve seed potatoes (except of the poor country 

 varieties) has only partially succeeded in Lower Bengal. 

 An interesting experiment has been instituted at the Sibpur 

 Farm with a view to do away with this difficulty in connec- 

 tion with the high price of seed, but as it will take another 

 season to complete this experiment, we can speak of it only 

 with reserve. It has been observed that in May or June, i.e. 

 after the first showers of rain after the potato-harvest, stray 

 potatoes left in the field germinate and if these are planted on 

 a high bed, they continue growing through the rainy season, 

 but produce no tubers. It has been further observed that in 

 February and March when potatoes are lifted, some of the tardy 

 plants are still green, and that when these green stems are 

 planted in well-manured and properly prepared soil, they 

 send out fresh shoots. The question that remains to be solved 

 next season is, whether the plants from stems or tubers 

 (which are only thickenings of the stems) grown in summer 

 and in the rainy season, will yield a crop of cuttings in Sep- 

 tember, which can be used for seed instead of tubers. If the 

 experiment gives a positive result, and if next year's plants 

 grown from cuttings instead of tubers, yield a good crop 

 of tubers, the difficulty in connection with the cost of seed 



