88 



Wart Disease of Potatoes. 



[Apr., 



It is generally agreed that certain varieties of strawberries 

 have a tendency to throw more barren plants than others, and 

 although they appear under the best soil and manurial condi- 

 tions, it is also possible that poor cultural conditions have some 

 effect in their production. 



Blindness in strawberries is apparently on the increase and 

 therefore only runners from fruitful plants, no matter what the 

 variety, should be selected. 



* * * * * * • 



The Ministry has arranged to continue the testing of new 

 varieties of potatoes during the coming season at the Testing 

 Wart Disease * of the National Institute of Agri- 



... r« . cultural Botany, with a view to the estab- 

 Immunity Trials ^ , ^ li p • • 



^ 3. hshment or otherwise oi then* immunity 



of Potatoes, 1922. . ^ ,. rn - • f ,i . • f 



' from wart disease. Entries for the trials 



closed on 15th February. 



Thirty-five seed -size tubers are required of any stock which has 

 not before been tested at the Station; in other cases, 70 seed- 

 size tubers are required. The Ministry accepts no responsi- 

 bility for the failure of the growth of any stock. All reason- 

 able precautions are taken to secure that none of the potatoes 

 on the trial plots shall leave the Station except for exhibition 

 or scientific purposes authorised by the Ministry. At the close 

 of the season a report on each stock forw^arded will be furnished 

 to the grower. 



When the Ministry has decided, as a result of the trial, that 

 a variety is immune from wart disease, it wall formally approve 

 the variety and issue an official certificate of immunity. A 

 certificate will not be issued for any variety until it has passed 

 at least two consecutive years' tests without contracting the 

 disease, nor w^ll a certificate be issued for a variety which is 

 declared by theSynonym Committee of the National Institute 

 of Agricultural Botany to be synonymous with an existing 

 variety. 



With regard to the testing of seedlings, the Ministry desires 

 to encourage the breeding of new varieties of potatoes, and is 

 prepared to accept from 5 to 10 tubers of any seedling for 

 growing for one season on the trial plots, and to furnish a 

 report on the results. These tests, how^ever, wil 1 not be 

 reckoned in the minimum period of two years required for a 

 variety to pass the full test before approval. 



