166 



Trials of Potatoes, 1921. 



[May, 



Lifting. — Committees were asked to arrange for the potatoes 

 to be lifted as soon as they were ready for market, and to record 

 the results of the crop in terms of money value as well as in 

 weight and to make careful note of the date when each variety 

 was lifted and marketed. 



Results of Trials with First Earlies. — These Early trials were 

 carried out in ten English and six Welsh counties and the 

 average yield of each variety from light, medium, and heavy 

 soils is shown in Table I. It will be seen that in the English 

 counties " Epicure " still retained its reputation as the b st 

 early variety for a heavy soil although it was surpassed as a 

 cropper on light soils by " Snowdrop." The yields in the Welsh 

 counties showed a heavier average, and this was presumably due 

 to the heavier rainfall experienced during the growing season. 



Arran Eose " gave the heaviest yield on any class of soil, 

 viz., 8 tons 14 cwt. per acre on heavy soils in Wales, but 

 it should be added that " Epicure " was not tested under these 

 conditions. 



When the average rates of yield at all centres are examined, 

 it will be found that " Epicure " again heads the list as a 

 cropper. This is entirely due, however, to the behaviour of this 

 variety in the Welsh counties. " Snowdrop " was the heaviest 

 cropper in the English counties and a close second in the average 

 for all centres. It would appear therefore that the latter variety 

 is able to withstand drought. 



Table II. — Average Bate of Yield per acre of each First Early 

 variety at all the Centres. 





Immune, 



Susceptible. 





Arran 

 Rose. 



Ash leaf 

 (Broadleaf) 



Dargill 

 Early. 



Snowdrop. 



Epicure. 



Ninety! old. 



Average yield 

 in England, 

 53 Centres 



tons cwt. 

 4 14 



tons cwt. 

 5 6 



tons cwt. 

 4 H 



tons cwt. 

 5 17 



tons cwt. 

 5 14 



tons cwt. 

 4 7 



Average yield 

 in Wales, 38 

 Centres 



6 5 



6 3 



5 13 



^6 3 



7 7 





Average yield 

 in England 

 and Wales, 

 91 Centres 



5 4 



5 12 



5 



6 



6 4 





The information afforded by the trials as to the earliness of 

 the different varieties is far from conclusive, as it appears that 



