30 



Trials of Irish Seed Potatoes. 



[APRIL, 



English potato growers have found that good crops cannot be 

 Telied upon without frequent changes of seed, and at the 

 present time large quantities of seed 

 Trials of Irish potatoes are regularly procured from 

 Seed Potatoes. Scotland. The somewhat similar climate 

 of parts of Scotland and Ireland sug- 

 gested to the Irish Department of Agriculture that Irish seed 

 would give a very good account of itself in England if tested 

 against Scottish seed, and that there was no good reason why 

 England should not look to Ireland as well as to Scotland for a 

 •suitable change of seed. Arrangements were accordingly 

 made to carry out a series of tests at a number of centres, with 

 the result shown in the following table : — 



Average Yield per Acre from Irish and Scottish Seed 

 Potatoes grown at a number of Centres in England, 

 Scotland and Wales. 





Ninetyfold. 



British Queen. 



Up-to-Date. 



Irish. 



Scottish. 



Irish. 



Scottish. 



Irish. 



Scottish. 





T C. Q. 



T. C. Q. 



T. C. Q. 



T. C. Q. 



T. C. Q. 



T. C. Q. 



England ... 



763 



6 13 I 



10 14 3 



IO 5 O 



11 15 0 



IO 18 3 



Scotland ... 



8 4 3 



8 1 1 



11 14 1 



II II I 



12 16 3 



13 I 2 



Wales 



9 3 1 



9 15 0 



11 2 3 



10 13 2 



13 11 1 



: 3 4 1 



The Ninetyfold variety were tested in England at five centres 

 the British Queen at eight centres and the Up-to-Date at nine 

 centres. In Scotland all varieties were tested at three centres, 

 and in Wales all were tested at two centres. 



The average yields show that with each of the three varieties 

 Irish seed has given heavier crops in England than Scottish 

 seed. In Scotland with the varieties Ninetyfold and British 

 Queen, the average yield from Irish seed was slightly heavier 

 than the yield from Scottish seed, while with Up-to-Date the 

 home grown seed gave on the average rather heavier crops. In 

 Wales, the Irish seed was the more satisfactory with the varieties 

 British Queen and Up-to-Date, while Scottish seed gave a 

 higher average yield with the Ninetyfold variety. 



Irish seed was also compared with English seed, with 

 striking results, as with the exception of British Queen in 

 Scotland, Irish seed eclipsed English im a marked manner. 

 The department, therefore, urges Irish farmers to endeavour 

 io obtain a share in the trade in seed potatoes. 



