348 



Potato Development. 



degree. There is little doubt that in the future, when a new 

 variety possessing very special merit is brought forward, 

 every effort will be made to develop it rapidly ; and in this 

 article an account is given of methods which can be adopted 

 to hasten its development. 



The experiments which have been carried out for nearly a 

 century on cut versus uncut sets have generally shown that there 

 is a stronger crop from uncut sets ; and the popular mind has 

 accepted this view, which within certain limits is correct. A 

 whole potato is encased in a skin which retains moisture ; 

 moreover, many insects, such as wireworms, eelworms, and other 

 scavenging insects do not so readily attack an unwounded set as 

 one which has been cut, or is in any way decaying. A cut set 

 is at once acted upon by surrounding conditions, and decay 

 immediately sets up about the cut portion. Where, therefore, it 

 is planted under conditions where it has to make a struggle for 

 existence, it is not so favourably placed as is one which has no 

 wound. When a tuber is cut so as to provide a large number 

 of sets, the sets are small ; therefore, so far as possible, the 

 struggle to establish a plant must be facilitated by all reason- 

 able means. The experience of the last few years shows that 

 this may be done on a large scale at a moderate cost. When in 

 the previous article* we urged that it was not a matter of over- 

 whelming difficulty to cut each eye from a potato, and pot it 

 separately so to give it favourable opportunities to produce a 

 plant, there were those who expressed the contrary view, and 

 maintained it was impossible for it to be done except on a limited 

 scale. To confirm our expressed views we last spring had 

 50,000 eyes cut from 14 cwt. of tubers, and planted in as many 

 pots. The plants grew with a very small percentage of misses, 

 and at the present time we have nearly eight acres growing 

 vigorously in the field. Few who have seen the , crops would 

 previously have believed that the fine plants now growing could 

 have been raised from other than a whole set of ordinary seed 

 size. 



As a means of placing this work before others so that 

 they may practice it, we give a detailed description of our 



* Journal of the Board of Ag) iculiure, March, 1903, Vol. ix., p. 482. 



