1908.] Summary of Agricultural Experiments. 625 



single u eyes " gave smaller yields than the whole sets, and that the yield 

 varied in proportion to the size of the tuber from which the eye was taken, 

 the eyes from large tubers giving better results than eyes from small 

 ones. (3) Effect of cutting potato sets on yield ; trials at Burgoyne's Farm, 

 1906. (4) Large versus small sets ; trials at Burgoyne's Farm in 1904. 

 (5) Effect of size of sets, wide and close planting, sprouting in trays, and 

 growing in the pit, upon the yield of potatoes grown at Burgoyne's Farm 

 in 1906. (6) Effect of change of "seed" on the yield of potatoes, and the 

 effects of sprouting and exposure of sets at Burgoyne's Farm in 1905, 

 (7) Effect of change of " seed " on the yield of potatoes in 1906. The effect 

 of changes was very marked. Immature old seed produced a slight, but by 

 no means marked improvement. In general, seed one year from Scotland 

 was equal to fresh seed ; but in the case of Northern Star this was distinctly 

 not the case. (8) Effect of change of " seed " on the potato crop grown at 

 Ramsey in 1906. Some observations are made on the precautions which 

 experience has shown to be desirable in carrying out potato experiments on 

 small plots. 



Pla?iting Sprouted Tubers ( West of Scotland Agric. Coll., Bull. A r o. 43). — 

 This experiment was begun in 1906 on the College Farm to discover whether 

 the sprouting of potato seed before planting would give increases of crop 

 similar to those recorded in other trials. The varieties grown were Up-to-Date, 

 British Queen, Langworthy, and Scottish Triumph, and one-half of the seed 

 tubers were put into boxes for sprouting, and the remainder kept in covered 

 pits. The conclusions drawn from the experiment are (1) that the yield 

 of late potato crops can be greatly and very profitably increased by the 

 sprouting of the tubers prior to planting ; (2) that the amount of increase got 

 by sprouting the tubers varies with the variety of potato grown ; (3) that 

 varieties that ripen late in the season have their yields increased in a greater 

 degree than those that complete their growth at an earlier period ; (4) that 

 on soils capable of growing :potato crops of 10 to 12 tons per acre, the 

 cultivation of small yielding varieties like the Langworthy is not nearly so 

 profitable as that of more productive varieties, such as the Up-to-Date, 

 British Queen, and Scottish Triumph. 



Planting Potatoes. Whole versus Cut Sets ( Univ. Coll. of Wales, 

 Aberystwyth, Dept. of Agric., Rept. on Expts., 1906). — In this experiment 

 whole sets gave the largest yield, and the effect of cutting both medium and 

 large sets proved, at any rate in a wet season such as that of 1906, to be 

 unsatisfactory, even when the cut sets were planted closer together. It is 

 intended to repeat the experiment on a more extensive scale. 



Plajiting Potatoes. Importance of Careful Sprouting {Harper- Adams 

 Agric. Coll., Field Expts., 1907).- — It is pointed out in this Report that home- 

 grown seed is often in a very bad condition at planting time. This is due to 

 the method of storing, which often results in the best and strongest sprouts 

 being lost through the seed being kept in clamps, where it is allowed to produce 

 long colourless sprouts. These must be rubbed off before planting, and the 

 set is consequently weakened. To show how much is lost by careless 

 preparation of seed, two lots of Ninetyfold and two of British Queen were 

 planted together. The first sprout was retained in one lot of each variety, 

 and the sprouts rubbed off before planting the other plots. As was expected, 

 the sprouted seed was through the ground first and grew well ahead of the 

 other ; the yield obtained was decidedly greater. 



(4321) 2 R 



