As there is generally a superabundance of food 

 material, it is possible to divide a tuber into several pieces, 

 and provided each piece has enough food material and a 

 sound " eye," it will produce a new plant. It has been 

 found by practice that when cut for " sets " the pieces near 

 the rose " end give the best results. When a potato is 

 divided up in this way it is necessary to leave the separate 

 pieces spread out to dry before they are planted, so that 

 they may form a protective layer before coming in con- 

 tact with the soil, the bacteria of which might cause them 

 to decay. 



• Recently a method of raising new potatoes in the dark 

 has received prominence in the press, and in many quarters 

 erroneous views have been formed concerning this mode 

 of cultivation. It has been thought by some that potato 

 plants could grow like mushrooms and were not dependent 

 upon light for their full development. This is very far 

 from being the truth. Of course it is well know^n that 

 potato tubers will sprout m the dark, as they do indeed 

 in nature underground, but they are only able to grow 

 without light while there is still a supply of food material 

 in the old tuber upon which they can draw^ for their 

 development. When that is exhausted the plants must 

 inevitably die, as w^ithout light they are like all green 

 plants unable to manufacture new organic material. It 

 has however been found by experiment that if tubers are 

 then half buried in fine dry soil spread out on a table 

 in the cellar, they will soon be surrounded by a crop of 

 small new potatoes close up to the old tubers. Large 

 tubers should be used for this method of cultivation, and 

 they should be placed three or four inches apart. It must 

 of course be remembered that these small new potatoes 

 are produced entirely at the expense of the food material 

 stored in the old potato. We are therefore by this method 

 of cultivation not increasing the food supply of the 

 country but merely replacing old potatoes by a crop of 

 more palatable new ones. 



Bulbs and conns, w^hich are the vegetative methods of 

 reproduction of many members of the Lily and Iris 

 Fam.ilies, must be looked upon as specialised underground 

 buds, which by virtue of their store of food material are 

 able to lead an existence independent of the plants on 

 which they have been produced. Like the ordinary winter 

 buds of a tree, such as the horse-chestnut, they are pro- 



