POTATO-GROWING EXPERIMENTS. 
283 
POTATO-GROWING EXPERIMENTS, 
With Special Reference to Seeding and Manuring. 
By Mr. James S. Gordon, B.Sc, F.L.S., of the Horticultural School, 
Holmes Chapel. 
The potato is one of the most profitable crops which can be grown at 
the present time, even although prices were much lower than they have 
been during the past few years, and as this crop is so important through- 
out England — especially in Cheshire, wdiich occupied fourth place in 1890 for 
growing the largest area of potatos in the United Kingdom, viz. 26,125 acres 
— the Cheshire County Council in their experimental work at the Agri- 
cultural and Horticultural School, Holmes Chapel, have given special 
attention to the potato crop during the last four years. This experimental 
work is being carried on entirely with a view of benefiting the agri- 
cultural and horticultural community, and although the amount ex- 
pended in carrying on this class of work throughout England is very 
small, still we meet with people who seem to think the results gained are 
worse than useless, and that the money is wasted ; but we are prepared 
to show that this is not the case. If we take potatos and look over the 
crop returns published by the Board of Agriculture for 1899, we find there 
were 387,715 acres in potatos in England last year, and the average 
yield was 5*81 tons per acre. Now if the various experiments with 
potatos throughout this country only enabled farmers to increase 
this yield one ton per acre— and this is quite possible — it would mean 
an increase of 387,715 tons in one year, which, if sold at the 
present marketable price, viz. £3 per ton, would realise £^1,163,145, or 
ten times more than the whole amount spent upon agricultural education 
and experimental work throughout England. Many will at once say, 
" Is such a gain possible ? " and in reply we can give our experience on 
the Agricultural School Farm in Cheshire. In 1896 our average return for 
the potato crop per acre was £45 ; in 1897, £52 ; and in 1898, £60. We 
cannot yet give last year's results, as the potatos are not all disposed of, but 
in 1898 the average yield was 15 tons per acre, and the average price £4 
per ton. From these results we feel certain that the average yield of 
potatos throughout the United Kingdom could easily be increased at least 
one ton per acre. 
The object of these experiments is to try to show how this increase 
can be obtained. In growing a crop there are three factors which must 
be considered, over which w^e can exercise a good deal of control, and upon 
them our results mainly depend. We will name these in their order of 
importance : (1) Seed ; (2) texture or mechanical condition of the soil ; 
(3) manures. With two of these factors we have been carrying out experi- 
ments, as upon them our success or failure largely depends. 
Seed is the most important factor, because if the seed is unsound 
or w^eak one cannot expect a good crop, no matter how fine the tilth or 
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