POTATO-GROWING EXPERIMENTS. 
287 
after being cut it is almost certain that there will be a large number of 
blanks where they are planted. 
The tubers selected in this experiment were large ones, and were cut 
into two or three sets, two eyes being left in the rose end of each set. 
The sets were cut from eight to ten days before planting, and the cut 
surface of each set was dusted over with air-slaked lime, in order to allow 
a crust to form to prevent the sap from exuding and the set shrinking. 
The sets were then put into potato-sprouting boxes, and not too thickly 
packed together, in order to prevent them from heating, as this is frequently 
the cause of failure in cut sets. The whole sets planted were dressed 
over 1^ inch riddle, and the large ones were removed. 
This experiment was carried out with five varieties, as shown in 
Table 1. 
TABLE No. 1. 
Cut Sets versus Whole Sets. 
Yield per acre 
Vai-iety 
Flower 
Saleable 
Small 
Dk eased 
Total 
T. 
c. 
CWT. 
CWT. 
T. 
c. 
* Scottish Triumph ' . . 
cut sets . 
Coloured 
14 
2 
30 
14 
16 
6 
whole sets 
13 
12 
23 
18 
15 
13 
* Sutton's Reliance ' . . 
cut sets . 
13 
G 
25 
14 
11 
whole sets 
12 
9 
26 
13 
15 
* Challenge ' . . . . 
cut sets . 
9 
19 
25 
11 
4 
whole sets 
9 
13 
31 
11 
4 
* British Queen ' . . 
cut sets . 
White 
13 
14 
40 
15 
14 
whole sets 
1(3 
1 
33 
17 
14 
* Hough Giant ' or ' Motor ' cut sets . 
Coloured 
12 
12 
9 
13 
13 
14 
whole sets 
13 
19 
9 
5 
14 
13 
Average 
Yield of 
THE SB Five 
Varieties, 
1899. 
Saleable 
Small 
Diseased 
Total 
Cut sets 
Whole sets 
Cut sets 
Whole sets 
Cut sets 
Whole sets 
Cut sets 
Whole sets 
T. C. 
T. C. 
CWT. 
CWT. 
CWT. 
CWT. 
T. 
c. 
T. C. 
12 15 
13 3 
26 
24 
5 
5 
14 
14 12 
In the five trials of cut sets versus whole sets three cases show that 
cut sets produced the heaviest yield of saleable potatos, and, in the other 
two, whole sets gave the best results in both total quantity and saleable 
potatos ; but if the average of the five varieties is taken, it shows that 
cut sets produced 12 tons 15 cwt. saleable potatos, and whole sets 
13 tons 3 cwt., or a difi'erence of 8 cwt. in favour of whole sets ; also 
that cut sets produced rather more small potatos ; but it will be noticed 
that in this trial there was a white-flowered variety, viz. 'British Queen,' 
and also one which produced very few buds, viz. ' Hough Giant.' If they 
