LESSONS FROM POTATO CONFERENCE. II 5 
those who have watched the development of potato sprouts in cool 
light houses know how true this is. Mr. Hannah sums up regarding 
seed thus : " An early crop depends more, almost, than anything else, 
on the proper handling of the seed both before and at the time of plant- 
ing." The most popular size of seed is from 2 J to 3 ounce tubers, 
and about 30 cwt. is required to plant an acre. Planting is general 
from the middle of February to middle of March. The young shoots 
appear above ground towards the end of April and a light harrow is 
passed over the drills to destroy as many weeds as possible ; after 
that the land is cultivated between the drills and hoed between the 
plants by hand labour. Later, the land is cultivated as deeply as 
possible between the drills, and just before the haulms meet in the 
drills a moulding-up plough is used to finish the work. In an average 
season the crop is ready for lifting about the middle of June. The 
variety grown in almost every case is ' Epicure.' It is grown because 
it has been found that the tops stand rough weather better than any 
other and because it bulks early, that is, it gives size of tuber early 
in its career, and that is what counts from the money-making point 
of view — tonnage when prices are good. 
We now come to one of the most important papers in the whole 
series— Mr. H. V. Taylor's on " The Industrial and Commercial 
Uses of the Potato." Mr. Taylor's paper is important in itself: 
it is doubly important because of Mr. Taylor's position as an adviser 
to the Ministry. The potato crop in the United Kingdom is used 
almost entirely for human food : a small portion of the waste and chats 
being used for cattle and pig feeding. Practically none is used for 
industrial purposes, i.e. the manufacture of dried potatos, potato 
starch, alcohol. These are important industries in Germany, 
America, Holland, Japan, and other countries in a lesser degree. Why 
cannot they be set up profitably here is the question Mr. Taylor 
sets out to answer. He puts the case thus : " Farmers are as satisfied 
as farmers ever are with the financial results of growing when the 
supply of potatos is less than, or balances the public demand ; but 
they are disappointed when the supply is excessive (and the prices 
consequently very low), and their anxieties would be relieved if 
some machinery existed in this country for utilizing the surplus crop, 
so that remunerative prices would be secured for the surplus in excess 
of human consumption." In Mr. Taylor's words, " Can industries 
to accomplish this be established in England, and if established would 
the undertakings be a financial success for the manufacturers and the 
potato-growers ? " To answer the question the industries which exist 
abroad have been carefully studied, and a mass of valuable information 
about them is given in Mr. Taylor's paper . The conclusion of the whole 
matter is put thus — " Reviewing the whole position, it does not appear 
that in this country, which has for many years adhered to the great 
Free Trade policy, and freely opened the home markets to the world's 
supplies, the farmers can hope to secure any material financial gain 
