for the Growth of Undiseased Potatoes. 
381 
This Report is based on the books kept by the growers, on the 
notes made by myself in the course of my inspection of the 
grow ing crops, and on the Reports of the Judges who were present 
at the raising of the crops. 
The six tons of competing potatoes (each ton in twenty equal 
sacks containing one cwt. each) were received in London in the 
end of February 1874, and were dispatched to the various growers 
in the first week of !March. 
When the bags were opened at their destination the growers 
lound in some instances that a few of the tubers were rotten. 
They probably suffered to some extent from careless treatment in 
their transit to London, and from London to the different localities 
where they were to be grown. Mr. Campbell, of Fermoy, who 
carefully examined the tubers and separated any rotten specimens 
from the sound ones, believed the injury was due rather to frost 
and bruises sustained in transit than to disease. His opinion is 
confirmed by his interesting observations on the growth of the 
potatoes. He counted all the setts which he planted, and after- 
wards the number of plants which grew in the drills. The 
results are shown in the following Table : — 
Table I. — Showing the Number of Setts Planted and Plants that 
grew, in the Experimental Plots on Mr. Campbell's Farm at 
Fermot. 
No. 
Setts 
Planted. 
Plants 
'irew. 
Percentage 
of 
Growing 
Plants. 
1 
Eaily .. .. 
1530 
303 
19-8 
2 
19G9 
173 
8-7 
3 
Late 
1410 
457 
32-4 
4 
„ 
1107 
474 
42-8 
5 
J) 
1065 
517 
48-5 
6 
1665 
1115 
66-9 
These figures clearly show that a further injury had befallen 
the potatoes than the careful inspection to which Mr. Campbell 
subjected them was able to detect. I am satisfied that no tuber 
attacked by disease or suffering from ordinary rot escaped him. 
But some hidden injury was present, such as might be the result 
of the exposure of the tubers to a severe frost. Yet that this in- 
jury, whatever it was, was not entirely produced during their 
