382 Results of the Competition of 1874, 
transit from the competitors' premises to the growers is manifest 
from the fact that in all the experimental plots the No. 2 early 
potato showed numerous blanks, and that the failures of the seed- 
potatoes of the other varieties were everywhere approximately in 
the same order as at Fermoy. The short journeys to the neigh- 
bourhood of London, as to Kent, Essex, and Bedford, of seed that 
had been stored in London, would of course save it from the in- 
juries and dangers incident to a lengthened journey, like that to 
Ireland, with its repeated transhipments. We have fortunately a 
series of similarly extensive and careful observations by Mr. 
Spencer, of Essex. He examined the seed, separating each bag 
into three lots : 1, the healthy tubers of the particular variety ; 
2, the healthy tubers of sports, accidentally introduced among 
the true seed ; and 3, diseased tubers. In all of the competing 
varieties, except in No. 6, he discovered tubers, more or fewer, 
which were, he believed, affected by the disease. Mr. Simpson, 
Lancashire, detected also apparently diseased tubers in the seed 
of No. 2 early, and No. 4 late. The results of Mr. Spencer's 
observations as regards the germination of the seed-tubers are 
thus tabulated : — 
Table II. — Showing the Number of Setts Planted and of Plants that 
grew, in the Experimental Plots on Mr. Spencer's Farm, Essex. 
No. 
Good Setts Planted. 
Plants 
Percentage 
of 
True. 
Sports. 
Total. 
Grew. 
Growing 
Plan to. 
1 
1031 
.. 
1031 
1020 
98-9 
2 
1107 
.. 
1107 
751 
67-8 
3 
553 
21 
574 
539 
92-1 
4 
512 
18 
530 
457 
86-2 
5 
655 
11 
G66 
652 
♦ 97-9 
6 
657 
1 
658 
646 
98-1 
The tubers believed to be diseased were planted at the end of 
each lot. When the injury to the tuber had not been so great as 
to kill the eye or bud and destroy the starch-food needed for the 
germination of the bud, these tuljers grew, and were, when I 
examined them on the 28th July, all perfectly free from disease. 
A large proportion, however, did not grow, as shown by the 
following Table : — 
