420 
Seed  Potatoes. 
fulfilled  the  requirements  we  have  just  noted.  The  object  was 
to  test  the  result,  if  any,  of  change  due  to  the  varying  climatic 
conditions  of  a given  country. 
During  an  extended  tour  of  inspection  in  Ireland  in  the 
year  1907,  the  writer  was  able  to  get  together  material  for  that 
experiment  from  various  counties  fairly  representing  the  whole 
of  the  country.  Very  fortunately  all  the  potatoes  collected 
could  be  traced  to  a common  parentage,  thus  giving  the  very 
stocks  required  for  a careful  study  of  the  difference  in  cropping 
power  which  it  has  been  supposed  was  due  to  differences  of 
latitude. 
In  1903  a gentleman  in  Mallow,  County  Cork,  commenced 
to  grow  a variety  known  as  Duchess  of  Cornwall — which  is  of  the 
Up-to-Date  type — and  from  a very  small  stock  worked  up  seed 
for  a fairly  large  acreage  of  this  variety,  the  whole  being 
treated  in  precisely  the  same  way.  For  three  seasons,  com- 
mencing in  1905,  he  had  been  distributing  this  potato  in 
different  parts  of  the  country,  consequently  in  1907  we  were 
able  to  procure  from  the  under-mentioned  counties  potatoes 
whose  history  for  several  years  past  was  known.  The  counties 
are  Waterford,  Galway,  Clare,  Sligo,  Queens’,  Down,  Antrim, 
and  Cork.  Some  seed  also  come  from  Queenstown. 
Half  a hundredweight  of  seed  was  obtained  from  each 
district,  and  in  addition  a similar  quantity  of  the  original  stock 
from  Mallow.  They  were  planted  in  duplicate  plots  of 
acre,  four  rows  to  each  plot.  Each  row  had  forty-nine  tubers 
planted  in  it,  and  the  weight  of  seed  in  each  plot  was  from  20 
to  21  lb. 
Every  care  was  taken  to  ensure  as  far  as  possible  the  results 
being  accurately  obtained. 
The  following  table  shows  the  total  weights,  and  also  the 
number  of  seasons  the  potatoes  were  grown  after  having  been 
despatched  from  Mallow  : — 
No. 
District  from  which 
seed  was  obtained 
No.  of  years  since 
original  seed  was 
brought  from 
Mallow 
Average  weight  of 
potatoes  on  the  two 
plots.  (Calculated  at 
per  acre.) 
1 
Mallow,  Co.  Cork 
Tons 
11 
Cwts 
4 
2 
Co.  Down  (E.) 
3 years. 
10 
18 
3 
Co.  Sligo  (W.) 
3 „ 
12 
18 
4 
Co.  Waterford  (E.) 
2 „ 
11 
9 
5 
Co.  Galway  (W.) 
Queens’  County 
2 „ 
13 
2 
6 
2 „ 
12 
14 
7 
Co.  Antrim  (E.) 
2 „ 
10 
7 
8 
Queenstown 
2 „ 
10 
19 
9 
Co.  Clare  (W.) 
1 „ 
12 
4 
