26 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
March, 1910 
aT 
Cultivation of the Potato 
By the Editor of the ‘Queensland Agri— 
cultural Journal.’ 
(Continued from last Issue.) 
— Judging Potatoes at Shows. — 
Because a patato has a high-sounding 
name, and because it is a new variety 
judges are satisfied to examine the interior 
and exterior of the raw potato and award 
it a prize or disqualify it according as its 
symmetry and healthy appearance appeal 
to their jndgement. But does this 
examination satisfy the public? What 
the farmer wants to know is, its cropping 
power andits powers of resisting disease, 
and its early or late appearance on the 
market. What the housewife wants to 
know is, what are its cooking properties. 
It is of little importance that a certain 
potato exhibit has obtained first prize, 
for a crop must be a very poor one if out 
of 5, 10, or 20 acres abag or two of tubers 
cannot be obtained which will not satisfy 
a judge in all that concerns the eye. 
But there are splendid-looking potatoes 
which will not stand the cooking test. 
Some, when cooked, smell of the earth ; 
others show none of that beautiful mealy 
appearance which is the characteristic 
of a good cooking potato. One that 
bursts its jacket when properly cooked, 
and shows a beautiful dry mealy education 
is surely preferable to one that is soapy 
orwaxy. The market price of potatoes 
depends largely on the quality of the 
cooked tuber. At some shows the judges 
are supplied with a plate of hot cooked 
potatoes of each variety exhibited, and 
thus are able to determine what. after all, 
is the only true test of the value of a 
potato—its cooking qualities. Size is 
certainly not everything. It would be 
a move in the right direction if all potato 
exhibits at shows were accompanied on jud- 
ing day by adish of each variety cooked by 
an artist —for to cook as potato properly 
is a work of the culinary art not under- 
-stood by all cooks. 
— Quantity of Seed Potatoes Required 
to Plant an Acre of Land. — 
Those farmers who haye been planting 
potatoes year after year do not require to 
be told how many hundredweights or tons 
they require to planta given area, but 
there are manyt king up farming nowa- 
days for the first time, and not being 
brought up to the business, have very 
little, if any idea of the quantities of any 
kind of seed required per acre for field 
crops. To such amateur farmers the 
following advice will be acceptable: — 
The quantity required to plant an acre 
of, land with potat es is, of course, 
regulated by the size of sets and the 
There 
isa great difference of opinion as to the 
size of sets to use. 
distance apart they are planted. 
Generally, when 
potato-growers are discussing the size of 
sets to use, if they are asked what ‘weight 
the sets should be they don’t seem to 
know what is meant. One man sayske 
prefers a big set, another man prefers a 
small set—neither man seems to know 
the weight of the sets he is advocating. 
Tt will perhaps be a guide to some growers 
to know that a potato is as large as an 
egg weighs as much as the egg, and an 
Some 
growers considera potato as large as hens 
eggs will make two sets—this would be 
1 oz. for each set. - With potatoes 
planted 2 ft. from row to row and 1 ft. 
apart in the rows, it would take 21,780 
sets, and the sets weighing 1 oz. each it 
would take 12 .cwt. 0 qr 17 lb. 4 ozs. of 
seed to plant an acre; this is about the 
ordinary hen egg weighs 2 ozs. 
distance apart generally adopted in small 
gardens, On the farm potatoes would 
require to be planted 2 ft. 6in by one I ft. 
—this would take 6 cwt. 2 qrs, 26 lbs. of 
seed, with one oz. sets at 2 ft. 6in. by 
1 ft. Bin. it takes nearly 8 cwt. of seed. 
The size of sets is one of the most impor- 
tant things the farmer that has to buy 
his seed has to consider. Seed potatoes 
the size of hen eggs are the most economi- 
cal to buy, each potato will make two 
sets, and each set will grow as good a plant 
as a whole potato the size of an egg. 
(Lo be Continued.) 
Miscellaneous Items. 
The training of the colt cannot begin. 
too early. 
fe Ota 
Fattening foods are misplaced when: 
fed to growing colts. ey 
The seeret 
In a horse a poor appetite is usuaily a. 
sign of some weakness. 
Toate t 
The real test of value in a horse is- 
strength, lively action, and endurance. 
fei eee 
Good horses deserve good harness, and: 
their appearance is materially improved. 
by it. 
a 
Education adds to a horse’s worth, pro- 
vided the education is along the right 
lines 
t t T 
A. little. care in, watering or feeding 
while the horses are warm may avoid a. 
serious loss now. 
ee ae ae 
The day is at hand when a farmer will’ 
be ashamed to say that his land is poor,. 
for it will at once be known that ho is a. 
poor farmer, | 
Teeetwsst 
Tt never pays to overstock a pasture. 
It is not possible to get maximum results- 
where there isnot suflicient feed during 
the whole season. 
fumes beat 
The experience of hundreds of breeders 
of pure bred flocks demonstrates that 
best results are secured from the mating 
of matured animals 
tebatielist 
There is probably nothing better for 
starting lucerne than wood ashes, Ashes. 
contain both lime and potash, with more: 
or less phosphorous. All these the soil 
needs. : 
fc ROME NE 
In making a silo, of whatever material 
(and a silo may be made of almost any- 
thing), care must be taken to have the 
the close 
insides smooth to ensure 
packing of the greenstuff. _ 
Ta a nL 
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