———_———— 
Cultivation of the. Potato. 
(Continued from last issue.) 
From ‘Queensland Agricultural Journal’} 
Following are the results of some 
experiments carried out by Mr. H. C. 
Quodling, Inspector of Agriculture, when 
manager of Westbrook State Farm. The 
manures were Superphosphate, Bonedust, 
Blood, and Kainit; each at the rate of 
4 cwt. per acre, and the weight of seed 
planted in 4 acre plots 178lb.. These 
manures yielded 716lb., 704lb., 712ib., and 
722\b. respectively. 
One plot was unmanured, and planted 
with cut potatoes, yielded 751 lb. per 
plot, and in the last plot the potatoes © 
were planted whole and the yield was 
708 lb. : 
The best manure then, for potatoes, is 
a mixture of farmyard manure and some 
artificial. For instance, 16 tons of stable 
manure will produce a larger crop than 
the most remunerative 
artificial manure ; but, employ a mixture 
of 8 tons of stable. manure and 3 cwt. of 
nitrate of soda, or an equivalent quantity 
of sulphate of ammonia, and a far greater 
yield will be obtained—in fact, such a 
dressing gives the greatest yield and the 
most remuneratiue results of any. If 
dressing of 
stable manure is unavailable, any arti- 
ficial dressing for potatoes should contain 
nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash. Omit 
one of these (as has already been shown), 
and the result will be a poor crop. The 
omission of nitrogen will cause the 
greatest loss, and that of potash the 
least. ‘ 
~~ = Soils, — 
“Of all crops grown, the potato is the 
one which shows the — greatest 
content of potash. in the. mineral con- 
stituents withdrawn from the soil Hénce 
the well-known value ‘of soil derived from 
granitic detritus for ‘potato culture. In 
it, we have. abundance _ of © potassium 
silicate, derived. from the decomposing 
felspar and = ‘slowly~ set- free “in other 
forms, for the uses of the plant. _ Where 
ground has been annually cropped with 
potatoes, for, many years , without a. rota- 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
tion, it is mainly owing to the potash 
having been used up that the soil is not 
liberal in its return of tubers. 
Generally, it may be said that potatoes 
may be grown on any soil, but that those 
grown on clay soils are waxy and of bad 
quality ; light, granitic soils produce nice 
mealy potatoes; and fertile loams yield 
the best tubers—best both in soli) and 
quantity. 
— Seed Potatoes, — 
When we speak of seed potatoes, we 
mean potato tubers which are planted, 
whole or cut, to produce a crop. Potato 
seed is a very different thing. The 
potato is a Solanum, which produces 
flowers and seed vessels, The latter 
appear in the form of a small green apple 
or tomato, which contains a quantity of 
small seeds, and it is by sowing many . 
thousands of these seeds that new 
varieties are produced, in very limited 
numbers compared with the enormous 
numbers of seed sown, by scientific 
growers, who make the production of new 
kinds of potatoes a business, and a very 
profitable busimess it has often proved to 
these experimenters. Here, however, I 
am only dealing with the tubers or so- 
called seed potatoes. | 
_ There is a good deal to be studied in 
the selection, care, and treatment of seed 
potatoes, and many farmers take far too 
little care of them. When the summer 
crop is dug, the small potatoes are hauled 
to the barn, and either left in bags until 
the next planting season comes around, 
or else in a large uncovered heap on the 
floor. Then, when planting time has 
arrived, it is considered time enough to 
overhaul the heap, bags, or pit, and pick 
out the rotten ones. Too often the seed 
is found in a matted condition, owing to 
the potatoes not having been turned, 
This necessitates the whole mass being 
stirred up—a process which breaks off the 
majority of the shoots. All this means 
loss—a loss which can easily be avoided 
by being careful to turn the seed over 
occasionally, say about once a fortnight, 
or, at any eyent, a fortnight before 
planting, by which a gain in growth may 
he brought about, New shoots will then 
form, and they will be up as early as 
September. 1, 1909 
LT 
those which were planted immediately 
after the last turning. An important 
point is to plant no potatoes except those. 
which have sprouted. This was’ con- 
clusively proved to:be correct at’ the 
Queensland Agricultural College, when: 
one plot was planted with sprouted, and 
another with unsprouted seed. © The: 
former came up uniformly with scarcely 
any misses, whilst the latter plot showed 
an irregular: growth” and wide vacant 
spaces. In trials which were carried out 
for the Irish Department, at 67 centres 
in 16 counties, there was an average 
increase of 2 tons per ‘acre~ from 
sprouting, and in the four preceding 
seasons the increase due to sprouting 
ranged from 1 ton to 2: tons 13 ewt. No 
stronger testimony could be desired, 
Now, concerning the size of seed 
tubers. Opinions differ as to whether 
small or large seed gives the best results. 
A trial was made in England to settle the 
question, Three rows of equal length 
and with an equal number of setts were 
planted with Northern Star potatoes as 
follows :— 
Row No. 1—38 setts, weighing 3lb.,. 
produced 54 lb. of potatoes 
Row No. 2—88 setts, eee 4lb., 
produced 64lb. of potatoes 
Row No. 3—388 setts, weighing 7lb.,. 
produced 921b. of potatoes. 
- Assuming that the seed cost 1d. per 
lb. and the produce sold at 1d., we find’ 
that row 1 returned 4/3; row 2, 5/; and 
row 3, 7/1—clearly a great gain in favor 
of the larger setts. All were planted on 
the same day, in equal ground, and all 
had the same amount of cultivation, 
(To be Continued.) 
WILLIAM CARR, 
Furniture Manufacturer — 
and Repairer, 
Locksmith, Saw Sharpener. 
Carpets Cleaned and Relaid. 
-All work artistically and promptly 
executed, 
Country orders attended to on shortest. 
notice, ' ' 
Charges moderate, & trial solicited, 
20 Hanson Street, Adelaide. 
