3A - Potatoes

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3A. POTATOES

The Ministry of Agriculture wished to make the same calculations for potatoes as for other outdoor vegetables. In addition it wished to know the average yield in stones of the average row of potatoes, the weight of seed potatoes bought for the 1944 season, and the proportion of it which came from Scotland or Ireland.

Questions about the length of rows planted and yield of plants in comparison with 1943 were asked of the potato growers, the interviewer again checking on the lengths of rows still in the ground. In addition they were asked the weight of potatoes they had gathered from each crop, what weight of seed-potatoes they had bought for the 1944 season, and what proportion of it, a quarter, half, or more, had come from Scotland or Ireland.

Gardeners found it impossible to answer accurately the questions on the weight of potatoes they had gathered, however, since it is the practice to lift potatoes as and when they are needed. The answers to this question are therefore not tabulated.

Extent of Cultivation

3. Potatoes: Extent of cultivation and failure

Variety of Potatoes	No. Growing Potatoes	Percent. all house in sample	No. Able to state total feet planted	Aggregate of all rows in feet planted		% failure
First early	391	12	323	40,300	5,600	13
Second early	295	9	234	39,700	2,600	7
Main crop	254	8	206	37,600	4,200	11

In all, 625 gardens, or 20% of all houses, grew potatoes of one variety or another.

11.

Yield

Gardeners found it particularly difficult to make a judgment of potato yield, and they were not helped by the fact that in many parts of the country the main crop had not been touched at the time of the inquiry.

4. Potatoes: Judgement of Yield: September 1944

	No. Growing Potatoes this year and last	Judgment of yield compared with this year
		More	Same	Less	No information
		%	%	%	%
First early	363	24	41	27	8
Second early	263	28	31	23	18
Main crop	229	23	30	21	26

5. Potatoes: Judgment of yield of main crop: November 1944

	No. Growing Potatoes this year and last	More	Same	Less	No information
		%	%	%	%
Main crop	457	27	28	38	4

Seed Potatoes. In the main inquiry gardeners were asked weight of seed potatoes they had bought for the season, and what proportion of it had come from Scotland or Ireland.

6. Potatoes: Weight of seed bought: proportion from Scotland or Ireland

Variety of Potatoes	No. Growing each Variety	No. able to say weight of seed bought	Weight of seed bought in stones
First early	391	257	410
Second early	295	182	530
Main crop	254	126	330

	No. Growing each Variety	None	Approx. ¼	Approx. ½	Approx. ¾	All	Don’t Know	No Answer
		%	%	%	%	%	%	%
First early	391	9	1	1	-	40	36	14
Second early	295	8	1	1	-	38	33	18
Main crop	254	11	-	-	-	27	34	27

The lower half of the table indicates.. that only about a third of each who grew a particular variety were concerned about the origin of their seed, and that the majority of those who were concerned about it bought all Scottish or Irish seed.

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