ON RAISING NEW VARIETIES OF THE POTATO. QJ 



bonr of watering, and the profit of this saving was immedi- saved by it in 

 ately brought to account in increase of other crops, by the ry seasons : 

 use of water spared from the strawberries ; and besides, the 

 berries themselves were, under this management, as fair and 

 nearly as large as in ordinary years, but the general com- 

 pliant of the gardeners this year was, that the scarlets did 

 not reach half their natural size, and of course required 

 twice as many to (ill a pottle as would do it in a good year. 



In wet years the straw is of less importance in this point In moderately 



of view, but in years moderately wet, the use of strawing wet years ren " 



J . . ders watering 



sometimes makes watering- wholly unnecessary, when gar- unnecessary. 



doners who do not straw are under the necessity of resorting 



to it ; and we all know if Watering is once begun, it cannot 



be left off till rain enough has fallen to give the ground a 



thorough soaking. 



Even in wet years the straw does considerable service, And in wet 



heavy rains never fail to dash up abundance of mould, and J^rable ser-" 



fix it upon the berries, this is entirely prevented, as well as vice. 



the dirtiness of those berries that lean down upon the earth, 



so that the whole crop is kept pure and clean : no earthy 



taste will be observed in eating the fruit that has been 



strawed, and the cream which is sometimes soiled when 



mixed with strawberries, by the dirt that adheres to them, 



especially in the early part of the season, will retain to the 



last drop that unsullied red avid white, which give almost 



as much satisfaction to the eye while we are eating it, as 



the taste of that most excellent mixture does to the palate. 



IV. 



On raising new and early Varieties of the Potato (Solanum 

 Tuberosum). By Thomas Andrew Knight, Esq, 

 F. R. S. 8fc* 



.r 



JL HE potato contributes to afford food to 1 so large a por- 

 tion of the inhabitants of tins country, that every improve- 

 ment in its culture becomes an object of national impor- 



* From the Trans, of the Horticultural Society, toI I,-p. I, p. 57. 



Vol. XIX. Feb. 1808. H tance; 



