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Although, in compliance with the ufe that others 

 have made of the term, I have fpoken of potatoes 

 attaining a period of perfection that has been deno- 

 minated maturity, I mud here enter a caveat about 

 this application of the term, as being indefinite and 

 inaccurate. I faw no room to fufpect that the po- 

 tatoes raifed from feed had not in the firft year, 

 though fmall in fize, attained as great maturity; 

 that is, in proper circumftances, were as well ri- 

 pened, and as fit for ufe, as others of the fame fize 

 ever afterwards would become. Nor are the largeft 

 potatoes of the fame kind, if taken from the ftem at 

 the fame period of its growth, feemingly much if 

 any thing fuperior in tafte, and other qualities that 

 could indicate maturity > to thofe of a fmaller fize. 

 The term maturity^ therefore, in the fenfe above 

 given, feems to be extremely improper, and mould 

 be entirely confined to denote the degree of ripe- 

 nefs that the plants had attained in the feafon they 

 are produced in. It feems that a certain fize of 

 potatoes planted for feed, the foil and climate given, 

 is necefTary for producing a plant of fuch vigour 

 as will pufh out bloflbms and fruit, and that till it 

 attains that degree of vigour at leaft^ it never pro- 

 duces bulbs below ground of the largeft fize. But 

 what the other circumftances are which tend to 

 augment the fize of the bulb to the greateft pofr 

 fible degree, we cannot as yet poflibly fay. 



