HR DARLING ON PLANTING THE POTATO IN AUTUMN. 77 



state of decomposition ; and I saw that, by planting the sets whole in 

 the autumn immediately after they are taken from the ground, we 

 should attain both objects, the manure, being in the earth all the win- 

 ter, would, at the time for the potatoes* demands upon it, be in a state 

 of decomposition well adapted to yield its nutritive powers, and assist in 

 developing and bringing to maturity a healthy plant. At the same time 

 the tuber remains in its natural bed, its mother earth, and is subjected to 

 no unnatural treatment, nor is it exposed to be heated in pits or 

 chilled by sudden changes of temperature, the cold earth preventing any 

 violent transitions, and the natural properties of the soil keeping it in 

 the state best adapted for reproduction at the proper time. Again, an- 

 other advantage I saw would be, that the first and consequently best bud 

 would spring when the genial warmth of the early year should quicken 

 it into life, instead of being forced to an attenuated and sickly length in 

 some cellar or pit, then rubbed off to make way for a second, perhaps a 

 third, and weakly scion. For these reasons I was induced to adopt the 

 plan of winter or autumn planting, and have been, by my uniform success, 

 fully borne out in my conclusions; and I can with perfect confidence re- 

 commend its adoption upon dry soils, for when wet stands at any time 

 during the season, the tubers will inevitably decay, and the expectations 

 of the planter be doomed to disappointment. 



A few days ago a gentleman told me that he had tried the plan on a 

 small scale in his garden for this year's crop, and with the delicate 

 early ash-leaved kidney. The produce was from a drill of autumn plant- 

 ed seed 8^ lb. from a spring sown drill contiguous, and both fully at 

 maturity, 5^, giving a per-centage in favour of the autumn sowing of 

 about 40. It is supposed by many that frost may injure the sets. I have 

 had them in the ground in all the severe frosts of our late winters, and 

 never when they were covered properly saw a single tuber injured. I 

 have at this moment more than an acre, and by their present appearance 

 I should say the produce will be more than 30 per cent, above that of 

 spring sown ones adjoining. 



