THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 41 



is completed, and for ripening the tubers a hot dry condition of the 

 soil is most requisite. It is quite true that on some of the high- 

 lying sandy loams in the south of England, and on some chalky and 

 peaty soils, disease is rarely seen, and the only care requisite is to 

 plant at good distances — two feet six between the rows to be tlie 

 least distance allowable — and good crops ma}^ almost invariably be 

 depended on. -But when cold clays, wet loamy and gravelly soils, 

 and enclosed plots of old garden mould, overhung perhaps by trees 

 — when these are to be cropped with potatoes, they ought to be 

 planted on mounds or ridges, so that the sun will act more directly on 

 their roots through the sides of the mounds and ridges, and, in case 

 of continuous rains, towards the end of the season there can be no 

 lodgment of water to convert tlie farina of the tubers into a fungoid 

 mass of putridity. Now, as almost everybody plants potatoes too 

 close, we will lay down this rule for the guidance of all parties — 

 whether they have hot or cold, wet or dry soils — that weak and 

 moderate growers should be planted at least three feet apart from 

 row to row, and one foot from set to set ; the strong growers should 

 be four feet apart and eighteen inches apart between the sets. People 

 say to us whea we verbally advise them to give potatoes more room, 

 " How are we to do it on small plots of ground ? It is all very well 

 for those who can afford to plant four feet apart, but it can't be done 

 on small allotments." Very well, don't complain if the crop is 

 diseased. Nature will not alter the constitution of the potato to 

 suit the conveniences of people who hold small allotments, and if 

 100 bad rows are preferable to 70 good rows, why let those who 

 prefer the bad have their choice. But there need not be an inch of 

 land wasted. As the season advances, ground will be required to 

 plant out from the seed-bed cabbage, broccoli, winter greens, etc., 

 and there is the ground for the purpose between the rows of pota- 

 toes, and the plants will not be so far grown as to interfere with the 

 circulation of air among the haulm until the haulm has done its 

 work, and the crop is about to be harvested. "We have on several 

 occasions proposed a compromise between close and wide planting, 

 AVe planted early sorts in rows eighteen inches asunder, and as soon 

 as they were forward enough to use as new potatoes, we dug every 

 alternate row, leaving half the crop to ripen, and making room for 

 autumn and winter greens by the time they were sufficiently advanced 

 to be finally planted. "We invite those who are fond of experiments 

 to plant a piece with a first-class late potato, such as the Fluke, for 

 instance, and to proceed in this way. The ground is to be in good 

 tilth from having been trenched and laid up rough, and tliere is to 

 be no manure used in preparing it for planting. Level it down, and 

 plant it all over with moderate-sized wliole sets, four feet apart every 

 way. Dig right and left between the sets narrow trenches, and with 

 the stuff from these cover the sets six inches deep, so that each will 

 form a hillock. Now manure these trenches, and when the time 

 comes appropriate them for cabbage and broccoli : and to keep down 

 weeds hoe the sides of the hillocks in dry weather, and draw all the 

 crumbs upwards towards the collar of the plant. The depth of 

 earth will prevent the haulm rising till all danger of spring frosts is 



