474 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



roots themselves lose their nutritive properties by 

 being kept over the season, however carefully cared 

 for, the residue may be kept for two or three years 

 without losiiif? any of its value. This prevents any 

 loss being sustained by an agricultural distiller from 

 fluctuations in the demand for the residue. In 

 case demand should at any time fail to keep pace 

 with the supply, the residue has only to be stored 

 in pits, when a crust forms on the outside, and the 

 whole mass becomes, as it were, hermetically 



sealed. In this state it will keep a long time with- 

 out sustaining any sensible decrease of nutritive 

 value. 



We think sufficient has now been said to excite 

 an interest in the minds of our agricultural readers 

 in the success of so spirited an undertaking, but 

 on some future occasion we may revert to the re- 

 sults which have attended the cultivation and dis- 

 tillation of beet roots in France.— Nottingham 

 Guardian. 



THE QUALITIES CONSTITUTING A GOOD POTATO, 



Many varieties of potatoes, like new seedling 

 grapes, are being constantly brought before the 

 pubhc. No sooner does one variety get advertised 

 and sold, than another, stated to possess far supe- 

 rior qualities, pops into the market. All seem 

 anxious alike for these fine new varieties, even at 

 the expense of discarding some well-known old 

 favourite. Just so with the potato : fresh-named, 

 if not new varieties, are advertised weekly. We 

 have no knowledge where they came from, or who 

 was the fortunate raiser of these said varieties ; in 

 fact, we have no guarantee at all as to whether they 

 are really genuine ; and, should we be so unfor- 

 tunate as to buy the same variety of potato under 

 two or three different names, to whom are we to 

 apply for redress? Of course we could not apply 

 to the salesman, for he would tell us that he bought 

 them for so-and-so ; but who the right raisers of 

 these varieties are, it would puzzle a conjuror to 

 find out. 



I must admit that it is not the case with new 

 varieties of grapes ; for we generally have the whole 

 history given, with the raiser's name and address, 

 from what variety raised, where and when exhibited, 

 with its good qualities, &c. 



Tliis is precisely what we wish those who adver- 

 tised new or fresh varieties of potatoes to do. Such 

 a method would show good faith, and protect us 

 from buying so many duplicates. At present it 

 frequently happens when a person has a favourite 

 variety of potato, and does not know its name, that 

 he christens it himself, and gives it away to his 

 friends with this new name attached to it. Again, 

 if he should tell his friends that he does not know 

 the name, it is more than likely that they v/ill call 

 it by the giver's name, such as " Mr. So-and-So's 

 Kidney." 



A miller in this part of the country had some 

 fine kidney potatoes, of which he did not know the 

 name : and when he distributed them they were 

 christened Miller's Kidney; and this variety is a 

 great favourite round our neighbourhood, but is 

 no other than the old Midsummer Kidney. So, 

 the Champion Kidney is identical with the Albion; 

 yet both have different raisers' names. 



There are, also, many varieties now in cultiva- 

 tion that are known only by their names ; their 

 origin was never made public. Many new varie- 

 ties that have found their way into the market are 

 entirely worthless ; and many old varieties of really 

 good value have either been discarded for new 

 ones, or have been entirely lost through bad 

 management or neglect. It is a well-known fact 

 that some varieties that are of first-rate quality 



when grown in some parts of the country, are 

 entirely worthless when grown in other parts, and 

 to this fact we should all pay great attention. For 

 instance, how very different are some of the pota- 

 toes grown in Lancashire to what they are in this 

 neighbourhood ! In the former they boil like a 

 ball of flour, in the latter they are like a ball of wax ; 

 but I think it must be admitted that more potatoes 

 are condemned through bad cooking than from any 

 other cause. The more waxy the potato, the more 

 salt will be required for the water to boil them in. 



In raising new varieties the following points are 

 indispensable, and none but those that have such 

 merits described below should be submitted for 

 sale to the public ; for it is far more important to 

 the public at large to have a first-class potato than 

 a first-class grape offered to them. Potatoes are 

 food for millions, while the grape is only a luxury 

 for the rich. 



A good potato should be in size moderate; shape 

 regular— that is, free from deep eyes, warts, and 

 crooks ; skin roughish ; when boiled, entireness, 

 dryness, and firmness ; agreeable taste, earliness, 

 productiveness, short haulm, freedom from dis- 

 ease, and long keeping. 



A large potato is frequently hollow, and cannot 

 be conveniently cooked, and is also liable to be 

 badly boiled. A warty or deep- eyed one suffers 

 waste in peeling ; a smooth-skinned one is gene- 

 rally more waxy than a rough one; a bursting one, 

 in boiling water, suflfers loss ; a firm and dry one 

 is mealy; an early ripening one is less liable to be 

 attacked by disease ; and productiveuess is requi- 

 site to make the crops profitable. STiort-haulmed 

 varieties can be planted closer together than long- 

 haulmed ; freedom from disease is the great point 

 we wish to acquire, and can certainly only be at- 

 tained by peculiar methods of cultivation ; lastlj', a 

 good keeping variety that retains its flavour is indis- 

 pensable, for the sake of affording its supplies up 

 to the period of Midsummer. 



The history of those varieties which are generally 

 favourites now in cultivation would, I am sure, be 

 highly appreciated by your readers ; and I trust 

 that your correspondents that are in possession of 

 the history of any well-known variety will kindly 

 communicate it through these valuable columns. 

 Let us reason together, and see if we cannot come 

 to some good understanding on this one neglected 

 point. I promise to lend all the aid in my power, 

 having grown over one hundred so-called varieties 

 within the last four years. — Edward Bennett, 

 Gardener to Sir O. P. Wakeman, Bart., Perdiswell 

 Hall, Worcester, in " Cottage Gardener." 



