THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



489 



There is a great difference in the management of these 

 two districts. In Cornwallj the general plan is to dig 

 the ground by hand in autumn, and plant the sets in 

 drills as the ground is dug ; thus the earth dugA'om one 

 drill is cast into the former drill. The early kidney 

 potato is the variety grown ; these they plant as early 

 as October and November. After the sets are dropped, 

 some earth is thrown over them ; and then the manure 

 being spread in the drill upon the seed, it is ready to re- 

 ceive the earth dug in the preparation of the next row. 

 The manure preferred is a compost of farm-yard dung 

 and sea- weed, ^c. Nothing more is done to the crop 

 until the spring, when the ground is flat-hoed in March- 

 Potatoes thus treated are dug early in April, but the 

 general digging commences in May. 



In Lancashire the system is different in many re- 

 spects. The ground having been ploughed in the early 

 parts of ^the winter, receives another ploughing in 

 January or February, dry weather being carefully and 

 promptly seized for this work. After this the manure 

 is got ready for being used by being well rotted, for 

 which an occasional turning is necessary. At the end 

 of March, or very early in April, the manure, which is 

 then thoroughly rotten, is cast over the ground, and the 

 plough follows immediately. Some farmers then harrow 

 the ground, and plough again. With this preparation 

 the potatoes are dropped in drills made by hand labour, 

 as already described, and covered with soil taken from 

 the next row. The manure used is somewhat similar to 

 that employed in Cornwall ; sea-weed and sea-sand are 

 here also mixed with farm-yard manure, and valuable 

 indeed they are as fertilizers of the land. 



There is one point particularly worthy of notice in 

 the Lancashire system, which is, the groat care taken 

 with the potato sets in preparing them for planting, a 

 practice worthy of more general adoption. In January 

 the seed is brought out and spread upon floors, where it 

 will be warm, so as to encourage a growth of the germ 

 or sprout. Rev. E. F. Manby, in a valuable commu- 

 nication to the Royal Agricultural Society {Journal, 

 vol. xviii. p. 407) upon the growth of early potatoes, 

 says, " The cottagers bring their potatoes into their 

 houses, and place them under their beds. When these 

 recesses are filled, they fill small baskets of the same 

 kind as those from which the seed is planted, and hang 

 them on hooks to the ceiling of their apartments down- 

 stairs, to obtain the advantage of the warmth of the 

 fire, and then proceed to fill every possible place where 

 they may be kept from the frost. If a man possesses a 

 cowhouse or stable, the rafters are forthwith adorned 

 with hooks, and the little baskets suspended. One of 

 the largest cultivators has converted his hay -lofts over 

 his horses and cows into sprouting-rooms. Above these 

 lofts he has laid a second floor, so that he is enabled to 

 sprout double the quantity. The warmth arising from 

 the cattle has been proved to be quite sufficient to keep 

 out the frost. Care, however, must be taken that the 

 sprouts do not become blanched and weak : they must 

 have plenty of light, The tubers should not be placed 

 thicker than two inches deep, or the, root will become 

 on^twas^ of RO(J," 



The sprouting of the potato before planting is an 

 essential part of the system, for without this progress 

 being made it were impossible for them to dig the crop 

 in eight or nine weeks, as they usually do ; and thus by 

 the middle of June realize generally about £50 per acre 

 for the produce. Besides the preparation in the sprout- 

 ing, verij great cave is taken to secure lemon kidneys, 

 and of the best quality. This is a variety without an 

 equal for rapid growth and early maturity. After the 

 crop is planted the work is entirely done by manual 

 labour, consisting as it does of hoeing and earthing-up. 

 Whilst we must bend to the results of successful 

 practice, as indicating a correctness of procedure, I 

 think we may venture to say that both of these systems 

 offer valuable hints. Excellent as the Lancashire plan 

 is, it is just possible that if they copied from the Cornish 

 plan, and planted in the autumn, they would have their 

 crops ready earlier. The modification should only be 

 introduced by way of trial ; for as the more northern 

 climate of Lancashire is colder, it may be that even 

 proximity to the sea cannot sufficiently protect the 

 crop. The influence of frost may, however, be very 

 much diminished by additional earthing-up. Such are 

 the advantages of having the crop even one or two 

 weeks earlier, that any plan which offers the probability 

 of rendering the produce earlier should be fairly tested. 

 On the other hand, the Cornish growers may take a 

 lesson from their competitors, by exercising equal care 

 in selecting their seed, so as to prevent any degeneracy. 

 Nor are these tlie only persons who may derive benefit 

 from the systems adopted. The superior value of these 

 crops is a strong inducement to their growth, and there 

 is no doubt but that many other farmers have land suit- 

 able for adopting this system. Along the extended line 

 of coast possessed by the western side of England there 

 are, doubtless, many spots of land which, if not equal 

 to the Penzance and Morecomb Bay districts, may still, 

 under good management, be made to approach very 

 closely, and produce highly remunerative crops. The 

 soil must be dry, friable, and of good quality ; and 

 especial care should be taken in obtaining good seed. 

 i The management of the main crop of potatoes offers 

 : many points of contrast from tlie foregoing ; for whilst 

 only special districts are suited for the production of 

 early potatoes, almost every occupant of land is a 

 grower of this crop.. In Scotland and the North of 

 England we find the largest and best cultivators of the 

 main potato-crop. A corn-stubble is generally selected, 

 and this being cleaned is deeply ploughed before winter ; 

 and if it should be strong land, it is carefully laid so as 

 to throw off the surface-water. Early in the spring it 

 is ploughed, thoroughly well harrowed, and again 

 ploughed; in which state the land remains until the 

 middle of March. The "manure, which has been pre- 

 viously drawn to a convenient spot, has also by this 

 time become well rotten. The land is then thrown 

 into drills twenty -seven inches wide, in which the dung 

 is spread, the potatoes dropped, and immediately after 

 the ridge is split and the planting completed. The va- 

 rieties chiefly grown arc Scotch duns, Perthshire redPi 

 Fifeshire regonts, Perthshire rocKs, and Scotch cups. 



