490 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



When the potato is growing, care is taken to keep the 

 ground clean, the plants well earthed up, and the 

 furrows deeply stirred; and thus additional mould is 

 prepared for the next earthing. A thorough earthing up 

 of the crop is looked upon as an essential element of 

 successful growth. A similar system is carried out in 

 different parts of England— in Yorkshire and Lincoln- 

 shire especially. In the two latter districts, the regents 

 and fluke potatoes are extensively grown. An immense 

 quantity of potatoes are shipped from these districts to 

 the London market, which receives its main supply from 

 this source. 



The West of England was at one time a successful 

 competitor in the London market, and the exports from 

 Devon and Cornwall were surpassed by none. Since 

 the potato-disease commenced, this trade has gradually 

 declined, until it has been brought into a very inferior 

 position at the present time. The granite and sandy 

 soils of these counties have long been noted for the 

 quality of the potato grown, and some parishes around 

 the granite hills especially so. The moisture of the 

 West of England climate, and especially its liability to 

 fogs and mists, has operated as a great stimulus to the 

 disaese, and thus checked the cultivation of the potato. 

 Now, however, that we have become so familiar with 

 the disease, and have learnt the best plan to mitigate 

 the attack, we may hope that this profitable branch of 

 husbandry will again extend. 



The practice adopted in some cases corresponds with 

 the northern system, but the majority after the second 

 ploughing spread the manure upon the land and plough 

 it down, dropping the potato in every third furrow, so 

 that the land remains flat. After the potatoes can be 

 seen, the openings between the rows are well hacked 

 over with a digger or two-bill, and thus a nice soil is 

 prepared for earthing up the crop. In some cases the 

 old-fashioned lazy-bed system is practised, and often 

 with singular success. The plan is to spread the ma- 

 nure on the land, and then throw it into narrow beds 

 about three or four feet wide. In these beds the po- 

 tatoes are planted simply by the use of a dibble, and 

 the only care required is to cast upon the bed the earth 

 from the rather wide furrow between the beds, and 

 sometimes also to hand-hoe it slightly. Dr, Lang, in 

 a very useful paper on potatoes, in the Jcurnal of the 

 Royal Agricultural Society (vol. xix.), attributes the 

 success of the lazy-bed system to the fact that in hoeing 

 and earthing up the crop the minute tubers which are 

 being formed between the rows are cut off, whilst on the 

 lazy-bed plan they escape. 



There is nothing objectionable in the lazy-bed plan if 

 it be carried out with proper judgment. Indeed, I think 

 we may secure its advantages without the disadvantages 

 which are too generally conngclcd with the neglectful 

 management adopted, and hence the name given to it — 

 the lazy-bed method. We may, however, practise the 

 bed culture with success, and by our good management 

 show that the prefix " lazy" is inconsistent. As an im- 

 provement upon the bed system I should recommend a 

 corn-stubble to be well cleaned immediately after har- 

 vest : the dung should then be spread and ploughed into 



the ground. As early in March as the weather will 

 allow, let the ground be well scuffled, and then ploughed 

 into beds three or four feet wide, with half the width be- 

 tween tUe beds. In these beds let tlie potatoes be 

 planted, and throughout the season kept lightly hand- 

 hoed. The earth in the furrows to be cast on the beds 

 as the potatoes make their growth. Thus the foulness 

 of the land, which is a cause of complaint against the 

 old plan, may be avoided. It would be a very great im- 

 provement to apply some lime just before the land is 

 scuffled in the spring. Its influence upon the land, and 

 especially upon the dung already in the soil, will not 

 fail to be most desirable. 



The varieties chiefly grown in the western districts of 

 England, are the early top, ash-leaf kidneys, American 

 early, regents, forty-folds, and Cornish kidneys; and each 

 of these varieties is of good quality, but varies in time of 

 ripeness and also in suitability to diff'erent districts. In 

 the midland counties, in addition to some of the fore- 

 going, the lapstone kidney, walnut-leaf kidney, round 

 ash-leaf, red-eye, and flukes are favourite kinds. Much 

 of the value of every variety depends upon its early ripe- 

 ness. Experience has shown that those varieties which 

 are the most perfect when the disease appears are the 

 least afi'ected by it. It is reasonable that such should 

 be the case ; for as the tubers become ripe, so do they 

 cease to receive supplies of sap from the stalk ; if, there- 

 fore, they are not receiving sap from the stalk, it is clear 

 that they cannot receive the altered sap which is the 

 cause of decay, and the first influence of the disease. 

 Everything should therefore be done to get the crop 

 ripe as early as possible, and the careful selection of 

 early seed will be one means towards the accomplishment 

 of this result. 



This disease I have described as resulting in a decay 

 of the organic matter of the plant. Now, a moment's 

 reflection will show that fermenting matter when used 

 as a manure is likely to encourge this decay, whilst an 

 antiscjilic manure would have an opposite tendency. 

 This quite accords with the evidence of potato growers, 

 for dung when applied at the time of planting the potato, 

 and especially if used rather long, is sure to encourage 

 the disease, and the crop becomes more rotten in conse- 

 quence; but if, on the other hand, lime, or lime and 

 salt are employed, the growth is encouraged, whilst de- 

 cay is checked. When it is desirable to use dung for 

 potatoes, it should be ploughed into the ground before 

 winter, and in the spring incorporated with it. After 

 this no fear need be entertained of its producing any ill 

 eff'ects, but it will stimulate the growth of the crop and 

 increase its produce consideiably. 



The use of lime in the spring will always prove a de- 

 sirable addition. Guano is often employed as a manure 

 for potatoes, and the usual plan is to sow it broadcast 

 upon the ground, after it has been cast into ridges : the 

 potatoes are then planted in the furrow, and the ridges 

 split. This is probably as good a way to use guano as 

 any, when ridges are preferred; but when potatoes 

 arc planted in beds, or when ploughed-in on the 

 flat, I should rather be disposed to mix the guano 

 with some ashes, and sow over the ground after the 



