THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 51 



"weather to cold and wet. Potatoes that were then fully ripe in the 

 ground, as for example all the Ash-leaved race, escaped without 

 injury, but varieties of which the tubers were fully grown and begin- 

 ning to ripen, were most extensively and disastrously affected with 

 disease. Others again that were (jroiring — that, in fact, were, owing 

 to having been planted late, still forming their tubers — were, like 

 those ripened off, quite unhurt. Eight years ago the Floral "World 

 proposed to all potato growers to select early sorts, to plant early, 

 to take up early, and all the experiences acquired since that time go 

 to confirm the doctrine; as the disease is caused by excessive humidity, 

 with a low temperature occurring when the tubers are ripening, the 

 early harvesting of the crop is the best safeguard against losses in 

 this case. 



These points are touched upon in order that, in selecting sorts, 

 we may have an eye to the avoidance, if possible, of loss by disease. 

 Let me then select one potato which grows well, is very productive, 

 very early, very white, and a delicious flavour, and which is usually 

 ripe before those autumnal rains occur which usher in the com- 

 mencement of potato murrain ; in a word, let me tell you which 

 I consider the best variety of potato known for garden culture : it 

 is Wheeler's Milkij White. It is tolerably carl^y, but not a first early ; 

 it is handsome ; forms a most elegant dish, it keeps well. At the 

 moment of writing this, when nearly all my collection of varieties 

 are sprouting freely, " Milky White " has not begun to grow at all. 

 The next best for quality and earliness is Bivers'.'i Boijal Ashleaf, 

 which is a first early, and like all the race to which ic belongs has 

 yellow flesh, a fact which in my opinion renders this class of second- 

 rate value, though they ai'e first-rate in every other respect. All the 

 Ash-leaved varieties are good, but I select this particular one as the 

 best, which it certainly is. My next selection would be Mono's 

 Pride, which I have never seen diseased, and which is a handsome, 

 productive, finely-flavoured potato. Next in importance I should 

 place Flonr Ball, a most elegant potato when properly cooked, keeps 

 remarkably well, is very productive, and makes very few chats, which 

 are a nuisance unless there are pigs to eat them. For late crops 

 and to keep in store till an advanced period of the next season, 

 Queen of Flukes and Webb's Imperial cannot be surpassed. Thus 

 we have half a dozen varieties, all of them tolerably safe against 

 disease, all fruitful on the ground, and first-rate on the table. I 

 would add one more, and then rearrange them in the order of their 

 ripening and to make a list of seven sorts, thus — 



1. Earhj Walnut-leaf ; 2. llivers\s Hoyal Ash-leaf; 3. liana's 

 Pride ; 4. Wlieeler's Milky White ; 5. Floiir Ball ; 6. WehVs Imperial ; 

 7. Queen of the Flukes. 



There are several other varieties of first-class excellence, and it 

 may be well to name a 'lev^, as in different parts of the country it 

 may not be possible to get all that we recommend. 'Take then from 

 the earliestthe following: — Sutton's Early Bacehorse, My att's Ash-leaf, 

 and Hudson's Nonsuch, and you have three first-class varieties. 

 Prom the second earlies select Prince of Wales Kidney, Gloucestershire 

 Kidney, Daintree's Farly, and Early O.rford, and again, there are 



