50 THE FLOKAL WOKLD AND GAKDEN GUIDE. 



into a limited space, is that of edging the beds with a different plant 

 to that which fills the body of the bed. For instance, if a, in tlie 

 accompanying plan, is planted with white verbena Snowflake, 

 having a broad edging of Purple King ; h, of Mangles' Variegated 

 geranium, edged with Blue Lobelia; c c, Punch geranium, edged 

 with Flower of the Day ; d, Crimson Unique geranium, edged with 

 Dandy ; c, geranium jNiadame Barre ; /, Blue Lobelia, pointed with 

 Cerastium tomentosum, as far as indicated by the dots rj ; in the 

 centre a tall specimen of Amy Hogg or Pose Eendatler, or some 

 other nosegay gerauium, surrounded with Christine ; h, Calceolaria 

 aurea floribunda, or Mrs. Pollock geranium ; i i, may be stone or 

 rustic vases, or some other such arrangement, according to 

 the fancy of the planter, or the plants in stock. To vary this from 

 year to year will be no difficult matter. It is a good rule to keep 

 the strong and alitterinir colours in the outside beds. 



THE BEST VAEIETIES OF GAEDEN POTATOES. 



HEN potatoes are grown in fields for market or for cattle 

 feeding on a farm, the most productive kinds may be 

 selected without much respect to those higher qualities 

 of colour and flavour which a few varieties possess ; but 

 there can be no excuse for the devotion of space in a 

 garden to any second class potato, for there are good sorts enough 

 to please the most fastidious ; yet strange to say, several quite second 

 rate sorts are in tolerably good repute lor garden purposes in some 

 parts of the country. How absurd, for example, it is lor a gardener 

 to plant such sorts as Red Regent, Paterson's Regent, and others 

 that are simply productive, and have not one other quality to recom- 

 mend them, when the very best may be had with as little trouble as 

 the worst. The most desirable qualities in a potato are — uniformity 

 of growth, producing plenty of medium-sized tubers rather than some 

 yery large and many very small ; fitness for keeping ; the flesh white 

 as snow, and breaking into a fine mealy powder when well cooked ; 

 the flavour agreeable. There are not so many as might be supposed, 

 on a casual inspection of a list, that possess these desirable qualities, 

 and to grow a large collection, as is done by the writer of this, is to 

 make sure of an immense quantity of rubbish. It is, however, not 

 well to trust to two or three sorts only ; whoever has to furnish 

 supplies for the year round should grow six sorts at least. Should 

 the disease break out it may affect some sorts only, and others may 

 escape ; hence where there are some half dozen good sorts grown, the 

 stock of some may remain unhurt while others are perhaps swept 

 away altogether. As to potato disease, there can be no doubt it is 

 generated by some check occurring to the plant at the time when 

 the tubers are rij^ening. I have explained my views at length on this 

 subject-in the "Gardener's Magazine," and will be content now 

 merely to give my opinion in a word, in order that there may be 

 founded upon it something practical. It will be remembered that on 

 the 8th of August, 1865, there was a great change from hot bright 



