98 



DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



lie securely the tips of the foliage. Should the 

 injurious blight occur while the Held remains in 

 this State, the tops of the plants are greatly shel- 

 tered from its influence by the ridges rf earth 

 they lie between. Nothing further will be re* 

 quired but to watch the field, and continue to 

 cover up the haulms from time to time, so as to 

 keep only the tips exposed. The process thus de- 

 scribed should be immediately put in practice, in- 

 stead ot the usual method of ' earthing up.' and 

 while the stems of the plant are still pliant and 

 manageable. This simple process will not re- 

 quire any outlay, and in point of labor only stands 

 in the place of the usual method of earthing up. 

 * * * The best way of putting this mode in 

 practice is, by laying down the haulms with the 

 hand, and afterwards covering them with the 

 earth that lies between the rows. The earlier 

 the plant can he attended to, as I have proposed, 

 the less it is liable to receive the germ or inocu- 

 lation of the infection ; but owing to tiie present 

 advanced state of the plant, it may be advisable 

 to administer lime or some other purifying sub- 

 stance before covering the haulm. It is desirable 

 to lay the stems down in a direction away from 

 the east, as much towards the southwest as pos- 

 sibly, because it is from the east that blights of all 

 descriptions appear to originate. The usual man- 

 ner of planting potatoes being in rows only suffi- 

 ciently apart to allow room for the underground 

 shoots and tubers to vegetate, it will be found 

 necessary to lay the haulms of the plant down in 



a slanting or oblique direction, so as to let the 

 exposed tops of the haulm reach only to the cen- 

 tre of the valley or furrow, thereby gaining the 

 double advantage of room and protection." 



This experiment was carefully tried in the Gar- 

 den of the Horticultural Society in 1848, and with 

 success; for although, as was to be expected, the 

 amount of produce was diminished (not, however, 

 to the extent of more than 3 cwt. per acre,) the 

 proportional quantity of sound potatoes obtained 

 was more than seven times that of the rows on 

 each side. We regard this as an artificial method 

 of curbing the luxuriance of the potato, which it 

 does very effectually: but whether that be so or 

 not, it will be well to repeat the trial under va- 

 ried circumstances, in order that its true value 

 may be ascertained. The plan has this merit, 

 that it seems incapable of doing any harm. 



Another experiment was tried in the same es- 

 tablishment. Some haulm hnving become much 

 decayed, by the 9th August, it was pulled up, 

 and the ground was beaten and rolled as hard as 

 possible. " Every alternate half-row being left 

 for comparison. The rows rau north and south. 

 The half of the first row at the south end was 

 rolled, the north end of the next, the south end of 

 the third, and so on alternately. The average 

 sound produce was somewhat less in the rolled 

 than in the unrolled portions ; but the quantity 

 diseased was not half so great in the rolled por- 

 tions as it was in the unrolled." Gard. Chroni- 

 cle. 



DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



German Greens. — We have already (see vol. 

 iii, p. 532,) spoken of this excellent vegetable. 



As this is the season for planting it, (during all 

 the month of August,) in order to have it ready 

 for early spring use, we venture again to say a 

 •word in favor of what we consider a great acqui- 

 sition to our list of cheap and popular vegetables, — 

 one which we hope to see in every cottage and 

 farm garden in the country, both because it is so 

 useful, and so easily grown. 



The " German Greens" are, in fact, a species 

 of kale or colewort. They form, in spring, a tuft 

 or head of curled leaves, of a purplish colour, 

 about as large as a head of lettuce, and with a 

 flavor (when boiled and served up like common 

 greens, or like asparagus,) very nearly resembling 

 brocoli. In good gardens, where little extra 

 pains can be taken to blanch the leaves, by turn- 

 ing a flower pot over each plant in spring, it will 

 add considerably to their delicacy when cooked. 



To raise German greens is as easy as to raise 

 turnips. Any good soil will answer, with no 

 preparation but digging. Sow broadcast; and 



when the plants get their third or fourth leaves, 

 thin them out and hoe them exactly as you 

 would turnips. No further attention need be given 

 them, till you wish to gather them when the suc- 

 ceeding spring opens. 



They commence growing as soon as the snow 

 and frost leave the ground, and are in use from 

 that time till asparagus comes. They are, to 

 our taste, better than spinach or any other spicy 

 greens, and cost far less trouble in the cultivation. 



As Messrs. Thorburn & Co., seedsmen, New- 

 York, obligingly introduced this plant to our 

 notice a year ago, by presenting us a considera- 

 ble package of the seed, then just imported, we 

 have jusi returned the compliment, by sending 

 them a few pounds of seed — the product of that 

 package — which our gardener has raised, after 

 supplying our table in the spring most abundantly 

 with the vegetable itself; and we shall now trust 

 to Messrs. T. & Co. to disseminate the German 

 greens to all parts of the country; for useful and 

 valuable as this vegetable is, as yet it is scarcely 

 at all known in the United States. 



