IRISH GARDENING. 



135 



Potatoes. 



Thk year 1917 may well be reiaeinbered as the 

 " potato growing year." The most casual 

 observers cannot fail to be impressed by the 

 thriving plots all over the country. Amatevirs 

 and novices have become expert enthusiasts in 

 the culture of the valuable tuber, and much old 

 lore is being related daily as newly discovered 

 matter. Although every-day growers may be 

 inclined to treat this newly-found enthusiasm as 

 a joke, I personally think it worthy of the fullest 

 encouragement : indeed it is so refreshing that to 

 suppress the ardour of these amateurs by cold 

 ci'iticism might be termed sinful. 



A lady some 

 months old in 

 potato culture 

 told me the 

 other day she 

 had discovered 

 the secret of 

 keeping disease 

 away, and de- 

 tailed the well- 

 known spraying 

 mixture ; in ad- 

 dition she in- 

 formed me that 

 the flowering of 

 the Potato had 

 not been so pro- 

 fuse since sonie 

 year in the 

 middle of last 

 century, and 

 thatyear proved 

 one of the 

 greatest of po- 

 tato crops. All 

 this m i g h t 

 amuse some, but 

 it was of great 

 interest to me. 

 and I have just 

 looked up some 

 old records, so 

 far the abnor- 

 mal flowering 

 year has not 

 come under my 

 notice, but I 

 have noted very 

 much that is 



interesting and a good deal that we have been led 

 to believe the modern scientist has discovered. 

 In 1857 one cultivator relates his work in com- 

 bating the then virulent disease ; his modus 

 operandi was to dust the potato haulms with 

 quicklime while the dew was on them. This was 

 done at three stated intervals, much as we now 

 spray with sulphate of copper and lime ; the 

 results were eminently satisfactory. The progress 

 of the disease was particularly noticeable, as it is 

 still, during wet muggy weather. 



Leaving the disease behind we come to the 

 question of boxing versus pitting potatoes for 

 seed purposes, and many records are found 

 clearly emphasising the benefits of boxing the 

 seed at lifting time. The old men plainly knew 

 what our young experts are teaching now with 

 regard to sprouting. 



I!nODODi:\DliUN .Sl'H-iHANTHU 



Photo by Mr. 



Cultural details were then, I think, judging 

 from these old gardeners' writings, quite as well, 

 if not better, undei'stood in the middle of last 

 century than they are to-day, and one cannot 

 read the old messages without feeling the utmost 

 pride and respect for those past sages ; indeed 

 but for their teachings both practice and science 

 would cut a sorry figure in the present emergency, 

 and much of what we are now told is new would 

 be still unknown, and we should still be groping 

 in the clouds of doubtfulness. 



One great evolution has, however, taken place 

 in the potato — that is, the change in named 

 varieties ; most of the older generation will 

 exclaim " to the detriment of flavour ! " Let us 



be charitable 

 and attribute 

 this flavour 

 matter to the 

 change of taste 

 from the boy to 

 the manhood 

 stage, and still 

 we hanker after 

 the Dalmahoys 

 and Blue Re- 

 gents our grand- 

 mothers used to 

 set before us 

 in their torn 

 jackets with the 

 flour literally 

 bursting from 

 every rent. To 

 take a list given 

 in The Garden, 

 :March 23, 1872, 

 we have in ear- 

 lies : Myatt's 

 Ashleaf, Royal 

 Ashtop. Glou- 

 cester Kidney, 

 Alma, Harry 

 Kidney. I know 

 only one of these 

 by name — viz., 

 Myatt's Ashleaf. 

 Next is given 

 for succession 

 W e,b b ' s I m- 

 perial, Sutton's 

 King of Pota- 

 toes and King 

 of Flukes ; for 

 long keeping, Yorkshire Hero, Rixton Pippin, 

 Belgian Kidney, and Yorkshire Hybrid are 

 recommended. Then follows a list of varieties to 

 suit different purposes, in which flgure Turner's 

 Union, Hogg's Coldstream, Scotch Blue, Dalma- 

 hoy. Carter's Maincrop, Alexandra, Wellington, 

 Victoria, kc, few of which I feel sure will be 

 remembered by present-day gardeners. 



The judging of tubers in those days appears 

 to have been on the same lines as we still work, 

 and fine regular specimens w^ere favoured before 

 large coarse ones : much of this may appear 

 superfluous, but it proves that we are advancing 

 every year, and still benefiting by the work of 

 the early pioneers we may go on to vinknown 

 limits improving the cropping and disease-re- 

 sisting properties, but let us not be unmindful 

 of the question of flavour. Venturing an opinion 



M GHOwiNu IN China. 



Geo. FnrrPfif. 



