Cultivation of Early Potatoes. 107 



high prices, the seed must be siprouted, i. e. it must have made 

 an advancement in growth of at least an inch, Tliis sprout 

 shoukl be strong- and well developed, its thickness about that of 

 the stem of a common tobacco-pipe, and its top crowned with 

 green buds just bursting into leaf; at the bottom of the sprout 

 are emitted, or in the course of emission, small threadlike roots, 

 which, as soon as planted, take possession of the soil. Here is 

 the grand secret of obtaining earhi potatoes. 



To acquire this stage of advancement many expedients are 

 resorted to. It is the natural habit of the lemon kidney to sprout 

 early ; indeed oftentimes there is a difficulty in retarding this 

 movement, for, if the sprout be too long, it runs great risk of being 

 knocked off in course of setting. 'J'he mode here adopted by the 

 cottagers is no less original than ludicrous. After Christmas 

 the seed is taken out of store, whether from " pits," or " graves," 

 or elsewhere. The potatoes are then brought into their houses 

 and placed under their beds. When these recesses are filled, 

 they fill small baskets, of same kind and dimensions as those 

 from which the seed is planted, and hang them up on hooks 

 to the ceiling of their apartment down stairs, to obtain the 

 advantage of the warmth of the fire, and thus proceed to fill 

 every possible place where they may be kept from the frosts. 

 If a man possesses a cowhouse or stable, the rafters are forthwith 

 adorned with hooks, and the little baskets suspended. The 

 breath of cows is very beneficial. Care, however, must be taken 

 that the sprouts do not become blanched and weak : they must 

 have plenty of light. 



One of the largest cultivators in this district has improAed 

 upon the cottagers' plan, and has converted the hay-lofts over his 

 horses and cows into " sprouting-rooms." Above these lofts he 

 has laid a second floor, so that he is enabled to sprout double 

 the quantity. The warmth arising from the cattle has been 

 proved to be quite sufficient to keep out the frost. 



The tubers should not be placed thicker than 2 inches deep, 

 or the roots would become one mass of sod. 



Unless, then, some other mode be devised, or sprouting- 

 houses be purposely erected, there will remain the difficulty — 

 the impossibility, we had almost said — of any one grower setting 

 as large a quantity of early as of late potatoes. 



And again, as we before observed, the period of cultivation is 

 so short, and the work to be done in that time so pressing, that 

 it would require an incredible number of hands, and of hands 

 probably totally unaccustomed to this kind of work. At the time 

 of setting you would require a man and a boy per acre : then 

 there would be a cessation from labour for about a fortnight or 

 so, until the time for moulding-up, and when this was finished 



