498 Report on the Cultivation of Potatoes. 



" A strong; 10-incli furrow in November, which remains without stirring 

 till near plautiiig-time ; the land is then grubbed, harrowed, and rolled imme- 

 diately before planting-time. 30 tons best horse and cattle manure per acre 

 applied in autumn on the stubble before ploughing, with 6 cwt. of portable 

 manure in drills — such as 1 cwt. nitrate of soda, 2 cwt. Ichaboe guano, and 

 3 cwt. superphosphate, bones, or decayed woollen manure — to suit the class of 

 soil the potatoes are planted on. For early lifting they are planted in the 

 beginning of March ; for late lifting, the end of April or beginning of May. 



" As soon as the drills are made up, they are rolled with a circular notched 

 roller to break the clods, and, if the land is very dry, followed with a heavy 

 flat roller. As soon as any annual weeds appear the circular or flat harrows are 

 put over the drills : then a regular succession of scraping, as we call it here, 

 between the rows commences with one-horse grubbers, followed by setting up 

 drills again with double-moulded ploughs, and pulling them down with 

 barrows until the plants appear. As soon as they are fully brairded, hand- 

 lioeing commences, and is followed with the one-horse grabber and harrows 

 between the rows ; after this another hand-hoeing is given. Then another 

 grubbing, which is followed immediately with double-moulded ploughs, setting 

 uj) the drills with as much earth as possible to the roots of the plants." 



More details are given in some of these reports, with reference 

 to the extent of damage done to the crop by the potato- disease, 

 than in any other set of replies, probably in consequence of the 

 greater importance of the potato-crop in Scotland. Mr. S. D. 

 ShirrefF, after stating that in 1872 he obtained only one-fourth 

 of a crop off 60 acres, further remarks in reference to that 

 season : — 



" We had many instances of total failure ; but this was owing to the crop 

 being attempted on soils totally unsuited to it. I may mention that I that 

 year sold my crop of 60 acres for 1200?., and the purchaser gave me 800Z. and 

 never touched the crop, I sold the crop on the 5th of August ; the disease 

 bad appeared with great virulence in the stems, and in 3 acres of early ones 

 also in the tubers." 



Mr. W. Gray, of Southfield, Edinburgh, gives his varying 



losses as follows : — 



" Sometimes only a few, sometimes free, other years nearly one-half, while 

 in 1846 and 1872 potatoes with me were a total loss, except such as were sold 

 early." 



Also, Mr. James Skirving states : — 



" I have twice during 30 years put all my potatoes in a dung-beap, twice 

 I have never lifted them; and, on the whole, in my low locality, I have 

 suffered more from potato-disease than my neighbours." 



Mr. S, D. Shirreff gives an interesting fact in reference to the 

 Influence of the weather on the potato-disease. He remarks that 

 the disease appeared in 1871 on the 23rd of August, and was 

 checked by genuine heavy showers and wind before the second 

 week of September. He further observes : — 



" To illustrate this, I sold 9 imperial acres at 20?. per acre on the 17th of 

 August, and in a few days the disease appeared unmistakeably. I offered 

 28 acres at 221. to the same buyer. We had some very heavy showers ; and 



