January 8, 1867. ] 



JOUKNAIi OF HOBTICULTOaB AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



9% 



POTATOES AND THEIR CULTURE. 



HERE are few subjects dis- 

 cussed in the pages of The 

 .Journal of Horticulture 

 that interest me more than 

 the Potato. I need, there- 

 fore, scarcely say that I 

 liave paid much attention to tliis useful tuber. I have 

 read with interest what has been recently written by " D," 

 of Deal, and Mr. Dobbie, and can corroborate what the 

 former has said about varieties, and what the latter has 

 stated about plantinjr wliole sets in preference to cut ones. 

 Like ■' D.," of Deal, I consider the Prince of Wales the 

 most worthless Potato imaginable, notwithstanding that it 

 was sent out with the flaming character of being " a boon 

 to the world." Any person who knows a really good Po- 

 tato would not tolerate it imder any circumstances. I also 

 agree with him in considering the Lapstone Kidney the 

 finest in quality of all Potatoes. 



I may name, in addition to the five varieties enumerated 

 by "D.," of Deal, the Dalmahoy and American Early, 

 both well-known varieties in Scotland, and first-rate second 

 earlies. They are hardy in constitution, heavy croppers, 

 and excellent in flavour — certainly in all respects not in- 

 ferior to Daintree's Early. 



Ross's Early is an amazing cropper, and of the very 

 best quality, but it requu-es much room, and is only a tlurd 

 early, eating well all winter. 



Myatt's Ash-leaf is with me the heaviest cropper of aU 

 the Ash-leaved varieties, and it is fourteen days later than 

 the common old Ash-leaf, yet the best early sort. 



The Curly Top, mentioned by Mr. Dobl3ie, deserves all 

 he has said of it in point of carliness and constitution, but 

 it is a little inclined to be waxy — a great drawback to any 

 Potato. 



Touching the chief features in the culture of Potatoes, 

 I have, like Mr. Dobbie, proved over and over again that 

 there is no greater mistake than that of selecting very 

 small sets or of cutting up large Potatoes into many. Any 

 one can put this matter to the test by planting a quarter of 

 Potatoes, beginning at one side, and putting in a row of 

 very small sets, gradually increasing thek size in every 

 row till the very largest are planted. It will be found at 

 harvest-time that the small sets give the greatest propor- 

 tion of small fry, and vice versa, so that when Potatoes are 

 planted whole, medium-sized sets should be chosen. Of 

 the early Kidney varieties I always save suflicieut of the 

 very largest tubers I can select, and have ever found them 

 produce the finest crop with the least proportion of small 

 Potatoes unfit for table. The seed sliould always be saved 

 from the earliest crops, and in garden practice it is a good 

 plan to green them, and store them thinly on shelves tn a 

 No. 302.— Vol. XII., New Series. 



dry airy place ; as soon as they begin to sprout they 

 should be planted the first opportunity. 



I consider that the cutting of sets is attended with many 

 evils. The Potato loses much of the sap that should be 

 husbanded. In dry seasons, and particularly in field cul- 

 ture where the ridge system is practised, and the manure 

 ploughed into the centre of the ridge in a dry state, the cu6 

 Potato is surrounded with a medium wliich sucks the sap 

 from it like a sponge, and unless rain set in blanky fields 

 are the result, and the farmer says liis Potatoes have takeit 

 the " dry rot." 



It is not a matter of imfrequent occuiTence to see Pota- 

 toes first allowed to grow in pits, and then be cut into smaS 

 pieces, and planted as above ; and surely it is a practi6e 

 which cannot be regarded as anything but most irrational. 

 In garden practice I either plant in soil that has been well 

 manured for the previous crop, or else trench in the manure 

 in autumn, and in doing so mix it well viith the whote 

 staple. 



One-half the manuring wliich takes place in field culture 

 I regard as positively miscliievous, just because it is gene- 

 rally done in dry weather in April, and when the manure, 

 if not well rotted, becomes diicd before it is ridged-in with 

 the plough. 



The ridge system itself I look upon as very objectionable 

 on light dry soils. The manure and sets are enclosed in a 

 dry state in an elevated ridge, where the manure when once 

 dry is not easily wetted, and can be of little avail to the 

 crop ; indeed, I have seen it turned out in autumn in very 

 much the same state as when it was ridged-in in April. 

 If the sets were planted on the flat instead of in ridges in 

 tlry soils it would be the means of producing fine crops, 

 and more especially if the manui-e were well incorporated 

 with the soil in the previous autumn. The system of 

 grubbing with horse-hoes close to the stems of the crop, 

 loosening the plants about the neck, and, tearing up the' 

 stringy roots on which the yoimg tubers are formed, is 

 pernicious in the extreme. 



In gardens where the soil is generally rich and deeply 

 worked I think wide planting should be practised. By 

 tills means light and air are allowed to play freely about 

 the tops, and the rays of the sun can benefit the soil. For 

 such sorts as Myatt's Ash-leaf, Lapstone, and Dainti-ee's 

 I allow 2 feet 10 inches, and from Li to 14 inches between 

 the sets ; and for larger- topped sorts such as Ross's, .'? feet 

 by 15 inches. I am persuaded that more fine useable 

 tubers are thus produced than when thick planting is 

 practised. 



The early varieties, such as the Ash-leaved, may, when 

 planted at such distances, be allowed to grow with two 

 shaws ; and the later sorts at the widest distance named 

 sometimes I leave with three -nithout any bad efi'eets. In- 

 deed, if allowed to grow with only one top, such as Ross's 

 Early, are apt to be too large for any purpose, excepting 

 baking whole in their jackets ; for this pm-pose I am re- 

 quired to grow a few of Ross's every year. One season, 

 about three years ago, I took the trouble to weigh twenty- 

 four tubers out of about three barrowloads, and tlieir imited 

 weight was 41 lbs., whilst one set reached the enonnous 

 No. 954.— 'Vol. SXXVII., Old Series 



