JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ January 27, 1870. 



thereby pave all the valuable properties of the manure ? I cay 

 locking tbem up, which is bad logic, for in point of fact bury 

 dung as deeply as yon will the ammoniaoal gases will sooner 

 or later struggle upwards, and this very feature, one would 

 think, ought to induce us to endeavour to hurry it into the 

 ground Tit) nt a lr 'tnent's loss of time. Without being ana- 

 lytical chemists, some notion of the loss may be gained by 

 procuring pure smelling salt? from the druggist, and causing 

 them to evaporate on a plate placed before a bright fire. 

 Something very much like this roust soon take place when the 

 son pours down its heat on fresh stable or farmyard manure 

 as a maximum, and deodorised mauure as a minimum, when 

 spread out for days upon the surface of the land — aye, even in 

 winter, let alone violent storms of rain, which are apt on hard- 

 beaten surfaces, where the ground lies inclined, to wash away 

 to the nearest outlet much of the fertilising matters from the 

 dung, and, alternating with sun and wind, leaving it at last 

 with few other properties than those of very respectable old 

 thatch. 



We will now suppose our ground thoroughly trenched, with 

 the manure well mixed throughout the whole body of the soil, 

 and the bottom spit uppermost, to be acted on by the frosts of 

 winter ; then in due time this is the compartment on which 1 

 prefer to apply the quicklime to attack the stubborn, slow- 

 decaying remnants of the refuse and the inorganic substances 

 which, perhaps, have been lying buried and unproductive for 

 ages. For all light sandy soils worked on the above principle 

 I recommend the flat system of planting Potatoes to be prac- 

 tised us early as possible — say in the beginning of February, 

 using a dibble, and planting 7 inches deep, afterwards slightly 

 scarifying the ground between the rows to keep down weeds 

 and let in the air. Never mould up ; and for store Potatoes, 

 which should be of the sorts which ripen early and keep late, 

 allow 3 feet 6 inches between the rows in garden soil. Pota- 

 toes wLich produce gross foliage are also more suitable for 

 light sandy soils than those with meagre tope, and a tnber that 

 will form deep eyes in a rich loam will appear slallow-eyed 

 from a light land ; so much so, sometimes, that the variety will 

 be scarcely recognisable by a judge at the show-table. Flavour, 

 too, becomes strangely altered. I could grow the same variety 

 in this garden partly on flat untouched ground, and partly on 

 the ridge-and-trench system, which I am about to explain; 

 those produced by the latter plan should gain me a first- 

 class certificate when cooked, and those grown on the flat 

 would be passed over as unworthy of being eaten, strong, and 

 ill-flavoured, which lands me at the chief point of "Sub- 

 scriber's" inquiry. The first or second week in April is 

 time enough for him to plant. I infer from hiB letter that our 

 soils are much alike. 



For first early Potatoes allow 30 inches between the rows, 

 and for store sorts quite 42 iuchts, and do not be afraid of 

 these distances, premising.of course, that the ground has been 

 trenched. Measure out the widths by stretching two garden 

 lines where two rows of sets are to be, and then place the seed 

 tubers upon the surface of the soil along the lines, at 1 foot set 

 from set for the early kinds, and at. least 15 inches apart for 

 the late sorts. Then readjust ihe lines between the two rows 

 of sets at an inch or two wider than a Parkes's 6teel fork — never 

 use a spade on good holding soil — so as to afford a guide in 

 casting out the soil, which eventually will form a trench between 

 two ridges. When the soil is of a very tenacious nature a 

 spade may be used to make a cat rather slopingly inwards close 

 to and inside the lines, to relieve the soil from the shoulders 

 of the trench, and make the appearance more even to the eye ; 

 but I scarcely ever adopt the practice now, as I find the tines 

 of the fork perform this part nearly equally efficiently as one 

 proceeds, and it saves time and trampling unnecessarily over 

 the ground. Now force the fork about half the length of its 

 tines into the soil, and cast the soil alternately right and left ; 

 not plump over the sets, as that would displace them, and 

 possibly break off the young shoots with which they are already 

 provided, as previously advised upon, but as far from them as 

 the edges of the ridge will allow, so that the seed Potatoes will 

 then appear as if lying in a hollow. Tbe " crumbs," which 

 are directly afterwards shovelled out, must be made gently to 

 take a central position over the sets, and to cover them about 

 3 inches deep without injury to the young shoots ; and in lieu 

 of piling up these ridges at once to their proper height (as a 

 superincumbent weight of earth, iu consequence of the ground 

 being recently trenched and loose, might cause, during the first 

 wet weather, a troublesome displacement of the sides of the 

 trenches), let them remain for another fortnight or so. After- 



wards when they are more settled, or the young green tops of 

 the sets are to be seen just peeping up, then is the time to 

 cover another half-depth with the fork as before ; but oover 

 over the growing shoots about an inch or so at this operation, 

 and shovel out the final " crumbs" at any other period quite 

 over the growing foliage when a frost is likely to occur during 

 the night, and so on, eventually forming the ridges with good 

 6 inch-broad tops, when they may be considered in a fit state 

 to be left to themselves. They may be so left, with the excep- 

 tion of pulliug up a few weeds from them when necessary, 

 until the Potatoes are ready to take un, though the mind of the 

 worker must at once begin to think how the trenches may be 

 occupied most profitably with the Cabbage tribe. 



I plant Brussels Sprouts between the early Potatoes, and 

 Broccolis for succession between the 42 inch ridges. The soil 

 is well soaked occasionally, as soon as the Potatoes are lifted, 

 with sewage from the tanks ; and along the centres of the 

 ridges, 3 feet apart, between the Brussels Sprouts, rows of Early 

 Stone Turnips may be sown daily, as the early Potatoes are 

 cleared off, with a fair chance of seeming some nice sweet 

 Turnips to be drawn when small, so as not to crowd their 

 neighbours. The Broccolis may not appear so even or quite 

 so " stocky " as when planted on a piece of ground especially 

 prepared, but they soon become strong and improve in appear- 

 ance when the Potatoes are gone. I have a fine piece at this 

 moment, although many would scarcely believe I had secured 

 a fine crop of tubers from between them during their infancy. 

 I have also had a full supply of Brussels Sprouts for the last 

 two months on the plan recommended. 



I trust the above system may suit " Subsckibee's " ideas, 

 and assist him towards " nice Potatoes," and further, furnish 

 his soil with every substance that will be required to produce 

 them from generation to generation, without ransacking the 

 world from " Indus to the Pole." If the question should be 

 asked. How about the phosphates ? I would point out to him a 

 tub where every bone is collected after the cook's manipulations, 

 and then to a hard flagstone and the back of a hatchet ! 



I will conclude with the names and descriptions of those 

 varieties of Potatoes which I exhibited at South Kensington on 

 the 21st of September, and which I consider fully up to the 

 requirements of the present day. 



Hogg's Early Coldstream. — A good household or market 

 variety, excellirrg for earliness in gaining firmness and flavour ; 

 suitable for frame work, for garden, or for field culture if the 

 ground is good. 



Dickson's (Chester) Premier.— Without doubt the greatest- 

 yielding early Potato for market and general household con- 

 sumption, and as an exhibition sort there is none to surpass it. 

 This variety may be substituted for the market or the servants' 

 hall by Myatt's Early Prolific ; but the " coming Potato " to 

 plsce them both, as well as Rivers' Royal Ashleaf ?iors de com- 

 bat, is Yeitch's Improved Ashleaf, excepting Dickson's Premier 

 .- the exhibition table. 



r.nyal Ashleaf.— Ihe best of its class, to be easily and 

 cheaply had at present, for early market and household use, 

 coming in directly after Myatt's Prolific; of excellent flavour, 

 though yellowish in flesh. Suitable for garden or field culture. 

 Early Emperor, alias Emperor Napoleon. — A good second 

 early round red sort for the market or tbe household ; of excel- 

 lent, flavour, though yellowish in its flesh. Suitable for garden 

 or field cultivation ; for the latter preferably, provided the soil 

 of tbe garden is a rich loam, as in this case the sort is apt to 

 throw gross haulms, and the Potatoes to become diseased. 



Daiiitrec's Seedling (Roun i).— This is an improved early 

 Regent, and scarcely to be distinguished from the Dalmahoy, 

 except by boiling, when Daintree's sort will be found to be 

 ready for the table some eight minutes sooner than the Dal- 

 mahoy. First-rate, both of tbem, for market, household, or the 

 parlour table, aDd suitable for garden or field culture. 



Wheeler. Milky White.— A good second early Potato, excel- 

 lent for the parlour table on account of its good looks, and al- 

 ways appreciated by ladies, though I complain of it, and I have 

 frequently heard it complained of by gentlemen, as lacking 

 flavour. A good household variety, and suitable for garden 

 cultivation. 



Paterson's Scotch Blue.— A very prolific, and a good white- 

 lit -lied blue-skinned variety. A second early for market and 

 household use ; garden or field culture, more especially for the 

 garden. 



Dean's Waterloo Kidney. — A capital market, household, or 

 parlour-table kind, suitable for either garden or field culture ; 

 a great yielder, and, I presume, a seedling from Wheeler's 



