THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 101 
CULTIVATION OF POTATOES FOR EXHIBITION. 
BY PETER MCKINLAY, ESQ., 
Beckenham, Kent. 
= HE cultivation of potatoes for exhibition purposes has of 
i, late years acquired immense importance, for at the 
exhibitions held in the more important of the provincial 
towns, such as Birmingham and Stamford, liberal prizes 
. have been offered for potatoes; and in London an 
exhibition consisting exclusively of them has been held; I am, of 
course, alluding to the International Potato Show held at the 
Alexandra Palace in September last, which was so remarkably suc- 
cessful that the committee have very wisely determined upon 
repeating the experiment in the forthcoming autumn. For very 
many years potatoes were hardly tolerated at horticultural exhi- 
bitions; and when classes were provided for them, they were, as a 
rule, placed as much out of sight as possible. But there has of late 
been a marked change in the public opinion in reference to this 
esculent, and the immense display at the Alexandra Palace proved 
very conclusively that well-grown examples, when nicely washed and 
arranged with some degree of taste, produce a most pleasing effect. 
Indeed, the immense assemblage of potatoes, representative of all the 
leading varieties in cultivation, had such an effective appearance 
that it quite surprised even those who had been accustomed to 
potato growing all their lives, and the expressions of delight and 
surprise on the part of the general public were unbounded. The 
International Show has indeed given a quite new impetus to potato 
culture; and as one of the leading exhibitors, I have received more 
inquiries in reference to the various details, and the selection of 
suitable varieties for exhibition, than I can possibly find time to 
answer. Therefore, to show that I am really desirous of assisting 
those who, like myself, take a special interest in the potato, I will 
give an outline of a course of culture by which most successful 
results may be ensured, and also the names of the finest varieties 
for exhibition. 
The cultivator of potatoes for exhibition is pretty much at the 
mercy of the soil, and his labours will be light or heavy, according 
to the character of the land. In every case the task of producing 
first-class tubers is not particularly light; but when the soil is 
unfavourable, the labour and difficulties are very much increased, 
for it will not suffice to have tubers of large size; they must also be 
regular in form and smooth in the skin, and if the soil is not 
favourable to the production of tubers possessing these charac- 
teristics, it must undergo a special course of preparation before the 
cultivator can hope to occupy a very high position upon the prize 
list. Loamy soils of a friable character are the best for potatoes 
intended for exhibition, as in these there will not be any special 
difficulty in obtaining them of large size and fine quality. In light 
soils the tubers do not in dry seasons attain so large a size as is 
desirable; but on heavy soils they are often so coarse that they 
April. 
