1 10 Cultivation of Arable Land. Potatoes. Cutting Blojjbms of, 



It has been advifed by fome cultivators to cut away the parts of the potatoe plants 

 which contain the flowers before the bloflbms begin to blow, in order to increafe 

 the fize of the potatoes ; but this is a practice that has been fhewn to be too tedious 

 to be generally adopted, though it feems probable that the production of the fruit 

 or apple may be detrimental in drawing away the nourifhment of the bulbs below 

 the ground at the period when they fland moil in need of it. And, in the few trials 

 that have been made in this view, fome have fuppofed an advantage to be derived 

 from it; as after planting different kinds in drills, and picking the flowers care 

 fully from off the plants in fom e of them as foon as they appeared, in others after 

 they had expanded or even made fome progrefs towards fetting the fruit, and in 

 others again after it was formed and half-grown, while other drills between them 

 \vere left untouched, it was found that the crop, in the firft method of plucking the 

 bloflbms, was in mod cafes nearly double to that in which the apples were permitted 

 to become ripe. Where the flowers were fuffered to wafte themfelves only, the 

 crops werelefs productive ; and where the apples had made fome progrefs, it was 

 Hill fmaller ; but in both confiderably greater than in the untouched rows. It was 

 likewife remarked, that the Hems of the plants, in the cafes where the bloflbms 

 had been picked off, continued in a more full and vigorous ftate of growth much 

 longer than where they were permitted to remain, And the fame circumftances 

 took place where the apples were gathered early.* 



The trials of other experimenters feem, however, to contradict thefe ftatements ; 

 as in plucking the bloflbms from fome drills, and leaving others in their natural 

 flate, on taking up the crops not the leaft perceptible difference could be perceiv 

 ed in the produce. \ But though beneficial confequences may perhaps in fome 

 inftances be produced by the pulling off the blofibms of potatoe plants, in order to 

 prevent the feed from being formed, as is the practice in particular cafes in gar 

 dening, the experiments of different writers have clearly mown that the cutting 

 over the haulm or ftraw is invariably injurious to the fuccefs of the crops, the large 

 produce and great luxuriance of the plants probably requiring the affiftance of the 

 leaves and items to perfect their growth. When cut at different ftages, in fome 

 trials the deficiency of the produce was found to be exactly in proportion to the 

 earlinefs of the operations being performed ; and that the potatoes were badly ri 

 pened, as well as of a bad quality, while thofe growing on the fame land clofe to 

 them, but in which the haulm had been left uncut, were extremely good.* It 

 has indeed been recommended by an experienced cultivator of this root, never to 

 cut the ftems of potatoes at any period of their growth ; as the roots not only con- 



* Farmer s Magazine, vol. II. p. 412. t Ibid. vol. II. p. 412. 



J Ibid. vol. III. p. 103. 



