JANUARY 161 



will ever now take the place, as an article of food, of the 

 much-loved Potato; nor is this in any way to be desired. 

 Curiously enough, the other day a great London physi- 

 cian remarked to me, quite independently of Ireland and 

 its troubles, that in his estimation the ideal food for 

 the human race was Potatoes and skimmed or separated 

 milk, all the nourishing properties of milk being there, 

 the cream containing nothing but the fat, which stout 

 people are better without. It is quite curious how few 

 even educated people know or believe this. Skimmed or 

 separated milk is constantly thrown away as useless, or 

 given to the pigs ; whereas it is very much better for 

 adults than new milk, if they are eating other foods. 



Modern science has made it quite easy, by using pre- 

 ventives in time, to keep down the Potato disease ; 

 but, in spite of all this, certain losses of crops are sure 

 to occur, and the all -important thing is to cultivate the 

 vegetables which would probably succeed best in the 

 mild, wet autumns so dangerous to the Potato crop. 



Where land and manure are forthcoming, seeds 

 which should be of the best represent the principal 

 outlay in the growing of vegetables. It is much more 

 prudent to make many sowings in succession than to 

 sow a great quantity at once. It is said that a Cabbage 

 may grow anywhere and anyhow, that it will thrive on 

 any soil, and that the seed may be sown every day in the 

 year. All this is nearly true, and proves that we have a 

 wonderful plant to deal with, and that it is one of man's 

 best friends. Linnasus, the great botanist, mentions 

 that he found it the only vegetable growing on the bor- 

 ders of the Arctic Circle. The Cabbage has one persis- 

 tent plague only, and that is club or anbury, for which 

 there is no direct remedy or preventive known ; and the 

 best indirect way of fighting the enemy is our old friend 

 elbow-grease, or hard work. The crop should constantly 



