IRISH POTATOES. 49 



few. After the curl, comes another disease called 

 the scab, by which is meant excrescences, and then the 

 canker, caused by little cavities, which make their 

 appearance in wet weather. These by some, are 

 considered to be the cause of the curl, and they be- 

 come worse when the potato remains long in the 

 earth, after time for harvesting. 



The proper time for digging potatoes is in autumn, 

 when the weather is dry, and when the stems and 

 leaves begin to decay. If fields are planted in pota- 

 toes, they should be ploughed up, taking care to take 

 off the coulter of the plough to prevent cutting them. 

 When those which are turned up by the plough 

 are carried away, a drag may be used to obtain 

 those potatoes which remain covered up. But if 

 the potatoes are cultivated on a small scale, they 

 may be dug with the hoe, or other implement. 



The potato is a great vegetable luxury, and forms 

 a great part of the food of the Irish people. Pota- 

 toes, when boiled, are excellent food for hogs and 

 poultry. The fattest fowls I ever beheld, were fed 

 almost exclusively on them. For farm horses, pota- 

 toes are very good. Mr. Bradley, in his Notes on 

 Husbandry, proves their superiority over Indian 

 corn. 



Many modes have been suggested, for preserving 

 in winter, this valuable vegetable. The most com- 

 mon way, is to deposit them in pits dug in the earth, 

 and to cover them first with dry straw, and then with 



