POTATOES HOT-HOUSES, ETC. 



AUTUMX-PLANTED POTATOES. " EstC " 



planted swme Potatoes in October. foUowijiar the 

 advice given in tlie Gardeners' Chronicle. — 

 The earth was drawn into a ridge over the sets, 

 ■which were thus 5 inches under ground. The 

 frost penetrated 8 inches, being tried on purpose, 

 yet on examining the sets last -week all that 

 ^ve!■■e examined were found unhurt and sprout- 

 ia?. Xearly a quarter of an acre was planted. 

 [We have the same report to make ; .so that the 

 frost question may be considered settled.] 



Potato Cultcre. — This being a subject in 

 which evert- one is interested, I think it cannot 

 be too much discussed, as every hint at this sea- 

 son must be of benefit to some parties. I have 

 examined those of mine, planted in January last, 

 and find the whole tubers now beginning to bud, 

 but the cut ones are every one rotten, where- 

 fore I consider it to be folly in any one to plant 

 cut sets in Autiimn or Winter. They cannot 

 stand much wet ^vithout rottin?. nor can they 

 endure much dry weather, as then by losing the 

 water which forms a great part of their struc- 

 ture, they equally become inert from vs-hat is 

 termed dn,- rot. so diat either too early or too 

 late planting does not suit them, but as stated by 

 a correspondent in last week's Gazette just 

 ^vhen they naturally begin to sho\\- signs of vege- 

 tating. Of course it is clearly proved tliat as 

 far as the safetj- of the seed goes vi-hole tubers 

 may be set at any time by a Uttle care being 

 paid to the m;inner of putting them in the ground, 

 althoueb. if to remain long in the earth, they 

 should be carefully selected tree from cracks or 

 blemishes, for otherwise they would share the 

 fate of the cut ones. 



[John Thomas, Wem, Salop. 



Expeditious mode of planting Potatoes. 

 — {From the Farmers' Gazette.) — SiR: I see in 

 tliis day's paper a remark regarding a speedy 

 way of planting Potatoes; and as I have planted, 

 in ten days, twenty-rvvo English acres, which I 

 think good work, I give you my plan : — 



I have the field first cleared of weeds, and 

 harrowed, so as to leave no obstacle in the ^vav. 

 I keep seven horses at work : two opening and 

 clo.siug drills as fa.st as they can go. the other 

 five drawing out manure and seu (the manure 

 being principally in the field.) I put two men 

 to assist the cart-men in filling tlie carts, so as to 

 occasion no delay. I keep also two men ia tlie 

 field, to as-sist in unloading, one working at each 

 hind corner of the cart. The driver, standing 

 in the cart, with his grape (fork) throws the dung 

 into the middle drill — the Uvo others manuring 

 their respective drills on each side of him. — 

 Three drills are thus dunged, while the horse is 

 slowly moving onwards. After them I have 

 three women spreading the grapefuls thus de- 

 posited, and three more dropping the Potatoes 

 about ten inches apart. I have m this way, in 

 one day, put in neaiiy three English acres-^the 

 one pair of horses opening and closine. The 

 great thing is, to have all things ready before 

 commencing, -so that no time may be lost : and 

 also to have su85cieut hands, so as' to prevent the 

 horses from beinsr kept unnecessarilv idle. 



Yours, &c. A SLUSCRIBER, 



Gypsum in South Carolina. — The Southern 

 Agriculturist says '■ a specimen of Gj-psum 

 was lately sent to Dr. Gibbes of Columbia, fi-om 

 Mr. Insraham's on Cooper river. It resembles 

 the ^^ psum of the Paris basin. 



The Atmosphere op Hot-houses. — I am 

 astonished that so great a portion of the horti- 

 cultural ^^ orld should still be content with the 

 capricious and uncertain degree of atmospheric 

 humidity in the great majority of hothouses of 

 the present day. We hear of nice little flanges 

 or covers, of about an inch in depth, being cast, 

 it may be with the piping : and which the hot- 

 water man, of course, deems perfection, but 

 which I consider play-tliiugs ; and we some- 

 times hear of sudden deluges of steam being 

 shot, as it ^vere, from a 48-pounder. into the at- 

 mosphere of the house, which, for die space of 

 half an hour, casts a London fog completely into 

 the shade : and this is what is called following 

 Nature, whilst both are equally unnatural. — 

 ^^^lat is ^vauted for vegetation in general, is an 

 immunity from excessive humidity, as well as 

 from fitfal drouth. I am quite of opinion that 

 no invention will ever excel, for simplicitj-.and 

 elSciency. a cemented brick trench, with the 

 bottom jjipe resting on it. and a permanent 

 source of water in a cistern overhead, ^vith a 

 tap to run into the trench. The bottom, or re- 

 turn pipe, is seldom more than from 90= to 110'= 

 in most hot-water apparatus, and this imbedded 

 in -vvater, or partially so. ^^■ill produce humidity 

 sufficient for any orchidaceous or other hot-house. 

 Houses supplied in this w&y possess an atmo- 

 sphere exactly resembling a genial evening in 

 May, and the only hygrometer \vanted to prove 

 this is the nose of a tliorough practical man. In 

 addition tn this, I am of opinion that there should 

 be apertt&es in the front wall, open night and 

 day. and capable of graduation; this was long 

 since recommended by the late Mr. Knight By 

 means of these the air will be in constant circu- 

 lation, preventing stagnation on the one hand, 

 and preser4-ing a due proportion of the constitu- 

 ent and vi\-if\-ing gases of the natural atmo- 

 sphere on the otlier. Red-spider and such like 

 pests wiU be seldom seen in such structures, 

 pro\-ided a clever sy.^tem of potting (founded on 

 tlie permeability of the soil to the atmosphere, 

 by means of thorough drainage, and the free use 

 of undecomposed turf, with its native texture.) 

 be conjoined with it These from wall aper- 

 tures, or ventilators, should enter iust over the 

 piping, if possible : the effect of which would 

 be to carry the artificially moistened atmosphere 

 tlirongh the whole body of the house. By the 

 flange or other mode (in which sudden deluges 

 of pipmg hot steam is produced) tlie furious 

 steam is carried immediately to the roof of the 

 house, where, of course, it is condensed, and 

 descends in drip ; and the greater the difference 

 betvveen the outer and inner atmospheres the 

 greater is the amount of drip, and consequentiv 

 the greater is the drj-ness of tlie atmosphere be- 

 low, especially if die fitful cause of steam be- 

 come suddenly short of supply. Althonsh I ad- 

 vocate a constant source of pure air from the 

 front, I would have the glass roof if possible, as 

 close as a Ward's Case : and now diat the duty 

 is to be removed from glass. I make no doubt 

 we shall soon be enabled'to bid defiance to both 

 leakage and hailstones. Of course. I would 

 have ample ventilators at the back, to be used 

 in cases of necessity : these, however, in sener- 

 al are mere wasters" of heat and moisture. "Ver\ 

 different is the office of the front apertures. 



[R. Errinston. 



Grafting the Chestnut on the Oak.— 

 In the department of Correze. an oak. engraft- 

 ed eidit years ago with the che.stuut. has" pro- 

 duced at length chestnuts of a good quahtv. 



