322 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



Li> 0. u 



regulated. But experience tind facts also demon- 

 strate, that when the foliage is rendered too mas- 

 sive, and the slems become too liigh. and there- 

 fore unable to support the weight of a luxuriantly 

 rank herbage, the tubers, though large in size, 

 numerous, and weighty, are poor in quality, defi- 

 cient of aaiylum, and Irequently hollow. A me.- 

 d'mm g-TOw/A, wherem the balance ol" strength is 

 supported betvveen the stem and leaves, is the re- 

 sult of a well prepared and healthy soil, recipro- 

 cating with the stimulus ol' the sun's rays, and 

 the decomposing agencies of atmospheric air, and 

 of water. Such a soil will yield sound tubers, be 

 it sandy, light, and easily pulverizable, or unctu- 

 ous and adhesive. And on these grounds, quality, 

 firmness ol texture, and mealiness, ought to be 

 the standard, rather than weight of tuber. Thus, 

 in the west, we find the return from the seed 

 sown in the sands, however sound and excellent it 

 may be, is still little more than half what may be, 

 and is produced in the rich loams of Berkshire. In 

 the latter, I have been told of 700 bushels, of 60 lb. 

 each, from the statute acre; whereas I have seen lit- 

 tle more than from half tothree-fourthsof abushel, 

 digged up from the rod or perch, in the grey sands 

 of Wilts, which is in the proportion of little more 

 than 100 bushels per acre. Mr. Knight has cal- 

 culated that 1000 bushels, imperial measure, each 

 weighing SO lb., may be produced ; and experi- 

 ment goes iar to shew what can be eti'ected. Ne- 

 vertheless, take one country with another, the 

 utmost average might perhaps be rated at 300 

 bushels of ordinary weight, lijur bushels to the 

 eack. To conclude this view of the old treatment, 

 and its results, it will be only needlul to state, that 

 potatoes of the smallest medium size, were cut 

 into sets, each containing from one to three eyes — 

 the rose, or crown ends, being frequently rejected ; 

 the sets were then suffered to become dry under a 

 ehed ; the starch setting and coating the wounded 

 surfaces, and the texture becoming soft and flaccid, 

 in consequence of the emptying of the cellular tis- 

 sue by evaporation. Could robust growth, or large 

 healthy produce, be reasonably expected to result 

 from treatment so diametrically opposite to sound 

 philosophy'? /)tsease, however, is not now con- 

 templated — that, perhaps, was purely local and 

 epidemic ; but it were as rational to expect vigor 

 and strength by the operation of agents purely 

 debilitating, as to hope for great bulk and prolifi- 

 city, from mangled fragments of tubers, rendered 

 inert by exhaustion. 



My correspondence with Mr. Knight, upon the 

 subject of potato-culure, commenced in 1831. A 

 letter dated 4lh February of that year, is now be- 

 fore me, and from it I extract the following con- 

 nected partici'ilars entire. These, I imagine, will 

 now prove a source of valuble information to 

 others, as they did to me, at the time when 1 de- 

 rived the first correct knowledge of that improved 

 culture, which must finally, if it be duly appre- 

 ciated, supersede the old and faulty routine. 



"I obtained," said Mr. Knight, "from the ash- 

 leaved kidney, last season (a bed one), a produce 

 equal to 670 bushels, of 80 lb. each, per statute 

 acre ; and I entertain no doubt of having as many 

 this year. To obtain these vast crops of the ash- 

 leaved liidncy, I always plant them iDitole, select- 

 ing the largest I cp.n raise, and from very early 

 crops: those ripened early in the preceding sum- 

 mer are kept dry. I usually plant them upon their 



ends, to stand with the crown end upwards, and 

 place them at lour inches distance from centre to 

 centre in the rov/s, and the rows tvi?o feel apart, 

 and always pointing from north to south. I plant 

 my large potatoes much in the Er".ir.e way, but with 

 wide intervals, according to the height which the 

 stems acquire. 



"Thus I plant 'Lankman's' potato" (a noted 

 variety, then, I believe, the subject ofexperiment), 

 "which grows a yard high, at six inches distance 

 from centre to centre, and three fee.t six inches, or 

 four feet between the rows; never cutting any 

 potato, nor planting one of less weight tlian a 

 quarter, h'ci ^emrdWy half a pound. By using such 

 large sets, 1 get very strong, and large plants, with 

 widely extended roots, early in the summer ; and 

 I begin working, as it were, v/:th ?>. four-horse, 

 instead of a one-horse power. ( do not despair of 

 getting 800 bushels of pototoes from an acre of 

 ground, if I live long enough to see the produce 

 of some new varieties, which I have formed, and 

 which are of very vigorous growth, whilst they 

 do not expend any thing in blossoms. The blos- 

 soms take aivay a good deal of sap, which may be 

 better employed in forming potatoes ; and when- 

 ever a potato affords seeds freely 1 think it almost 

 an insuperable objection to it. As a general rule, 

 I think potatoes ought to be planted in rows distant 

 from each other in proportion to the height of the 

 stems ; the height of the stems being lull three 

 feet, the rows ought to be four feet apr.rl, and the 

 sets ftubers) of the very largest varieties planted 

 whole, never to be more distant from centre to 

 centre than six inches. By such mods of planting, 

 the greatest quantity of leaf (the organ In which 

 alone the vital nutritive fluid is made) is exposed 

 to the light. I have this year obtained many seeds 

 of the ash-leaved kidney potato, crossed with 

 another early variety, from whicli I expect some 

 valuable early varietie::, though I scarcely hope to 

 get any thing preferable to the ash-leaved, if that 

 would not wear oi/i." 



The foregoing passage may, I conceive, be 

 regarded as a compendium of philosophical culture. 

 The extract which follows, is from a letter dated 

 5ih July in the same year ; it contains interesting 

 observations on the means to accelerate or retard 

 a crop of potatoes. Speaking of the earliest va- 

 riety, Mr. Knight observed— "I'he tubers which 

 have ripened early in one season, are alQiie proper 

 to plant fbr a very early crop ; those which have 

 ripened late, being not sufficiently excitable, though 

 more eligible fbr a late, or rather a moderately 

 early crop, the produce cf which wiH be proper to 

 plant for a very early crop. Ey attending to these 

 circumstances, and by planting tubers large 

 enough, and near enough in the row, with proper 

 intervals between, according to the height to be 

 attained by the stems, 3'ou will be able to obtain 

 much larger crops per acre, than are usually ob- 

 tained." 



As respects the age or condition of seed-tubers, 

 Mr. Knight says — "Potatoes somewht immature, 

 are quite as good for planting in the fbllowi ^g year, 

 as others ; and in some cases, perhaps in many, 

 better: for, a particular dise?.se, formerly well 

 known under the name of 'ci/rZ,' appeared on plants 

 raised from mature tubers, and not from those 

 raised Irom immature tubers." 



During the years 1830-1-2, Mr. Knight had 

 raised, by cross impregnation, a great many vari- 



