1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



323 



eties. fourteen or fifteen of which he sent to me, 

 as specimen? : they all possessed the characteristic 

 mark of excellence, which it was the object of the 

 orjfjinator to attain — (hat o( developing no perfect 

 flowers; the flower-stalk would rise with its germs 

 of b!os.-om, but Ihese would suddenly become 

 yellow, and fall off, without expandinir, conse- 

 quently the plant had all its energies devoted to 

 the subterraneati expansions. Of the enormous 

 yield of several of'lhese varieties, I hold by me the 

 written prools. One which was numbered 4, Mr. 

 Kniffht states to have produced 23 cwt. 1 qr. 761b. 

 per acre ! 



V/ith these, and other flicfs before me, it was 

 natural that a course of experiments should be 

 immediately instituted ; and these have been per- 

 sisted in. with some modifications to the present 

 day. J\ly practice, therefore, differs from that of 

 every ordinary cultivator, and its results, which 

 will now be stated, cannot be reckoned unsatislhc- 

 tory. I have not, however, adhered rigidly to the 

 system of Mr. Knight, in planting entire tubers, 

 because it sometimes required more seed-stock 

 ttian could at all times be conveniently spared. 

 Bat there are cases which require certain modes 

 of practice, and these ought to be clearly under- 

 stood by those who cultivate several varieties. A 

 few lines will render this sufficiently clear. 



Every county has its own peculiar favorites ; 

 and local names are applied, which make it diffi- 

 cult to identify varieties. All persons, in England 

 at least, appear to understand and appreciate the 

 (]ualiiies of the early ash-leaved kidney potato, and 

 therefoi,e I assume it as a standard tor the treat- 

 ment of varieties intended for the earliest summer 

 sup[)ly of the table, rejectiiiij as irrelevant to the 

 present inquiry, any reference to artificial excite- 

 ment, either by frames and glasses, or by vvarra 

 beds of lernienting materials. 



The growth of every plant must imply (he pro- 

 duction of heat, and of this heat there are ample 

 sources to be found in the decomposition of water, 

 and vegetable or animal matter in the cround, by 

 the agency of that enormous volume of the elec- 

 tric elementary fluid, which holds the constituents 

 of tiiose substances in a state of natural union. 

 In plantiniT the ash-leaved kidney, it is my prac- 

 tice to provide for early developement, and ample 

 security li'om sprino; frost, by digsjing trenches six 

 or eight inches deep, and nearly a foot wide, 

 throwing the earth in the form of a ridge on either 

 side of the trenches. Into the soil, at the bottom 

 of each trench, three or four inches of half decom- 

 posed stable manure, with leaves, used for lininirs, 

 are digged, and then a little lightearth, if required, 

 is raked in, sufficient to leave the surface, when 

 settled, about four inches below the level of the 

 ground. The ash-leaved potato has very ihw 

 eyes, therefore it is desirable never to cut it into 

 sets ; the potato is pressed info the soil, uprio-ht, 

 the eyes being uppermost, and the potatoes stand- 

 ing five inches asunder, according to the directions 

 by Mr. Ivnight. Earth from the ridges is drawn 

 over the crowns, to the depth of an inch, and oc- 

 casionally half an inch of sif ed ashes, or of light 

 linings' manure is superposed, thus making the 

 first covering an inch and a half deep. 



It is the usual method to place the | otatoes, or 

 sets, four or five inches below the surfiice of level 

 beds, and when the shoots appear, to draw earth to 

 the stems. But by the irench-planting, which 



may be performed in March, or even earlier, the 

 crowns and advancing buds are quite sufficiently 

 protected from the li;osi, unless it happen to be of 

 very severe character, and then an inch cr two of 

 light litter may be laid in the trenches. The 

 great mischef, however, wiiich befals the earliest 

 plots, is occasioned by iiosts in May. Now, the 

 trenches afford protection to the tubers, while un- 

 c'er ground, and as soon as the shoots are seen 

 above the surface, fine earth is raked or hoed 

 from the ridges, so as to cover the first develope- 

 ments. As the shoots advance again, more earth 

 is drawn down, till at length, the trenches being 

 filled, the level of the surliice is again produced, 

 and with it a sufficient and ample depth ef earth 

 is afforded to the tubers, and their fibrous pro- 

 cesses. All then that remains to be done, is to dig 

 the ground between the rows, to the depth of three 

 inches, sufficiently to give freedom, and openness 

 of texture. I am averse from ridging and earth- 

 ing-up, as I can see no utility in it, and never once 

 found an additional potato from its adoption. I 

 have seen whole ranks of potatoes blackened by 

 the frost of an hour or two ; and even in the pre- 

 sent season, have been told that great destruction 

 was produced by the frost of the 16th of May. 

 My thermometers gave proofs of at least six de- 

 grees, but the potatoes remained safe ; and if any 

 persons be inclined to cavil against the practice re- 

 commended, I can only, in self-defence observe, 

 that fmst has never hurt me ;— my potatoes have 

 lost no shoots, have run their course uninterrupt- 

 edly, and have evinced neither failure nor disease. 



In 1836. March 16 to 19.— Four rows were 

 planted, in trenches between single asparagus 

 rows, and about eight feet asunder ; they yielded 

 72;\ lb., from 12| lb. of seed-tubers. 



fn 1837. March 3 to 7.— Twelve pounds were 

 set in a single trench, twenty-four yards long — 

 abreast, and lour feet in advance of a wall, with an 

 aspect soul h by east. From this row were digged 

 721b., of excellent flavor. In planting this variety, 1 

 have never been very particular as to the direction 

 of the rows, but have placed them widely asunder. 

 The yield has rarely exceeded six times the weight 

 of the seed. There are so few eyes in this potato, 

 that extensive herbaire cannot be expected. In- 

 deed, on some occasions, blard<s were observed; yet 

 a progeny of potatoes was lound to have been pro- 

 duceti^ without tlie protrusion of any superficial 

 herbage. It is, however, of great moment to pro- 

 tect the foliage from frost, as soon as it becomes 

 visible, because a shoot lost cannot so readily be 

 re-supplied, as it is by other varieties, prolific in 

 eyes. I am aware that I have trespassed consid- 

 erably upon the lime of the reader, on a subject 

 nof strictly connected with the farm; yet it ap- 

 peared essential not to overlook the garden varie- 

 ties, in an article which is designed to furnish a 

 standard of comparison. I pass, however, to the 

 store varieties, without further remark. 



fVinter potatoes.— Such are ail that are not 

 digged for use till after JMichaelmas, and of these 

 every county, nay almost every parish, has its own 

 peculiar favorite. Some, however, are in prime 

 condition before, and two months subsequent to 

 Christmas, while others ought not to be cooked 

 till April. I lately cultivated a round potato, which 

 bore the title of Cornish rough-red. It was hard 

 as a cricket-ball, and almost as round, and never 

 started an eye till June, while it remained out - 



