POTATO 105 



the shaws appear, the ground should be ploughed or dug between, 

 and if there is any fear of frost the shaws should be lightly moulded 

 over. As the growth advances, it must be earthed up, and care must 

 be taken not to earth up too much, for, taking six inches as the best 

 average depth, it may be said that the crop will be diminished in pro- 

 portion to the increase of this depth. It is an urgent reason for early 

 work between the rows that a prosperous crop will soon put a stop to 

 it. The moment- it becomes likely that the shaws will be bruised by 

 traffic between the rows they must be left to finish their course in 

 their own way. The formation of tubers below will be accidents 

 excepted in the ratio of the healthy growth above ground. To 

 damage the green growth is to damage the root growth, just as you 

 might insure the wreck of a ship by cutting a particular rope, or the 

 failure of a horse by depriving him of food. The Potato may be 

 said to be manufactured out of sunshine and alkaline salts. The 

 green leaves constitute the machinery of the manufacture, for which 

 the solar light from above, and the potash, phosphate of lime, 

 phosphate of magnesia, and phosphoric acid from below are the raw 

 materials. 



In the course of cultivating the Potato crop it will probably be 

 noticed that an occasional strange blotch is conspicuous. There 

 will be seen here or there a head of green shaws of a different colour 

 or growth to the rest. When this occurs there are * rogues ' to be 

 dealt with, and there are two ways of dealing with them. The severe 

 and proper way is to dig them out and consign them to the rubbish 

 heap as soon as they discover themselves by their false faces. But 

 a compromise is possible, and in small gardens may be accomplished 

 with advantage. Mark every rogue with a stake, and dig all these 

 first, and take care that they are eaten. The remaining stock will be 

 pure, and to insure this result is really worth some trouble. Those 

 who have been in the habit of saving their own seed will thoroughly 

 appreciate the advice thus offered ; for when the stock shows no 

 disposition to revert to long-lost character, it cannot be supposed that 

 with but a limited space at disposal, both for growing and storing 

 Potatoes, a certain admixture will not sometimes occur. Hence the 

 importance of depending on seed procured from those who, having 

 every facility for the purpose, can and do offer stocks of all the best 

 varieties entirely true to name and free from rogues. 



In common with all other crops, the Potato needs as often as 

 possible a fresh soil, and a renewal of seed from some distant source. 

 The need for a change of soil is made apparent by an analysis of the 



