608* Retrospective Criticism. 



Shugborough) what pine it was, he was informed that it was a seedling pine 

 raised by Mr. Allen, a former gardener there, and who received from his 

 employer the seed, which had been imported from the West Indies. Now, 

 to convince Mr. C. F. Webster, who seems so very sanguine about the 

 origin of this pine, as Fazeley is but a very few miles from hence, and as 

 several coaches run through that place daily, and pass within a quarter of a 

 mile of Shugborough, I shall be most haf)py to see Mr. C. F. Webster, and 

 to introduce him to Mr. Dermott, who lives only two short miles from this 

 place, whom he will find as respectable and intelligent a man as any in 

 the profession, and who grows the Anson or Otaheite pine in abundance. 

 Mr. Dermott will be happy to give him some other particulars respecting 

 this pine, which I have not here mentioned. I also beg to state, that I 

 saw Mr. Hodson a few days ago, who expressed himself much surprised and 

 indignant at the manner in which Mr. C. F. Webster had written concern- 

 ing that pine. Mr. Hodson assured me that those imported pine plants 

 (which Mr. C. F. Webster chooses to write about) did not fruit while they 

 were under his care at Colton, viz. from 1797 to 1810 : he therefore posi- 

 tively denies ever saying that the pine in question was produced from those 

 imported plants. Now, from what has been said before upon this subject, 

 it is very apparent that this pine has lost the original name (the Anson 

 pine) since 1810, which was the year that Mr. Nicol (then gardener at Shug- 

 borough) left his situation. Ever since Mr. Nicol gave me the information 

 relating to it (as 1 stated in my last letter), I have considered the Otaheite 

 an erroneous name given to that pine, but could not prove that it was so 

 until within these few weeks, when Mr. Dermott gave me so correct a 

 statement, and produced such facts respecting that pine, that there cannot 

 be now a doubt remaining but that it is the Anson pine, and I shall adopt 

 that name in future. I am very sorry to trespass on your time with the 

 present article, but as it may be satisfactory to some of 3'our correspondents, 

 I hope you will give it insertion, and I promise not to trouble you any more 

 upon this subject. I remain, Sir, &c. — W. M'AIurtrie. Shugboronglty 

 August 15. 1829. 



Mr. Knight's Experiments on the Potato. — With reference to Mr. 

 Knight's experiments on the culture of the potato, there is not well-authen- 

 ticated accounts of more than 400 bushels of potatos having been produced 

 per acre, in the ordinary course of farm management in East Lothian. 

 The value of an experiment depends upon the process by which the result 

 has been obtained, and the worth of Mr. Knight's is rendered doubtful, not 

 merely by the want of particulars relating to the extent of surface from 

 which the result was attained, but by circumstances which he has mentioned 

 connected with the experiment. Could not a spot have been found un- 

 damaged by " rabbits" and " pheasants," and how was the allowance of 2 lb. 

 of earth in every bushel ascertained ? Mr. Knight's personal character may 

 probably stamp a value on the experiment, but if he did not superintend 

 every operation connected with it, the character of others must be taken 

 into account, and the assumption of 2 lb. as the weight of earth adiiering to 

 each bushel of potatoes is so unphilosophical a step, as to throw discredit 

 on the whole experiment. Mr. Knight's mode of culture scarcely dif- 

 fers from that adopted by the late Mr. Curwen of Workington, in 1816", 

 whose produce in that year, over an extent of 41i acres, was stated in the 

 Farmers' Journal, by Mr. Sibson, to average 498 bushels; but Mr. Curwen's, 

 like that which is the subject of remark, does not seem to have been accu- 

 rately ascertained. Viewing such crops as partaking of the marvellous, yet, 

 in this respect, they yield to one obtained by Mr. Prentice, Covington 

 Mains, Lanarkshire, from newly reclaimed moss, which amounted to 591 

 bushels An East Lothian Correspondent. Aug. 1829. 



