Retrospective Criticism^ 



721 



On the Culture of the Potato. By T. A. Knight, Esq. 

 &c. ; as given in the Horticultural Transactions, 

 vol. vii. p. 403. 



■Whatever may have been the amount of the ad- 

 vantages, or injury, which the British empire has 

 sustained by the very widely extended culture of the 

 potato, it is obvious that, under present existing 

 circumstances, it must continue to be very exten- 

 sively cultivated ; for though it is a calamity to have 

 a numerous population who are compelled by poverty 

 to live chiefly upon potatoes, it would certainly be a 

 much greater calamity to have the same population 

 without their having potatoes to eat. 



Under this view of the subject, I have been led to 

 endeavour to ascertain, by a course of experiments, 

 the mode of culture by which the largest and most 

 regular produce of potatoes, and of the best quality, 

 may be obtained from the least extent and value of 

 ground ; and having succeeded best by deviating 

 rather widely from the ordinary rules of culture, I 

 send the following account of the results of my expe- 

 riments. These were made upon different varieties 

 of potatoes; but as the results were in all cases nearly 

 the same, I think that I shall most readily cause the 

 practice I recommend to be understood by describ- 

 ing minutely the treatment of a single variety only, 

 which I received from the Horticultural Society, 

 ander the name of Landman's potato. 



The soil in which I proposed to plant being very 

 shallow, and lying upon a rock, I collected it with a 

 plough into higii ridges of 4 ft. wide, to give it an 

 artificial depth. A deep furrow was then made 

 along the centre and highest part of each ridge : 

 and in the bottom of this, whole potatoes, the lightest 

 of which did not weigh less than 4 oz., were depo. 

 sited, at only 6 in. distance from the centre of one 

 to tlie centre of another. Manure, in the ordinary 

 quantity, was then introduced, and mould was added, 

 sufficient to cover the potatoes rather more deeply 

 tlian is generally done. 



The stems of potatoes, as of other plants, rise per- 

 pendtcularly under tlio influence of their unerring 

 guide, gravitation, so long as they continue to be 

 concealed beneath the soil ; but as soon as they rise 

 above it, they are, to a considerable extent, under 

 the control of another agent, light. Each inclines 

 in whatever direction it receives the greatest quan- 

 tity of that fluid, and consequently each avoids, and 

 appears to shun, the shade of every contiguous plant. 

 The old tubers being large, and under the mode of 

 culture recommended rather deeply buried in the 

 ground, the young plants in the early part of the 

 fummer never suffer from want of moisture ; and 

 being abundantly nourished, they soon extend them, 

 selves in every direction till they meet those of the 

 contiguous rows, which they do not overshadow on 

 account of the width of the intervals. 



The stems being abundantly fed, owing to the 

 size of the old tubers, rise from the ground with 

 great strength and luxuriance, support well their 

 foliage, and a larger breadth of this is thus, I think, 

 exposed to the light during the whole season, than 

 under any other mode of culture which I have seen ; 

 and as the plants acquire a very large size early m 

 the summer, the tubers, of even very late varieties, 

 arrive at a state of perfect maturity early in the 

 autumn. 



Having found my crops of potatoes to be in the 

 last three years, during which alone I have accu- 

 rately adopted the mode of culture above described, 

 much greater than they had ever previously been, as 

 well as of excellent quality, I was led to ascertain 

 the amount in weight which an acre of ground, such 

 as I have described, the soil of which was naturally 

 poor and shallow, would produce. A colony of rati- 

 bits had, however, in the last year, done a good deal 

 of damage, and pheasants had eaten many of the 

 tubers which the rabbits had exposed to view ; but 

 the remaining produce per acre exceeded 53y bushels 

 of 82 lbs. each, 2 lbs. being allowed in every bushel 

 on account of a very small quantity of earth which 

 adhered to them. 



The preceding experiments were made with a 

 iarge and productive variety of potato only ; but I 

 am much inclined to think that 1 have raised, and 



Vol. V. — No. 23. 3 a 



On the Culture of the Potato. By T. A. 

 Knight, Esq. &c. ; as given in the 

 Gardener's ilagazine, vol. v. p. 294. 



" I have been led to endeavour to ascer- 

 tain, by a course of experiments, the 

 mode of culture by which the largest and 

 most regular produce of potatoes, and of 

 the best quality, may be obtained from 

 the least extent and value of ground ; and 

 having succeeded best by deviating rather 

 widely from the ordinary rules of culture, 

 1 send the following account of the results 

 of my experiments." 



The soil was shallow on a rock, it was 

 collected with a plough into high ridges 

 4 ft. wide, and whole potatoes were then 

 planted 6 in. apart, in a deep furrow 

 made along the centre and highest part 

 of each ridge : manure was introduced 

 over the potatoes, and mould was added 

 so as to cover rather deeply. As usual 

 with Mr. Knight's experiments, at least 

 as related in these Transactions, some- 

 thing occurred to render the result less 

 complete than it otherwise would have 

 been. " A colony of rabbits "did a good 

 deal of damage, and " pheasants " had 

 eaten many of the tubers which the rab. 

 bits had exposed to view ; but the re- 

 maining produce per acre exceeded 539 

 bushels of 82 lbs. each, 2 lbs. being allowed 

 in every bushel on account of a very small 

 quantity of earth which adhered to them, 

 s The mode of culture is nearly that 

 which is practised on a large scale by the 

 farmers in Scotland, only they do not 

 generally require to raise the soil on 

 account of its poverty or shallowness, but 

 sometimes they do on account of a wet 

 bottom. When sets are put in every 

 third furrow, the dung is frequently put 

 over them ; when in the furrows of ridge- 

 lets, most frequently under them, but 

 sometimes also over them. Mr. Knight's 

 experiment, therefore, has no claim to 

 novelty ; the produce, however, certainly 

 appears extraordinary, but to us, at least, 

 not so, when we remark the way in which 

 it was ascertained. It does not appear 

 that an acre of ground was planted, and 

 the produce measured, but " having 

 found my crops of potatoes to be in the 

 last three years, during which I alone 

 have accurately adopted the mode of cul- 

 ture above described, much greater than 

 they had ever previously been, as well as 

 of excellent quality, / ivas led to ascer. 

 tain the amount in iveight which an acre 

 of ground, such as I have described, the 

 soil of ivhich was naturally poor and shal- 

 low, would produce." 



Every farmer knows that nothing can 

 be more fallacious than to draw conclu- 

 sions, with reference to acres, from re- 

 suits that have taken place on, perhaps, 

 a few square yards. A good crop of the 

 yam in East Lothian seldom exceeds 4 

 bushels per English acre. Mr. Knight is 

 " much inclined to think that he has 

 raised, and shall raise in the present year, 

 1828, nearly as large a produce per acre 

 of the small early ash-leaved kidney." 

 In a postscript, dated March, 1829, he 

 states " somewhat contrary to my ex- 

 pectations, the produce of the small early 

 potato exceeded very considerably that 

 of the large one above mentioned ; being 

 per acre 665 bushels; of £2 pomids." (See 

 Card. Mag., vol. iv. p. 147.) 



We shall be particularly obliged to 

 Mr. Knight, if he will state, not merely 

 the contents of the surface, but the length 

 and breadth from which the above cal- 

 culation, and that relating to the crop of 

 539 bushels, were made ; also, to a cer. 



