CULTURE OF THE POTATO. 31 



ing, and conveying to the great store-heap, com- 

 mences ; a primitive occupation and community of 

 labour, that I believe no other article admits of or 

 affords. 



It has been said that the culture of the potato is 

 injurious to the farm in general, and I know land- 

 lords who restrict the growth of it ; but, perhaps, 

 the extent of injury has been greatly overrated. 

 The potato, it is true, makes no return to the land 

 in straw for manure, and a large portion of that 

 which is made in the barton is occasionally required 

 for its cultivation ; and thus it is said to consume 

 without any repayment what is equally due to 

 other crops : but the cultivation of this tuber re- 

 quires that the soil should be moved and turned 

 repeatedly ; it is generally twice at least ploughed, 

 trenched by the spade for sets^ and hacked when 

 the plant is above ground, then hoed into ridges, 

 and finally, the whole turned over again when the 

 crop is got out : thus is the soil six times turned 

 and exposed to the sun and air; and it is kept 

 perfectly free from weeds of all kinds both of 

 which circumstances are essentially beneficially to 

 the soil. If the potato must have manure, it doe 

 not exhaust all the virtues of it, as the crop which 

 succeeds it, be it wheat or barley, sufficiently ma- 

 nifests : there are, besides, exertions made by the 

 renter to obtain this profitable crop, that greatly 

 improve the farm, and which a less promising one 

 would not always stimulate him to attempt he 

 will cut up his ditch banks, collect the waste soil of 



