UPPER INDIA. 79 



think he said, eight inches deep. I have not his book by me to 

 refer to, but am nearly sure eight inches is what he says. 

 The plants that did come up grew very well, but their tops 

 were killed by frost in December. The tubers, when dug up, 

 though numerous, were small, growth having of course ceased 

 when the tops were killed by frost. The reasons of partial 

 failure are clear : too deep planting of the sets, and want of 

 protection from frost. 



In repeating this experiment I should plant the potato-sets 

 only six inches in the ground, and to save the plants from 

 frost, should have a good number of castor-oil or other quick- 

 growing plants sown on the land to check radiation of heat 

 from the soil at night, or prepare land somewhat shaded. 

 We are too apt in India to follow in gardening the directions 

 of English gardeners, and expose plants as much to the sun 

 as possible. Nearly all the vegetables and plants from tem- 

 perate climates succeed best in India when partially shaded. 

 By planting a few trees in gardens every vegetable can be 

 shaded for an hour or two every day, which is all that is 

 required in the cold weather. 



To return to my experiments : the rains ceased about the 

 20th September. About the end of January (I cannot speak 

 to dates here, not having my journal with me), the rain from 

 20th September to that time being only four-tenths of an 

 inch, I took some soil from the potato plot from eight inches 

 below the surface. I weighed out several seers of the soil and 

 placed them separately exposed to the sun. The thermometer 

 in the sun, when I exposed the earth, stood at 103 Fahren- 

 heit. The several parcels of soil were exposed for two hours ; 

 at the end of that time the thermometer stood at 75, the day 

 being cloudy. I then weighed the several parcels of soil, and 

 in each there was a loss of upwards of two chittacks. There 

 are sixteen chittacks to the seer, so the loss was more than 



