850 



PRACTICE OF AGRICULTURE. 



Part III. 



5331. The culture of potatoes in the district of Kintyre is thus given by an intelligent writer in the 

 Transactions of the Highland Society. 



5332. The land is e^enerally ploughed as early in spring as possible, and that at least twice. In cases 

 where the two plougnings do not sufficiently pulverise the ground, it receives a third, and after every 

 ploughing is well harrowed. The greatest attention ought always to be given to these preparatory 

 operations. 



5333. The ground being now prepared , and the season for planting arrived, drills are made for receiving 

 the seed with the common plough ; these are drawn about two feet asunder, and three inches in depth. 

 The first seven of them are all drawn from one end of the field, the plough returning out of work from the 

 other end, in order to afford time and room for the operation of putting in the seed, and also the dung, 

 where this last operation is rendered necessary. By the time the ploughman has drawn three of these 

 shallow drills or furrows, the persons in charge of the seed begin to plant the first of them, laying each 

 plant at a distance of from nine to ten inches ; these are followed by others who put the dung on the top 

 of it, in the case already mentioned, where the manure is to be put into the drill. The ploughman, having 

 completed seven of these drills, may now proceed to return, by ploughing to the depth of seven inches 

 between the first and second drills, so as to cover the seed in the first. He then opens another of the 

 shallow drills of three inches, at the distance of two feet, as before mentioned, from the last which he had 

 made, being the seventh ; and returning back, he makes another of the seven inch deep furrows between 

 the second and third rows of seed, whicli covers the second : returning, he opens another seed-drill; and 

 back again a deep one, between the third and fourth rows of seed, which covers the third row; and so on 

 from each end of the field. In this manner the drilling and planting will proceed, without any interrup- 

 tion or interference the one with the otlicr, the plough having at first attained a sufficient distance from 

 the planters to have always a drill open before they can overtake it. The great advantage of placing the 

 seed so much nearer the surface than the deeper furrow alongside of it is, that it is more effectually pre- 

 served from the bad effects of wet or damp, consequently less liable to be injured by frost, and it springs 

 sooner. 



5334. In this state the field is allowed to remain from a fortnight to three weeks, when it is cross harrowed 

 to a perfect level. Afterwards, as soon as the drills can be distinguished by the potatoes shooting above 

 the ground, the plough is again applied, and the drills are formed as before ; but in doing so, the plough is 

 taken as close as possible to the plant upon both sides ; on one side the plough is lightly put in, but on the 

 other it is inserted as deep as possible, throwing the soil over on its neighbouring row of seed, filling up 

 the vacuum which the plough had previously left at it, and forming at the same time a ridge, as it was 

 originally, on the top of the plant. What is thus ploughed in the forenoon is cross harrowed com- 

 pletely level during the same afternoon. The great advantage which I apprehend to be derived from this 

 process is the loosening of the soil, destroying the weeds, and the saving of hand-hoeing. I am satisfied, 

 from my own particular experience and observation, that this mode of treating the young growth of 

 the potato is far preferable to any other I have seen practised, either here or elsewhere, however forbid- 

 ding the rough usage thus given to the young plant may appear to one inexperienced in this particular 

 mode of cultivating it 



5SS5. As soon as the weeds begin to appear, the plough is again introduced, which, in the idiom of 

 this country, is called " taking from the potatoes," which is done by running pretty close to the plant on 

 both sides, so that a slight ridge is thrown up between the line of plants ; and in this situation they remain 

 for eight days, when the plant is " put to " by again applying the plough between the rows, and separating 

 the earth composing the middle ridge above mentioned, towards the plant on each side, but without cover- 

 ing it. After this, the process of " putting to" of earth is continued as the plant grows, and takes place 

 at least twice, until the stems are so high that a single horse going among them may seriously injure 

 them. The " putting to" will now be understood as a deeper insertion of the plough in the middle of 

 the drill. The whole of the labour of jiloughing, drilling, "taking from," and "putting to" the potatoes, 

 as above described, is performed with the common plough." {Highl. Soc. Trans, vol. viii. p. 68.) 



5336. The field culture of the potato in Argyleshire is thus given by an experienced cultivator in the 

 Gardener's Magazine. The manure is sometimes applied to the field during winter and ploughed in, or 

 it is by the better economists reserved till the field is drilled for planting. When the first plan is adopted, 

 another ploughing is given across the field, which is then planted, the plough going one bout along the fur- 

 row of which the set is placed, and then covered by the return of the plough. The best way is to prepare 

 the field in the same way as for turnips, and place the dung in the drill, and the set on it (fig. 749. a), and 



.Q then cover them up by clearing down the ridgelet, and 



/*y ,*v /T e^ forming others (6) : a fortnight or so afterwards, the 



whole field is harrowed across (c). As soon as the 

 plants have so f.ir sprouted as that the drill can safely 

 be traced from end to end (rf), then the whole field is 

 drilled again, as at first, with a very strong furrow [e), 

 and then the harrows are set immediately to work after 

 the plough has finished drilling, and the field is levelled 

 again (/), Any one that is unacquainted with the 

 system would suppose the crop ruined, but it is far 

 otherwise. The after-culture is no way different from 

 the common practice of paring away the earth, drill 

 harrowing, and earthing up, as in other countries. It 

 is advisable only to pare or earth, as the case may be, 

 one side of the drill at each turn; as, by this means, 

 the operations are sooner performed at the time, the 

 earth can be more frequently stirred, and at the same 

 expense. The charm of this system consists in the 

 additional drilling up and harrowing down ; by this 

 harrowing, all the larger clods are thrown to the fur- 

 row, where they are fully pulverised by the drill 

 harrow and after culture, and all the weeds are so 

 effectually drawn from between the plants that there 

 is no use of hand-hoeing. The expense may be cal- 

 culated at less than a third of hand-hoeing, from the 

 effect and expedition ; of course, dry weather is the 

 time for the second drilling and cross harrowing to be 

 performed. {Gard. Mag. vol. ii. p. 316.) 



5337. Pinching off the whole of the potato blossoms is a part of after-culture not unworthy the attention 

 of the farmer. This may at first sight appear too minute a matter to enter into the economy of farm 

 management. But when it is considered that the seed is the essential part of every plant, and that to 

 which the ultimate efforts of nature are always directed, it will be allowed that an important part of the 

 nourishment of every vegetable must be devoted to this purpose. In the case of the potato, every person 

 knows that the weight of the potato-apples, grown by a single plant, is very considerable. Now we have 

 seen (5304.) that apples may be produced instead of tubers in early potatoes ; whence it may justly be in- 

 ferred, that more tubers may be produced in late ones by preventing the growth of the apples. Such was 

 the reasoning of Knight ; and, by repeatedly making the experiment, he came to this conclusion, that in 

 ordinary cases of field culture, by pinching off the blossoms of late crops of potatoes, more than one ton 



