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THE MAGAZINE OF HORTICULTURE. 



tops of the ridges and covered an inch or more deep. Their 

 growth is not facilitated by starting them in heat but rather re- 

 tarded, and the best results have been attained by planting them 

 directly into the ridges. They should be allowed to grow 

 till late in the autumn, and then dug and stored like pota- 

 toes. From calculations made by M. Decaisne from the pro- 

 duct of a small piece of ground, he believes the crop will be 

 much larger than that of the potato, perhaps double, though 

 on this point he does not venture to state with certainty from 

 his limited experiments. It is his opinion that only the upper 

 half of the root should be used for planting, and the bottom 

 or thick part retained for food. 



Mr. Henderson describes the 

 Chinese mode of growing the 

 Dioscorea, and also his own 

 way of cultivating it as follows : 

 The manner in which the 

 Chinese cultivate it is extremely 

 simple. The earth is first 

 formed into ridges, when small 

 tubers, or portions of large ones, 

 are planted on the top, at about 

 three feet apart ; after the plants 

 have attained a little strength, 

 the shoots are spread over the 

 sides of the ridges and pegged 

 down at the leaf end, six or 

 eight inches from each other, 

 (care being taken to cover the joints or parts pegged down 

 with a portion of earth,) when they soon strike root and 

 throw out tubers ; by this means, immense quantities of roots, 

 of the size of early-framed kidney potatoes, are raised on a 

 comparatively small piece of ground. 



The above is the ordinary Chinese mode of culture ; but to 

 obtain them of a large size, small tubers, or portions, are 

 planted on ridges, at ten inches to one foot apart, and the 

 plants are allowed to grow freely till late in the autumn, when 



PLANTS RAISED FROM CUTTINGS OF 

 THE BRANCHES. 



