962 THE COMPLETE GRAZIEE. BOOK x. 



for which the American chilled digging ploughs are admirably adapted. 

 Dibbling is done in exactly the same fashion , only with a dibble instead 

 of a spade ; and placing in the furrow, by pushing the potato into the 

 lightly turned over soil in the furrow. In this case the horses have to 

 walk outside the furrow, otherwise they would disturb the sets, and 

 there is a certain amount of difficulty in keeping the sets the same 

 depth in the ground. Besides they do not come up so uniformly, and, 

 therefore, do not admit of hand-hoeing quite so early as under the other 

 methods. 



The planting of the main crop should be quite finished by the end of 

 the third week in April ; after that the plants have not time enough to 

 crop heavily, and the late sorts will not mature soon enough to escape 

 the danger of an early frost ; the planting of earlier varieties should be 

 finished by the end of the first week in that month. Among the very 

 earliest varieties of potato, Myatt's Ashleaf stands conspicuous but 

 Eoyal Jersey Fluke, a greater yielder of inferior quality, is preferred 

 in the Channel Islands, and Duke of York, as well as Ashleaf, is largely 

 used in Cornwall, while Puritan and Epicure are grown extensively 

 in Scotland. It is necessary, of course, that the operations should be 

 such as to ensure the potato getting to an eating condition as early as 

 possible, so that not only may the grower get a share of the fancy 

 prices obtained by the foreigner for his early produce, but that the land 

 may be cleared for the benefit of the second crop. In pursuance of this 

 many growers sprout their potatoes, that is keep them in specially 

 constructed shallow trays during winter, stored out of the reach of frosts, 

 and when planting time comes these sets are carefully placed in the 

 ground, great care being taken not to damage the sprouts. This has the 

 effect of bringing the new potatoes into the market nearly a month 

 earlier than from those treated in the ordinary fashion. With sprouted 

 potatoes, early planting is not so necessary or advisable as with others. 

 These latter are better planted as soon in February as the ground is in a 

 fit state to make good work. As to the best distances at which to plant 

 them, each grower has his own opinion, and the result is' that great 

 latitude is shown, though the most common distance is about a foot apart 

 in rows from 20 to 24 inches apart ; and, where it is intended to dig 

 specially early or when a second crop of green stuff is to be transplanted, 

 to plant them at the same distance in double rows about 6 inches apart, 

 which are all moulded up together. Between these double rows a greater 

 width of from 2| to 3 feet is left for the moulding plough, the exact 

 distance being so regulated that when carting the crop off the horses 

 may walk down one pair of double rows and the wheels follow down the 

 double row on either side off which of course the potatoes have been 

 dug without injuring the green stuff transplanted down the moulding 

 furrow. Among early varieties other than those named above, though 

 not all, strictly speaking, " first-earlies," are Sharp's Victor, one of the 

 earliest, Midlothian Early, Dalmeny Early, Sir John Llewellyn, Sutton's 

 Ninety-fold, and Market Favourite. 



Many new varieties of potatoes have been brought out in recent years, 

 but more in second-early and late types, particularly the latter, than in 

 first-earlies. The most successful second-early is still Findlay's British 



