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LXXV. ON THE CULTURE OF THE POTATOE. 



[Read before the HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, March 19 th, 1833.] 



I HAVE so often addressed communications to this Society upon the 

 culture of the potatoe, that many of its members may hot improbably 

 think that more than a sufficient extent of the pages of our Transactions 

 have been already devoted to that subject. It would certainly not be 

 difficult to find one more entertaining ; but if the farmer can be made to 

 derive such information from our Transactions as will enable him to cause 

 the same space of ground which now affords one bushel of potatoes to 

 afford two, and the peasant to cause the half acre which now supplies 

 his table with potatoes to afford him in addition a considerable weight of 

 animal food, few subjects can be more important ; and therefore, con- 

 ceiving myself to be prepared to communicate some further useful infor- 

 mation, I venture to address another communication upon the same 

 subject. 



The fact that every variety of potatoe when it has been long propagated 

 from parts of its tuberous roots becomes less productive, is, I believe, 

 unquestionable. 1 have often witnessed the progressive decay of vigour, 

 and the different effects of the influence of age, upon many different 

 varieties. The quality of some has remained perfectly good, after the 

 produce in quantity has become highly defective ; whilst in others that 

 has disappeared with the vigour of the plant. I brought to this place a 

 single tuber of Lankman's potatoe soon after that was imported : the 

 produce of that variety was then, and continued during some successive 

 years, very great ; but its vigour was gradually diminished ; and in the last 

 year its produce was at least one third (more than seven tons per acre) 

 less than I obtained from the same soil, and under in every respect the 

 same management, from other varieties of nearly similar habits, but 

 which had recently sprung from seed. The propagation of expended 

 varieties, therefore, appears to me to be one of the causes why the 

 crops of potatoes generally have been found so much less than those 

 which I have stated to have been produced here. I have received letters 

 within a few months from persons in different parts of the kingdom, 

 informing me that they have been unable to obtain by any mode of 

 culture above two hundred and fifty or three hundred bushels of potatoes 

 from an acre of good and well-manured ground. I have in answer desired 

 to know the age of the varieties cultivated ; but upon that point I have 

 uniformly found my correspondents totally uninformed ; communicating 



