180 THE MANSE GARDEN. 



pretty certain a remedy may be found in saving for 

 seed a portion of the previous crop before it has come 

 to maturity. For this purpose, either plant late, or 

 take up as soon as the leaves turn yellow at least a 

 fortnight before that ripeness in which the tubers fall 

 easily from the stalks, or, which is better, procure 

 potatoes for seed from a high district, where perfect 

 ripening is incompatible with the climate. Exhaus- 

 tion of the vegetative powers is the probable cause 

 of curl; hence the advantage of premature gathering, 

 and the propriety of cutting off the flowers before 

 the seed-berries begin to form the ripening of which 

 goes far to diminish the strength of the root. It is 

 supposed, and not without good reason, that every 

 variety of the potato propagated by cuttings, as well 

 as every species of fruit trees not indigenous and 

 renewed by engrafting, have only a certain age to 

 which they can attain; hence no favourite sort con- 

 tinues long to flourish, and hence new varieties must 

 be sought by sowing the seed. 



But a more recent evil, and fur more ruinous, being 

 already of considerable extent and still progressive, 

 is the perishing of the seed or sets before springing 

 up. This prevails both in Britain and Ireland, as 

 well as in the smaller islands along the coasts ; and 

 though only of a few years' duration, yet as the 

 malady has been met by seasons differing from one 

 another in dryness and moisture, heat and cold, it 

 becomes more alarming, as it goes on notwithstand- 

 ing such variations and is gaining ground from year 

 to year. 



The first thing the mind does in such a case is to 

 seek out the cause of the disease, in order thence to 

 deduce the cure. But the multitude of causes which 



