24 



young plant grows at the dstance of eight or ten inches from any 

 other. 



2. That in autumn, or as soon as the vines, or stems of the 

 plants die, and the young potatoes are dug up, those of each plant 

 are to be saved by themselves; and it will be easy to put each 

 sort in a separate paper bag. These potatoes will be very small, 

 perhaps from the size of a pigeon's down to that of a sparrow's 



3. In the ensuing spring, the potatoes of each sort, that is, 

 the potatoes in each bag, must be planted by themselves; and if 

 not in distinct rows, then stakes, driven into the ground, should 

 mark the divisions of the several sorts in the same row, leaving a 

 space of about two feet between one sort and another, to guard 

 against any mixture. 



4. In the time for harvesting them in the second year, the po- 

 tatoes, if grown in a good soil, will be large enough to be boiled, 

 to ascertain their qualities. Each sort must be tried by itself. 

 Such as are watery, or ill-flavoured, may be at once thrown 

 aside, for the use of live-stock. Every other sort, so valuable as 

 to be thought worth cultivating, must be kept unmixed, by put- 

 ting each kind into a separate bag, box or cask. And such of 

 these as the Experimenter thinks may fairly entitle him to a pre- 

 mium, he will bring a sample of — not less than half a peck of 

 each sort — to the place of pubUc exhibition. 



ICJ^ Some farmers may think the exactness above proposed 

 and required to be unnecessary. But let such recollect, that 

 these experiments are proposed, not to gratify curiosity, but to 

 obtain several sorts of potatoes of superior excellence, to be im- 

 parted from farmer to farmer, throughout the county; of whom 

 some may prefer one improved sort, some another, for their oAvn 

 tables, and to supply their customers in the market towns, who 

 may have like preferences. Such exactness in keeping the pro- 

 ducts from each original plant is the more necessary, because 

 they may possess very different quahties from the products of 

 other plants, which may have the same appearance in size, shape 

 and colour. 



