KITCHEN-GARDEN PLANTS. CHAP. 



that sheep and horned cattle will live, and even fat, to a 

 certain extent, upon either cabbages, mangel-wurzel, 

 or Swedish turnips $ and, while I know that pigs will 

 live and thrive upon either of these articles, neither of 

 which, weight for weight, demand half the expense that 

 the potatoes demand. As a mere vegetable, or sauce, as 

 the country people call it, it does very well to qualify 

 the effects of fat meat, or to assist in the swallowing of 

 quantities of butter. There appears to be nothing un- 

 wholesome about it, and, when the sort is good, it is pre- 

 ferred by many people to some other vegetables of the 

 coarser kind j and though I never eat of it myself, find- 

 ing so many other things far preferable to it, I think it 

 right to give directions for the cultivation of the plant 

 upon a scale suitable to a gentleman's garden. There 

 are an infinite variety of sorts. The skin of some of 

 which is red, that of others of a whitish yellow 

 colour: the first are denominated red potatoes, and the 

 latter white. The red potatoes are of the coarser 

 kinds, as are also several of the white. Those who 

 plant these things in gardens and for their own use, will 

 not plant the coarse ones. I shall speak of only three 

 sorts. First, of a little round white potatoe, which comes 

 very early, or rather, is but a very short time in coming 

 to perfection. The second sort are called ladies-fingers, 

 being long and about an inch through when in their 

 usual full size, and these also are white. The other sort 

 are called kidney -potatoes, which grow to a pretty large 

 size, are flat, and very much in the shape of a kidney. 

 This is the sort which is planted for the main crop to be 

 preserved during the winter. They have generally a 

 small pan, at one end of them of a reddish purple colour, 



