* 
180 THE 
GARDENERS' 
CHRONICLE. 
[Mar. 21, 
on which seed Potatoes have been raised for some 
years past with great success by Mr. R. SHEPHERD, 
who farms the principal part of the rock, for so the 
place may be called. It is represented as con- 
sisting of thin land, some of which was never till 
lately under cultivation “since the flood,” and 
covered with Heath and Fern, which are destroyed 
by paring and burning. 
Mr. Sueruerp states that when he first rented 
Calf Island, nine years ago, he purchased seed 
Potatoes for planting ; that a great many failures 
occurred among the sets ; thatthe whole were very 
sickly ; and that ultimately he had a very poor crop. 
he next year he procured seed from the mainland, 
but had no better success. In consequence of 
these losses he resolved to raise his own seed, in 
the hope of increasing the vigour of his sets, and he 
adopted the following plan. In the autumn he top- 
dressed a piece of waste land with lime or lime com- 
post, and set it off into beds 6 ft. wide, with 2 ft. paths 
or furrows between them. He placed his Potatoes 
Trish Cups) on the surface of these beds, and 
thinly covered them with the surface earth taken by 
the spade from the paths or furrows between the 
beds. He left them thus through the winter, and 
earthed them up finally with the subsoil of the fur- 
rows as soon as they began to spring up. Mr. 
Sueruerp adds, that the sets which he obtained 
by this means proved of excellent quality ; that he 
has practised the plan ever since with unvarying 
success ; and that farmers now * eagerly" seek for 
his seed, coming over from the mainland in boats to 
procure it. 
In his opinion he has thus restored the Potato crop 
to a more healthy state. And he adds that he finds no 
danger from the frost to which his seed beds of Po- 
tatoes are thus exposed. In the winter of 1839 the 
frost continued so late that there was a scarcity of 
store Potatoes for his own table, so that it became 
necessary to use a pickaxe in order to open the 
ridges in which the Potatoes for consumption had 
been stored. Immersion in cold water for a couple 
of hours before they were cooked was sufficient to 
prevent all evil effects from the action of frost; and 
when, in the month of April, the seed beds were 
dug for planting, not a vestige of a rotten or 
diseased Potato could be found. 
The process thus described is employed merely 
for raising Potatoes to be used for seed. The main 
crop is planted from the seed beds, and when ripe 
is housed in the usual way. 
The seed beds are dug over on the day when the 
main crop is to be planted; and, at the same time, 
other seed beds are immediately (on the very same 
` day if practicable) replanted in the manner above de- 
scribed, so that the seed Potatoes are never allowed 
to remain exposed to the air. 
The theory of this practice is, that on fresh, poor, 
dry, well-drained land, Potatoes acquire a sounder 
constitution than on rich, forcing, highly-manured 
soil; that if such Potatoes are dug in the autumn, 
pitted during the winter, and replanted in the spring, 
their constitution will be again impaired, inasmuch 
as the Potato suffers by exposure to air, by fer- 
mentation, and other causes at work in the pits ; 
and that therefore, if the soundness of constitution 
is to be retained and increased, the Potatoes which 
are intended for seed should never be taken from 
the ground till the moment when they are wanted 
for planting. 
To this reasoning no objection appears to exist. 
On the contrary, it has been upon such grounds as 
those which seem to have influenced Mr. Saep- 
EERD in contriving his seed beds, that autumn 
planting has been advocated. For it was believed 
that any danger to which the Potato might possibly 
be exposed in the open ground, was far less than 
that which must necessarily be incurred in pits. 
r. SHEPHERD, however, urges with much force 
that having separate seed beds, from which to plant 
in the spring, is better than autumn planting, on the 
following account, Autumn-planted Potatoes do 
not “ come” regularly, because worms and insects 
mutilate the sets during the winter months ; but if 
the seed Potatoes remain in their beds till they are 
wanted in spring, it is easy to reject all that may 
prove to be diseased or injured ; and the grower can 
then caleulate with certainty upon an even crop. In 
this opinion we fully concur. 
The result of the crops raised from Mr. Sur»- 
HERD'S Potatoes, in 1845, has been extremely ad- 
vantageous. On Calf Island Mr. Suzruzrp had 
n0 disease among the Potatoes planted immediately 
from the seed beds ; but it eventually showed itself 
to a limited extent among some headlands planted 
from stored Potatoes in March, without the pickle 
to be mentioned presently. 
But although Mr. SuzPnenp's own Potatoes in 
Calf Island were thus safe, and also those of one of 
the lighthouse-keepers who obtained seed from him, 
yet the three other lighthouse-keepers, who treated 
their sets in the ordinary way, lost nearly the whole 
of their crops. 
mairland disease has showed itself in all the fields 
planted with seed sold by him, but to a much less 
extent than where other seed was employed ; and 
he mentions the case of a farmer who planted his 
himself. 
In shifting the plants, take care to drain the pots 
properly, by using five or six oyster shells, and some 
Mr. Sueruerp, however, reports that on the|rough charcoal, placing some of the roughest of 
the compost over the drainage. Remove the plants 
at each shift into pots at least three sizes larger, 
for though it may not at all times be conve- 
nient to adopt the one-shift system, I believe there 
x T are now no good cultivators who think of practis- 
land with Cups from Calf Island, and from his own ing the old small-shift system. It is impossible 
stock, and found that the former brought fully two to say how frequently the plants will require shifting, 
tons an acre more, and were a fortnight earlier. | but if they are growing vigorously, they will never go 
It mist be observed, however, that the seed which|more than six weeks from the time they are first 
Mr. Surenerp sells is stored during winter. He | potted until they show bloom, without requiring a larger 
only makes his seed beds large enough to supply | pot. The best situation for the plants during the first 
part of their growth will be a low hot-water pit, where 
The result of all this is so favourable to Mr. 
Sueruern’s simple mode of cultivation that it cer- 
tainly deserves to be made extensively known; 
and Potato growers cannot be too strongly urged 
to set apart a portion of their land every year, the 
poorest and driest they can find, exclusively for the 
Independently of the facts evidently connected 
with the seed-bed system, 
that he invariably steeps his cut sets in sea-water, | Clean tepid water. 
immediately afterwards dries them with hot lime- 
dust, and then plants them ; and he attributes some 
part of his success to the use of this preparation. 
He is also of opinion that the constant growing of 
the Potato in rich soils has debilitated its consti- Throughout the whole season it will be advisable to 
tution, and that we shall have as much reason t0 | water the plants twice or thrice a week with manure- 
complain of diseased Potatoes this ensuing year water, formed by mixing one bushel of sheep’s dung, 
r. Su EPHERD states 
In compliance with the request of several of your 
correspondents, who desire a few practical hints on the 
Management of this beautiful tribe of summer fiowers, 
I beg to offer the following remarks, which I consider 
will be suitable to the admirers of this flower, whether 
their object be public competition or the mere decora- 
tion of the greenhouse and flower garden :— 
Presuming that the old plants are still in a dormant 
state, the first thing to be done with them will be to 
shorten the side shoots a little, and to place them ina 
temperature of from 50° to 60^, in order to induce them 
to make young shoots, from which a stock of plants may 
be obtained. In selecting the cuttings choose those of a 
short robust habit—such as generally protrude from 
the old stem ; insert them in light sandy soil, and place 
the pot in a shady corner of a Cucumber frame. In a 
fortnight the cuttings will be sufficiently rooted to pot 
off, using a compost consisting of equal parts of turfy 
loam, peat, and leaf-mould, with a liberal sprinkling of 
sand and a little charcoal. Return them to the frame, 
ut as soon as they are established in the fresh soil re- 
move them to a more airy situation, with a moist atmo- 
sphere of from 50° to 65°, and endeavour to keep them 
in a vigorous growing state, for so sure as they receive 
a check when young so certain is it that they will never 
make first-rate specimens. When a sufficient supply of 
cuttings has been obtained tle old plants may be cut 
down to within a few inches of the pot, and if they are 
watered occasionally with a little clear weak manure- 
water they will throw up strong shoots from the bottom. 
As soon as these shoots are 3 or 4 inches in length take 
the plants to the potting shed, and having prepared some 
of the before mentioned compost, shake them all out, 
reduce the roots, and re-pot into the smallest sized pots 
that the roots can be conveniently gotinto. At the same 
time, the number of shoots may be reduced to four, six, 
or eight, according to the specimen it is desired to pro- 
duce, as a strong growing viriety, with six, eight, or 
more shoots, will make a specimen 4 feet in height, and 
6 feet in diameter, and when fully grown will require 
an 18-inch pot. After this potting, the plants should 
receive the assistance of a little bottom heat, and 
should be kept in a close moist atmosphere, with shade 
in bright weather, until they are established in their 
new pots, which will be in about a fortuight from the 
time of potting. 
We will now suppose it to be the middle of February, 
at which time the young plants should be well established 
in 3 or 5-inch pots, and the old ones ready to receive 
their second shift. At this time the plants should be 
stout, thrifty fellows, with clean bright transparent 
stems and foliage, and young lively roots protruding all 
over the surface of the soil; and if in this state, they 
may, by proper treatment, be grown to any size. A 
good single-stem specimen of Exoniensis, when well 
grown, should be six feet in height, with branches droop- 
they can be kept near the glass, giving them plenty of 
air both night and day, and abundance of atmospheric 
moisture, but taking care to shade them thinly during 
bright sunshine, as the foliage is very liable to burn. 
As the plants progress in growth and get too tall for the 
pit, remove them to a house kept at a temperature of 
from 55° to 65° or 70° ; place them near the glass, give 
plenty of air and moisture, occasionally moistening the 
paths, walls, and stages with clean manure water, and 
dew the plants over both morning and evening with 
If these directions are attended to and carried out, 
there need be no fear of the red spider attacking the 
plants ; but should that pest make its appearance, lay 
the plant down on its side and syringe with clean soot- 
water until every insect is washed clean away.. 
one peck of soot, half a peck of guano, and half a peck 
of lime ; put the sóot and manures together and mix 
them into a puddle with boiling water, and then throw 
in 50 or 60 gallons of soft water and the lime ; stir the 
water frequently, and after it is quite clear, add two 
gallons of clean water to every gallon of the manure 
used, and apply it in a tepid state. It is astonishing 
what vigour this water imparts to the plants ; indeed 
all other things being suitable, they seem to revel in it 
with that luxuriance that makes them really delightful 
to look upon. 
So far my directions have been addressed to the pro- 
ductions of fine exhibition specimens, but now we will 
consider the management of the tribe where there is 
only a greenhouse to grow them in. Here then, if very 
large plants are required, it will only be necessary to 
spur the young shootsin, retaining the old wood or stem 5 
but if dwarf plants are preferred, cut the old plants 
down to the pot in autumn, reduce the roots, and repot 
in smaller sized pots, using the same compost as before. 
These plants may be placed under the greenhouse stage 
during the winter, and be kept tolerably dry, and by 
this time in the new year they will be pushing young 
shoots. Remove.them to the warmest corner of the 
greenhouse, and expose them to light, and as they pro- 
gress in growth repot them as frequently as they seem to 
require room. They will not be in bloom so early as 
better grown ones, but will make very nice plants for 
the autumn decoration of the greenhouse. Young plants 
struck in March and April, if properly encouraged by 
the necessary pot room and liquid manure, will also make 
very useful stuff ; for the autumn plants, so managed, are 
generally the best for setting about in the flower garden 
or vases, as, being less brittle, they ave not so liable to 
be broken by the wind as more luxuriantly grown 
specimens. 
In the flower garden, the management of Fuchsias 
consists in planting them in good, well trenched ground, 
of manuring them annually with a good dressing of leaf 
mould whieh also serves as a protection during winter, 
and also of soaking the ground occasionally, during their 
growing season, with liquid manure. It is not advisable 
to cut them down in the autumn, but to leave the old 
Stems standing until the young shoots break up in the 
spring. Old plants which have been grown in pots'are 
the best for planting out, but where it is necessary to 
plant young ones they should always be propagated the 
autumn prior to planting out. Some of the old species 
and varieties, such as F, coccinea, virgata, conica, 
Riccartonii, and formosa elegans are best for planting 
out, and F. fulgens also makes a fine bed. Single speci- 
mens of Fuchsias are also fine objects, on lawns espe- 
cially ; when they get large in such situations they 
should always be guarded by baskets to prevent them 
from being injured in mowing. Peter Jenkins. 
——— 
THE AMATEUR GARDENER. 
Ox Portine.—In addition to what was said in the 
ing in regular succession from the pot upwards, and it | last paper respecting the kind of soil necessary for this 
should be a perfect mass of foliage and flowers; and| department of horticultural art, I think it desirable to 
other kinds, according to their habit of growth, ought | remind the amateur that each kind of plant should re- 
to be equally perfect. To return, however, to the | ceive a little consideration before the operation of pot- 
lants, we must now prepare for the second shift, and | t 
ing is performed, as a deviation from the general routine 
br this purpose a compost consisting of two parts turfy | may be sometimes demanded by the habits of the plant. 
loam, one part sandy peat, one part half-decomposed | A vigorous growth will require larger dimensions; the 
leaf-mould, with a handful of small charcoal, and a| 2atives of arid regions will be improved by a larger 
liberal supply of coarse sand, must be thrown together | proportion of sand in the compost, and plants impa- 
and thoroughly incorporated, taking care to break it as | tient of moisture must have a more carefully constructed 
little as possible. At each subsequent shifting of the | drainage. As it would be an endless task to point out 
Plants, excepting the last, the same compost must be] all these variations, the gardener should rather be 
used, but at the final potting it will be as well to sub- | directed to the great principle, that in planting and 
stitute equal portions of strong loam, and three-years- | potting he should accommodate his practice, as far as 
old cow dung, for the one part of peat before used ; as | Possible, to the nature and habits of the production 
this will make the compost of a more adhesive character, | 8 
the plants will consequently not require so much water 
during the hot weather. ,t 
ubmitted to his art. 
Get your pots from the makers ; they then cost buta 
rifle ; whereas, if purchased a few at a time, they be- 
