40 Mode of planting early Potatoes 



Cirencester Nui'sery ; W. Gregory. — An excellent whole sheet catalogue of 

 this nursery has the plants arranged as forest trees, fruit trees, and ornamental 

 trees and shrubs, which occupy the greater part of the catalogue, with notices 

 of stove plants, Orchidese, Cacti, greenhouse plants, herbaceous plants, and 

 florist's flowers. To all the trees and shrubs the prices are affixed. We 

 regret we have not yet been able to visit this very complete establishment. 



Hampshire. 

 Rogers's Nursery, Southampton. — The Durmast Oak (Quercus pedunculata 

 var. Durmast), Mr. Rogers informs us, is readily distinguished by the male 

 catkins being of a grey colour, while the trees having red or reddish catkins 

 are not the durmast variety, but the species. The leaves are broader, more 

 pointed, and less deeply sinuated than those of the species. The value of 

 this variety of oak has been noticed in our preceding Volume, p. 656. In 

 mixed plantations, Mr. Rogers recommends planting an oak in every fifth 

 space, which gives an oak to every pole, or about 360 to an acre. If the soil 

 and situation are adapted to the growth of oak, he plants no other kind of 

 tree ; finding, from experience, that the oaks shelter one another, and that the 

 thinnings, on account of the value of the bark, and the solidity and durability 

 of the oak poles, are far more profitable than the thinnings of any other kinds 

 of trees that may have been planted as nurses. When he plants oaks alone, 

 he puts in from 3000 to 7000 plants per acre. After the plants are thinned 

 to the distance of a rod apart, or 360 per acre, they are allowed to remain 

 until they become full-grown timber. We have lately introduced the durmast 

 oak and the Pinus austriaca extensively in Suffolk. 

 (Zb be continued.) 



Art. V. The Mode of plantinv early Potatoes in the Neighbour- 

 hood of Garstang, ivith a new Planting-Machine. By M. Saul. 



" We live to improve, or we live in vain." 



Having had several opportunities of seeing potatoes planted by 

 this mode in the present year, and the crops produced appearing 

 to be excellent, I am induced to describe the method to you, 

 for, although not new here, it may be so to some of your readers. 

 It is simply this. 



The ground is first prepared in the following manner. A 

 trench is made at the end of the bed about 6 in. deep, and the 

 manure laid therein ; then another trench is made, and the earth 

 laid upon the manure in the first to about the depth of 6 in. 

 above the manure; then manure is laid in the second trench, 

 and covered with earth in the same waj^ as the first; and this 

 is repeated till the whole bed is done. 



The next thing is to plant the potatoes, which is done in the 

 following manner. A line is drawn across the bed ; the operator 

 then takes the planter shown infig. 2. It is about 2 ft. 6 in. long, 

 with a handle on the top ; the bottom end is rounded off; a 

 bar goes through the upright about 6 in. from the bottom as 

 a gauge for the depth it is to go into the earth, which is just far 

 enough to reach the manure. One foot is placed upon the 



