Queries and Answers. 91 



habits of these groundlings. At certain times they lie so deep in the earth, 

 that all the lime-water )'ou could apply to them would not make them come 

 forth ; and, unless you do that, 3'ou do nothing. 1 believe at this very time, 

 if I were to pour hogsheads of lime-water on my lawn, I should not kill any 

 worms worth notice — ^S'. T. Ajoril 20. 1842. 



SauPs Potato-Plante7\ Sfc. — I think but little further can be added to the 

 account of the potato-planter and its uses given in p. 40. The plan has been 

 tried in planting tlie winter potatoes in the fields ; and, as an experiment on it, 

 last season, a field was divided into parts; one half was planted by the plough, 

 and the other half by the planter. The manure having been put into the 

 ground, and covered up by the plough, the potatoes were planted by the 

 planter fig. 4. (given in p. 41.), and the ground was then harrowed over. As 

 soon as those potatoes made their appearance above ground, their foliage looked 

 more luxuriant and stronger than those set by the plough, and when taken up 

 had a more abundant produce, and well repaid the owner for the extra labour. 

 As I before stated, it may be done by boys or aged persons, and would prove 

 a benefit to the working classes, as it is highly desirable that every means 

 should be used to prevent persons being sent to the workhouse ; and there is 

 no doubt that, if employment could be furnished, it would be to the advantage of 

 the farmer, and a great pleasure to the labourer to work for small wages rather 

 than be forced into the workhouse. As a proof of this, there are here, at the 

 present time, farmer's labourers working for 8f/. per day and their victuals, who 

 have wives and three or four children to support out of this small sum ; but 

 who are quite satisfied with this rather than go to the workhouse : they have 

 also rent to pay out of this small sum, as well as supporting their families. 

 Bad as this may appear, I am sorry to say that many of the families of the 

 Irish farmer's labourers are in a far worse condition, as may be seen in a work 

 lately published in 2 vols, by Mr. Bins of Lancaster, who travelled through 

 Ireland. It is entitled the Beauties and Miseries of Ireland, a work well 

 worth being read by every thinking man of the present time. 



I shall close by giving an account of an extraordinary crop of potatoes grown 

 by Mr. Hodgson of Poulton le Fyld. At first sight it may appear as if not 

 true, but it is a fact. In May last he cut into sets 20 potatoes, and planted 

 them, the produce of which, when got up, was no less than ten bushels and a 

 half, or three windles, as it is called here, which is 720 lb. This produce, I 

 think, is worthy of recording in the Gardener's Magazine. — M. Saul. Gar- 

 stang. Bee. 29. 1842. 



Art. V. Queries and Answers. 



Kent, the Landscape-Gar dencr. — At the end of one of your Magazines, you 

 ask for information respecting (among others) Kent the landscape-gardener. 

 I find this extract in the notes t made when reading Hunter's Deanery of 

 Doncaster, a most learned and valuable local history. I cannot at this dis- 

 tance of time recollect whether 1 extracted the whole or only the most im- 

 portant part of what related to Kent. 



" The family of Kent, who have been numerous in the parish of Rother- 

 ham, and have producetl several clergymen, may seem to have a claim to 

 William Kent, the artist, who did so much to improve the public taste in 

 gardening. Vertue says he was a native of Yorkshire; and the following 

 entry in the Parish Registry of Rotherham agrees well with the time of his 

 birth. ' 1684, March 27. bap. William, son of Richard Kent.' " (Vol. ii. p. 13.) 



In looking for this memorandum, I found also the following extracts, which 

 may not be uninteresting to you. 



" Rejiton .... was accustomed to say that the groups of oaks, thorns, 

 yews, and other trees were more picturesquely combined at Langold than at 

 any other spot in the country." (Vol. i. 299.) 



