Culture of the Potato. 42 1 



barren and unfit to turn up on the top of the other ; but, at all 

 events, break it : even if you let it lie where it is the atmo- 

 sphere can penetrate and the wa.ter can pass through freely; 

 but neither can do so, except you keep the earth open. For 

 instance, if you go to any wood or hedge-row, and grub up 

 trees that have sprung up naturally, without the assistance of 

 man, you will there find the nature of the earth is porous ; 

 partly from roots decaying, and partly by moles, mice, worms, 

 and insects working through in all directions, which, of course, 

 allows both air and water to pass through in its natural way. 

 Why should we, under pretence of cultivating and assisting 

 nature, puddle and trample the earth for four or five inches on 

 the surface, to stop up all the pores ? It seems strange, but I 

 am sorry to say I have seen it so, and so it is likely to continue. 

 I have never had the pleasure of seeing but one subsoil plough 

 since I have been in Devonshire ; and what gave me pleasure 

 did not. do so to others. I laugh to think of the many curious 

 remarks I heard made on that " ugly plough," as it was called ; 

 they were certain it never would answer hereabouts. 



Whilst I think of it, I must tell you how they get up their 

 potatoes in Devonshire, which, I think, will make you laugh 

 too. They do not take them up with a fork of any kind, but 

 have what they call a " tibble ; " that is, two bills, what you 

 would, perhaps, call a mattock. I have always heard it so called 

 everywhere but in Devonshire. What we call a fork, too, they 

 call a pick. Well, they go into the garden with this tibble and 

 a maun (they call a basket of any size a maun) ; they thrust 

 this tool amongst the potatoes with ail their might, the same as 

 we used to do at Norwood amongst the oak stubs in clearing 

 the woods. As soon as two or three potatoes are rooted out, 

 they let go their tool and pick them up ; then taking hold of the 

 tool again, as before, they root out two or three more. This is 

 their manual of grubbing up potatoes : in wet bad weather you 

 may guess they lose nothing by the job ; for they and their 

 tibble are besmeared all over with slub. I think there should 

 be some fine enforced for robbing the fields of so much good 

 earth. I have often asked them why they did not get proper 

 potato forks, and have told them that they would take up a 

 larger quantity, and in better condition ; and that they ought 

 to have some to fork out, others to pick up, and bag : but they 

 always replied that it Avould never answer in this part of 

 the country, and that a man could get up a larger quantity 

 Avith the tibble ; though they acknowledged they had never 

 tried my way, or used any kind of fork, but had seen them 

 ploughed out. 



I omitted to observe in the proper place that when potatoes 

 are allowed to grow in a shady situation, under hedges or 



