Jonnary 17, 1885.] 



JOUEITAI, OF HOETICULTURE AKD COTTAGE aARDENER. 



49 



named, and, I have been assured, with advantage. In the 

 next season I intend to test the plan in field culture against 

 the ordinoi-y rows. The calculation, of course, is whether 

 the diminished number of roots and some increase of labour 

 will not be more than compensated by the more abundant 

 c|op. The quantity of seed saved would go far I apprehend 

 to pay the extra labour. 



In one respect Mr. Abbey will, I am sure, agi-ee with me 

 — viz., that the free discussion of this and similar topics is 

 not an unimportant step towards further progress. — 



AOBICOLA. 



MOEE ABOUT POTATOES. 



I HAVE been asked whether I consider Mr. Hogg's Cold- 

 stream Potato suitable as an open air variety for garden 

 culture, as well as for an orchard-house ? I reply, that if I 

 consider it eminently suitable for orchard-house culture, I 

 consider it pre-eminently so as an early garden variety. In 

 fact, my chief trial with it was in that way, for it would 

 never do to keep it growing in an orchard-house so late as 

 the 19th of July, the period I stated I had taken it up. 

 When I mentioned that date I concluded that it would be 

 understood to refer to the open ground. I intend for the 

 future to confine my first earlies to the orchard-house, as 

 being a more convenient and interesting mode of culture 

 than growing them in a frame; but there is no royal rule 

 for planting Potatoes. I daresay there never will be. 



As regards the omissions complained of at page 10, I 

 •annot suppose that Mr. Abbey would care to bear in memory 

 what I write, so I must beg to state, that I have met his 

 views several times over in my papers on the cultivation of 

 the Potato, and to repeat, that for the open ground, I give 

 36 inches between the rows of early Potatoes, and 42 inches 

 for the late sorts. The sets of the former I prefer to weigh 

 from 2 to 3 ounces each, and those of the latter from 3 to 

 4 ounces — viz., medium-sized old Potatoes. The distance I 

 allow between each set, judging as I plant them, according 

 to their size, is for the early varieties from 12 to 16 inches, 

 and for the later sorts fi'om 15 to 20 inches. Results by 

 weight, measui-ements, &c., for the system in which I grow 

 Potatoes, sufficient to suit the customs of most localities, can 

 be found on referring to Nos. 48,. 90, 100, 140, 141, 163, and 

 164. Of late years, in order to amve at just conclusions, 

 I have not deviated from my method of planting, and also 

 for the very satisfactory reason that the plan suits me 

 well. 



The mere coddling of a few sets in very rich soil to produce 

 a large quantity of, possibly, uneatable tubers, merely " to 

 astonish the natives," or for exhibiting purposes — albeit, 

 praiseworthy, is no example to be followed in general cul- 

 tivation. My advice is given to work for a crop, to grow as 

 many Potatoes as possible upon the ground for yeai's in suc- 

 cession, and for the tubers to be good flavoured and good 

 favoured. 



The result of Mr. Francis Lupton's experiment is very in- 

 teresting, and I am glad Mr. Abbey has put it on record. 

 Amongst some notes I took at the Royal Horticultural 

 Society's Show on the 7th of last month, which I now take 

 the opportunity to send you, is an account of another ex- 

 traordinarily productive root, of what I wiU call a Brighton 

 Regent, as it is in form exactly like some Potatoes I brought 

 from thence into this coimty nine years ago, where it has 

 held its ground amongst the cottagers ever since. 



"Report on the growth and produce of a single Potato 

 grovm at the establishment of Messrs. Spary & Campbell, 

 Queen's Graperies, Brighton. The tuber from which the 

 plant was produced weighed 2 ounces in December, 1863, was 

 planted to the depth of 10 inches at the time the border was 

 manured in the latter end of April, 1864. It presented two 

 shoots above the sui'face which grew very strong and vigorous 

 through the spring and summer. By October the haulm ex- 

 tended 12 feet in diameter, being rather more than 36 feet 

 m circumference. On the 3rd of December the crop was 

 dug up and produced 268 Potatoes, weight 39 lbs. 3 ozs., or 

 SIX gallons.— Edwd. Spart, F.R.H.S." 



I taie the number of tubers produced by that single root 

 to be the largest on record. The haulm, however, extendino- 

 over BO large a surface is fatal to the largest acreage pro- 



duce. Now, Mr. Lupton does not give us the weight of his 

 sets, nor the extent of surface his Potato-haulm occupied, 

 which would certainly be much more than "4 feet distant 

 each way," as he states the stems were brought down and 

 spread out. My Negro root which produced me 16 lbs. of 

 Potatoes, was situated at the end of a row or ridge (a good 

 representation of which is given by " A Constant Readek," 

 at page 6, excepting that I finish-off my ridges at planting- 

 time flatter at the apex), and it occupied a square yard of 

 ground, being at the rate of 34^ tons per acre. For the 

 large-topping sorts I drive down some stakes and strain a 

 line or two of tarcord attached to them on each side of the 

 ridges ; this keeps the haulm up in the air instead of sprawl- 

 ing upon the ground. So, unless I can learn how many 

 squai-e feet of soil the haulm of the best root of Mr. Lup- 

 ton's Potatoes spread over, I do not feel inclined to consider 

 the produce of my root of Negro to be beaten per acre. I sent 

 you some tubers of the root, as also some of the Freebearers, 

 Prolifics, Gryffe Castle Seedling, Walker's Regent, and Scotch 

 Rough White, which grew in the same ridge. Their sets 

 would weigh between 4 and 5 ozs. each. I did not weigh 

 them, and they were planted 20 inches apart. A ridge of 

 Fortyfolds came next to them, the haulm of which is moderate 

 and does not require stakes and cord, and then came a row 

 of Sutton's Finest Regent, which did require cords and 

 stakes. I always take care to plant a second early medium- 

 foliaged kind between gross toppers — -viz., in alternate 

 ridges, which allows the sun and air to play between the 

 foliage more freely, and as the former are off the ground 

 some weeks before the latter, light is stiU more freely ad- 

 mitted to the Cabbage tribe in the trenches. On the other 

 side of the Negro ridge, an Asparagus-bed ran its entire 

 length. We are now, and have been for some time using 

 Brussels Sprouts from the trenches, and Broccoli and Scotch 

 Kale are to follow. Turnips are growing on the tops of 

 the ridges where the Potatoes grew, and I anticipate nice 

 boilings of greens from them before long. 



Respecting some other noteworthy varieties which I saw 

 at the Royal Horticultural Society's Show, December 7th, 

 perhaps it may prove useful to some of your readers if I say 

 something as to their appeai-ance and desii'ability, at the 

 same time I leave a large margin for others to differ from 

 me in opinion. 



On Mr. James Veitch's stand there was a good collection. 

 The samples were fine, and had apparently been gi'own in 

 rich dark soil, which tended to add nothing to their appear- 

 ance. The Prince of Wales, a rather flat pear-shaped Kidney, 

 was a very promising-looking Potato. (In another part of 

 the Show, Mr. Veitch was awarded a first-class certificate 

 for a fine plate of this.) A Dutch Prolific, in form much 

 like the Red Regent, but blotched slightly with white, I 

 should consider an improvement on the latter much-grown 

 variety. The Lapstone Kidney was here very fine. 



In Class 4, a Potato gaiuing a second-class certificate, 

 which deserved a first-class, was named Huntingdonshire 

 Kidney. I proposed to Mr. Daintree two yeai-s ago to call 

 his newest seedling by that name, and at a first glance I 

 thought he had done so and sent a sample to the Show; but 

 no, the exhibitor was J. Taylor, cottager, Hunton Bridge, 

 Watford, Herts, and curiously enough I was afterwards in- 

 formed by a gentleman's gardener who got them entered, 

 that Mr. J. Taylor has a brother living near St. Ives, in Mr. 

 Daintree's neighbourhood, from whom he received the sort. 

 They were in form like a medium-sized, perfect-shaped Lap- 

 stone, and on splitting one with a knife every feature of the 

 new seedling presented itself, though since 1 have become a 

 grower of Potatoes from seed, I am cautious how I conclude 

 that one variety is the same as another from a similarity of 

 tubers. A year's growth side by side might prove them to 

 be different. I thought them the handsomest sample in the 

 whole exhibition. 



Mona's Pride, also a Lapstone-looking Kidney, took my 

 attention. It gained a second-class certificate, and was 

 shown by Mr. R. Budd, gardener to the Earl of Darnley, 

 Cobham Hall. 



Burghfield, a pear-shaped Kidney, was very fine. It gained 

 a third-class certificate, and was shown by Mr. Lord, gardener 

 to M. G. Thoyts, Esq., Reading. 



Lapstone Kidney I mention as being the fairest if not 

 the finest sample I ever saw. For form they ran slightly 



