72 
New Principles of Gardening. 
4. Their Medicinal Virtues. 
They comfort, nourifh and ftrengthen the Body. 
5. The Parts for Ufe. 
The Roots, vig. The Potatoes themfelves being preferved 
from the Frofts in a warm Cellar, @e. 3 
6. The Quantity is at Pleafure, being boiled and eaten with 
roafted Mutton, boiled Beef, gc. and require a great deal of 
Butter, Gravy; dre. They are oftentimes baked and caten with 
baked Meats, or roafted in the Afhes, and eaten with Butter as 
an Egg, when boiled in the Shell. I have (een divers of the 
Irifh People boil and eat’em with Milk, Cheefe, or Salt only, 
avhich for my part is not fo agreeable, as when eaten with 
Mutton, Beef, de. as before delivered. 
7. Their Cultivation. 
The beft Land for Potatoes is a light fandy Loam, and ra- 
ther a green Sward than any other, not but that they will 
do very well in Land which is cultivated every Year. 
The proper time for planting them is February, at which 
time the Ground being digged, they are planted in Rows, at 
a Foot apart from one another in the Rows, and the Rows 
at fifteen Inches afunder, and: about fix Inches deep. But in- 
ftead of planting thefe {mall Potatoes, ’tis beft to take fome of 
the very largeft, and cut each of them into as many Pieces as 
there are Buds, planting one Bud or Piece in a Hole, inftead of 
a whole {mall Potatoe as is ufual. 
. When they are come up, (or fooner if the Ground is foul 
with Weeds) they muft be houghed, and fo continued during 
the whole Summer, rill their Haulm fhades the Ground and. 
prevents the Growth of the Weeds. 
When their Haulm produces Bloffoms, their Roots are then 
knotting for Potatoes, which may be difcovered at that time 
by taking up their Roots, wherein they then appear in great 
Plenty. And I have often experienced, that thofe Roots which 
J have taken up to obferve the Progrefs of their Growth, have 
been always much larger than the others, which were not then 
difturbed : For ‘tis always a certain Rule, that thofe Roots, 
whofe Haulm is very fhort and thick, has the very beft Po- 
tatocs, And 
