SOLAN UM. 



Kot-bed ; when the plants are come up two or three inches 

 in height, they fho,uld be pricked out feparately into fmall 

 pots, which are alfo to be plunged into the hot-bed or 

 bark-bed of the ftove, afterwards managing them as other 

 Ihrubby exotics of the Itove kind. The propagation and 

 increafe of them may hkewife be tried, in fome cafes, by 

 cuttings, which are to be fet or planted in pots, and 

 the whole plunged into the bark-bed, covermg them clofe 

 down by means of a hand-glafs. 



All thefe plants muft be cor.itantly kept in pots filled 

 with light rich earth, and be retained, the mod part of the 

 year, in the ftove, among coUeftions of that fort, except for 

 juft a month or two in the height of the fummer, when 

 the heat is confiderable. In this way they not unfrequently 

 fucceed very well. 



Thefe plants, in all the forts, are very ornamental among 

 other potted plants ; and the firil is cultivated hkewife for 

 the fruit as a pickle : the fourth is alfo ornamental in the 

 borders, &c. of gardens and fmall pleafure-grounds. 



Culture in the Potatoe Kind. — This laft fort is highly valu- 

 able for its tuberous efculent root, which is well known 

 under the title of potatoe. Thefe roots may be obtained 

 for ufe plentifully almoft the year round : the early forts, 

 being planted forward in the fpring, often afford tolerable 

 crops fit to take up in the begmning of June and in July 

 following, efpecially in rich warm grounds ; but the main 

 crops are permitted to continue growing till autumn, as 

 about the latter end of October or beginning of November, 

 when the ftalks or haulm begin to decay, at which time the 

 roots will be arrived to full maturity : and being then taken 

 out of the ground, and houfed in fome clofe dry apartment, 

 keep in good perfeftion for eating all winter and fpring, until 

 the arrival of the new crops in the following fummer. 



With regard to the properties of the different forts or 

 varieties of this root, fo far as they relate to their ufefulnefs 

 as food, or their nourifhing qualities, there is probably no 

 very material difference ; but infomuch as their agreeable- 

 nefs for the purpofe of eating by man is concerned, there 

 is confiderable diverfity, fome forts being naturally fari- 

 naceous and mealy, while other kinds are heavy and clayey, 

 or waxy, the former of which are, for the moft part, highly 

 defirable and greatly reliftied, while the latter are difagree- 

 able to and difrelifhed by many. The red forts were formerly 

 held in great elteem, and fuppofed the beft ; and though 

 they are moll probably in no refpeft inferior to thofe of 

 the white kinds, thefe have of late, in general, been much 

 preferred, efpecially the round, the oblong-white or whitifh 

 red, and the kidney forts, as being more produdlive, more 

 faleable in the markets, and the molt defirable for eating. 



This has caufed the culture of the large red fort to be 

 in a great degree overlooked and neglefted, though fome 

 think that the potatoes of this kind are fuperior to thofe of 

 the white fort in the richnefs of their flavour and fome other 

 qualities. 



As both forts, however, pofl'efs good quahties in different 

 ways, the beft and moft ufefnl varieties, in each kind, fhould 

 be cultivated in fufRcient and fuitable proportions. The 

 early forts are, however, the moft proper and fuitable for 

 being cultivated in gardens in moft cafes. 



It is of importance in the garden, as well as the field, to 

 have good-fized potatoes for fets, or for taking the fets 

 from, whatever the fort may be, as the very fmall potatoes, 

 or chats, as they are called, never anfwer well in this inten- 

 tion. And it is equally important to have a frequent change 

 of the feed or fets which are employed for raifing the crops, 

 as every two or three years, new, or fuch potatoes as are 

 frefh from other grounds, being found highly ufeful in pre- 



venting degeneracy and promoting the goodnefs 4nd abun- 

 dance of the crops, as well as in obviating their tendency 

 to the curl, which is fo greatly injurious to them. 



The potatoe is an annual plant, which leaves offsets, 

 tubers, or roots, for its future propagation and increafe. 



All the varieties may be cultivated with fuccefs in asy 

 open fituation. They delight in a moderately light rather 

 dry foil and open fituation, which fhould be rendered light 

 with dung. The plants are increafed by the root, either 

 whole or cut in pieces, each cutting forming a proper fet 

 or plant. This is their general method of cultivation ; but 

 they may likewife be railed from feed to gain new varieties. 



In moft places the general feafon for planting this root is 

 from about the middle or the latter end of February to the 

 middle of April ; the early forts, for forward crops, being 

 planted in the latter end of Februai-y or early in March ; 

 but for the general crops, March, and the firft fortnight in 

 April, is the moft proper planting ieafon, efpecially in moift 

 land ; as, if planted earlier, and much wet Ihould fucceed, 

 it would rot the fets, more particularly if cuttings ; though 

 in cafes of necellity, where the ground is not ready before, 

 they may be planted any lime in April, or even in May, and 

 yield tolerable crops by October. And the ground for this 

 purpofe fhould always be dug over for the reception of the 

 plants to one full fpade deep. 



But as to the planting, it may be performed by means of 

 a dibble, by holeing in with a fpade, or drilling in with a 

 hoe, bedding in, &c. in rows at two feet afunder, eight, 

 twelve, or fifteen inches diftant in each row, and not more 

 than four or five inches deep at the moll. 



Dibble-planting. — This is performed either with a common 

 large garden dibble, blunted at the bottom, making holes 

 four or five inches deep, at the diftance before mentioned, 

 dropping one fet into each hole as you go on, and llriking 

 the earth in over them, or raking it afterwards, which is a 

 better method. 



The furface of the ground fhould, fome time afterwards, 

 be further raked, and left perfectly even and level. 



Drill-planting. — In this mode the drills may be formed 

 either with a large hoe, two feet afunder, and four or five 

 inches deep, in which drop the fets a foot afunder, and 

 cover them in with the earth equally the depth of the drill ; 

 or the drills may be made with a fpade, and the fets covered 

 in by means of a rake, the ground being left quite even on 

 the furface. 



Furrow-planting. — This is performed by the fpade, by 

 turning over or taking out a fpit of earth all along, putting 

 in the dung, and then dropping the fets in the furrow imme- 

 diately upon it, and with the next fpit turning the earth in 

 upon the fets of the firft ; and in another furrow, two feet 

 from this, putting in the dung and dropping another row of 

 fets, which are covered in as above, and fo on till the whole 

 is finifhed. 



Holeing-in planting. — This is performed with a fpade. A 

 man havmg a light handy fpade, and beginning at one end 

 of the line, takes out a fpit of earth, forms a fmall aper. 

 ture four or five inches deep, another perfon direftly fol- 

 lowing after drops a fet in the hole, the earth of the 

 next Ipit immediately covers it up, and fo on to the end of 

 the work. 



Trenching-in planting This is fometimes praftifed in light 



ground, and is efFefted as the perfon proceeds in digging or 

 trenching the ground, being trenched in the common way, 

 each trench two fpades wide, and one fpade deep, placing 

 one row of potatoes in each trench : beginning at one end 

 of the ground, opening a trench the proper width and depth, 

 as above, then paring in the top of the nest trench deeply, 



putting 



