492 
should be applied, especially if the climate is 
moist. Superphosphate would probably be the 
best application under such circumstances. 
Varieties naturally dwarf will bear ammoniacal 
manures better than those that are naturally 
tall. 
Propagation.—Potatoes are easily propagated 
by seeds, cuttings of the stem or branches, by 
planting whole tubers, or by those cut into sets. | 
The seeds should be sown early in spring, in 
pans filled with rich light soil, placed in mode- 
rate heat. Before the young plants get crowded, 
they should be pricked out into small pots, and | 
shifted as they require it ; or they may be planted | 
in rich soil under a frame with very slight heat, 
giving them plenty of air in fine weather, and 
more or less at all times when there is no danger 
of frost. The plants should be fully exposed | 
before planting out, which had better be de-_ 
ferred till fine weather in May. They ought | 
to be planted in a rich warm border, putting a 
little leaf-mould below them, if it can be afforded, 
Fig. 1256.—Potato Seedling, 1st year. 
to assist their rooting. Afterwards they should | 
be earthed up according to their strength. Only 
small tubers will be produced the first year (fig. 
1256); but these, planted in the following spring, 
will produce full-sized tubers. If neither glass 
nor artificial heat is at command, the seeds may 
be sown on a warm border. 
Propagation by cuttings may be successfully 
resorted to for increasing any particular variety. 
THE GARDENER’ ASSISTANT. 
sets, planted early in spring, in heat, and the 
rooted shoots cut off near the base when they 
have reached a finger’s length, and planted in 
rich soil. Fresh shoots will push again and 
again from the original sets, and may be treated 
in the same way. Propagation by planting 
the tuber, or parts of it furnished with eyes, is, 
however, the mode usually employed. 
With many it is a doubtful question whether 
whole or cut tubers yield the greater return. 
From experiments made in the garden of the 
Horticultural Society at Chiswick it was found, 
on the mean of two plantations, one made in 
March and the other in April, that the produce 
from cut sets exceeded that from whole tubers 
_by nearly 1 ton per acre. 
In the April plant- 
ing the produce from the whole tubers was 
somewhat greater than that from single eyes; 
but in the March plantations the cut sets gave 
nearly 2 tons per acre more produce than the 
whole tubers, the weight of Potatoes planted 
being deducted in every case. In opposition 
to this must be placed various American experi- 
ments, as well as those at Warminster, in adl of 
which the best results were from uncut sets. 
Another important consideration is, whether 
small or large tubers should be employed as 
sets; for, if by using the former an equally 
good crop could be obtained, a considerable 
saving in the expense of sets would be effected. 
Large tubers, however, are preferable for the 
following reason :—In all plants large buds tend 
to produce large shoots, and small or weak 
buds the reverse. Now, the eyes of Potatoes 
are true buds, and in small tubers they are 
comparatively weak; they consequently pro- 
duce weak shoots, and the crop from such is 
inferior to that obtained from plants originating 
from larger tubers, furnished with stronger 
eyes; and this conclusion has been arrived at as 
the result of actual experiments. 
The part of the Potato employed for sets is 
not a matter of indifference. It has been found 
by experiment that sets taken from the points 
of the tubers, and planted in March, yielded at 
_the rate of upwards of 3 tons per acre more 
produce than was obtained from employing the 
base of the tubers. In a plantation made in 
April the difference was much less, but still in 
favour of sets from the points or top ends 
of the Potatoes. Cottagers may therefore use 
with advantage, say two-thirds of the base of 
the tuber, and put aside the top for sets. 
In each and every case tubers for planting 
ought to be kept from exhausting themselves 
For example, the original tuber may be cut into | by premature sprouting. The loss of the prim- 
