270 



GARDEKING FOR THE SOUTH. 



Potabli and phosj)liate of magnesia are the most import- 

 ant inorganic elements of the plant. Wood ashes will 

 furnish most of the ctmstituents required from the soil. 



Culture. — The Irish potato likes a cool moist climate, 

 and a cool moist soil like that of Ireland. The soil should 

 be well enriched with vegetable and not with animal 

 manure. The best potatoes in this country are groAvn in 

 the cool and hilly sections of the north, and the best there 

 are grown by simply turning nicely over a meadow sward ; 

 upon this the rows are laid off shallow, and the clover 

 sods are often so tough with matted roots when planting 

 (having been newly turned over), that earth is with diffi- 

 culty obtained to cover the potatoes. Soon decomposition 

 commences, a gentle heat is given out, and by the time 

 the potatoes are ready for the first working they can be 

 ploughed with ease. At the second working, when the 

 plants are laid by, the soil is mellow as an ash heap, 

 the young plant the mean while being supplied with moist- 

 ure, and the very food required to perfect its tubers, and 

 render them farinaceous and nutritive. At the south, in 

 our gardens we cannot obtain such a soil, but we can very 

 much improve the yield, and especially the quality of our 

 Irish potatoes by imitating it as near as possible. We can 

 dig into the soil vegetable matter to decompose, such as 

 leaves, garden refuse of all kinds, and pine straw. Even 

 tan bark is not a bad application to the potato crop, and 

 the potato and strawberry are the only plants to which I 

 would apply it. I applied it to a small plat at the rate of 

 fifty two-horse loads to the acre, with jplenty of leached 

 asJics. The potato crop was excellent both in quantity 

 and quality, and I think the tan materially promoted its 

 growth. The soil has not a trace of undecomposed tan- 

 bark in it ; but from a poor red clay is now a light dark 

 garden mould. A great reason for applying vegetable 



