OF ESCULENTS, 



SECT. XV. 



cafional ^covering with haulm, or draw, which muft 

 not be kept on, but upon neceffity. As thefe early 

 potatoes are on a warm border, a little water in a dry 

 time will forward them, and increafe their fize. In 

 default of the true early potatoe, fets with good forward 

 (hoots of any other fort may be treated as above; but 

 they will not be fo good. 



From Mid-March to Mid-April is the propereft 

 time, (earlier or later as the foil is dry or moiflj 

 to plant for the principal crop, though May, or even 

 June, generally produce an increafe worth the cul- 

 tivation. The roots from late crops fhould not be 

 ufed for planting, as they are more liable to the curl : 

 Thofe potatoes growing fickly in a wet foil, are alfo 

 fubjecT: to this defect. Potatoes, being of fuperficial 

 growth, fhould be regularly weeded, as long as they 

 can be walked among without treading on the tops. 



Ground, deiigned for a field crop, fhould be twice 

 ploughed, and the firft time it fhould be fome weeks 

 before the fetting. 



In the potatoe counties, they change their forts every 

 third or fourth year; procuring frefh kinds from places 

 farther North, as a means to avoid the curl, which 

 feems to arife chiefly from the tender nature ot the 

 potatoe, and admonifhes not to be too early in planting. 



Seedling potatoes are procured by faving the firft 

 thorough ' ripe pods, (called apples) and either preferring 

 them in very dry fand till fpring, or immediately fepa- 

 rating them from the pulp, put the feed up quite dry in 

 papers, and occafionally look it over to keep it fo. In 

 March, or April, fow the feed half an inch deep, in a 

 light foil, in drills fifteen inches .afunder, and thin the 

 plants to fix inches. Earth them up as they grow. 

 Dig them as foon as the haulm dies, and carefully 

 preferving them from fro/1, they will be fit to plant 

 the next fpring for table ufe. 



That potatoes are very fufceptible of frojl, is well 

 known; but it is often not fufficiently guarded againft 



in 



