By Thomas Andrew Knight, Esq. 19 1 



The Irish varieties, being excessively late, are almost 

 always killed by the frost whilst in full blossom ; when 

 omitting all consideration of the useless expenditure of ma- 

 nure, it may justly be questioned whether the tubers of such 

 plants, being immature, can afford as nutritive, or as whole- 

 some food, as others which have acquired a state of perfect 

 maturity. 



The preceding statement will, I trust, point out to the 

 Horticultural Society the importance of obtaining improved 

 varieties of the Potatoe, and I believe no plant existing to 

 be more extensively capable of improvement, relatively to 

 the climate of England ; and if practical evidence were 

 wanted to prove the extent, to which the culture of the Po- 

 tatoe is calculated to increase and support the population of 

 a country, Ireland most amply affords it ; where population 

 has increased amongst the Catholic poor, with almost un- 

 precedented rapidity, within the last twenty years, under the 

 pressure of more distress and misery, than has perhaps been 

 felt in any other spot in Europe. 



I shall conclude my present communication with some 

 remarks upon the origin and cure of a disease, the Curl, 

 which a few years ago destroyed many of our best varieties 

 of the Potatoe ; and to the attacks of which every good 

 variety will probably be subject. 



I observed that several kinds of Potatoes, dry and fari- 

 naceous in their nature, which I cultivated, produced 

 curled leaves, whilst those of other kinds, which were soft 

 and aqueous, were perfectly well formed ; whence I was led 

 to suspect, that the disease originated in the preternatu- 



vol. i. C c 



