By John Lindley, Ph. D. 



527 



A field of Yorkshire Shaw Potatoes, belonging to Mrs. Medley, 

 of Acton, was found to yield at the rate of 14 tons, 1 cwt. 26 lbs. per 

 acre ; about 27 bushels of sets per acre were planted, which, 

 allowing 68 lbs.* as the weight of a bushel, will give a clear return 

 of only 13 tons, 4 cwt. 94 lbs. per acre. The crop of Long Kidney 

 Potatoes, in a field of Mr. Jessop, a tenant of the Duke of Devon- 

 shire, at Sutton Court, yielded a produce of 12 tons, 4 cwt. 84 lbs., 

 or only 1 1 tons, 8 cwt. 40 lbs. per acre, net. 



In these cases the rows were from 22 to 24 inches apart ; and the 

 sets at uncertain distances in the rows, varying from six to nine 

 inches ; but in the last case they were not planted more than 

 five inches deep, including the subsequent earthing up by the 

 plough, and in the first not more than eight inches. Moreover, 

 Mrs. Medley's crop was not planted till the latter end of May, and 

 Mr. Jessop's some time in the beginning of April. 



It is not difficult to account for the small amount of produce 

 obtained in both these cases, as compared with what was yielded 

 in the Society's Garden ; and they are the more interesting, because, 

 so far as distance between the rows went, that point was attended 

 to. The Society's potatoes were planted on the 27th of February, 

 at the depth of nine inches, and were, subsequently, earthed up 

 three inches more, so that on the whole they were buried a foot 

 below the surface of the soil. Mr. Jessop's potatoes were only five 

 inches deep, and were not planted till the beginning of April ; con- 

 sequently he lost seven inches in depth, a most important fact, 

 and about five weeks of the growing season. Mrs. Medley, on the 

 other hand, did not lose more than four inches of soil, her potatoes 

 having been buried eight inches deep ; but she lost nearly three 

 months of the growing season. It is, however, worthy of remark, 



* The London Salesmen allow 70 lbs. as the weight of a bushel of potatoes ; but I 

 found it upon several trials, made soon after the crop was taken up, to be only 68 lbs. Mr. 

 Knight estimates it at 80 lbs. (Hort. Trans. Vol. I, Second Series, p. 98). 



