174 
EOTAL nOKTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
20. Naine Hative. 
A very inferior form of the preceding. 
XXXII. Report on Potatoes grown in 1874 at Chiswick. By A. F. 
Barron, Gardener-in- Chief and Secretary to the Fruit Com- 
mittee. 
Afteh the full and comprehensive trial of Potatoes made by the 
Fruit and Yegetable Committee in 1873 and reported on at p. 74 
of the present volume, it was not this season deemed necessary 
to continue the cultivation of so complete a collection. The trial 
has, therefore, been confined to sorts which were not cultivated 
last season, or which were but imperfectly represented. Several of 
the leading types have been grown for comparison. 
The collection, about 158 in number, was planted on the 23rd of 
March on well-trenched and manured ground. The sets were in 
most cases put in whole, in lines, three feet apart, and about twenty 
inches between each set. The plants came up well, and looked 
promising ; but were cut down by frost repeatedly. This induced 
a great number of stems to perish, and, combined with the ex- 
ceeding dryness of the summer, tended to make the crop small, 
although as a rule of excellent quality. 
The disease did not make its appearance until the 6th of August, 
and then the tubers were affected, whilst no trace of it could 
be found on the haulm. Several varieties have suffered severely, 
especially some of the American sorts, Lapstones and Red-skinned 
Flour Ball. In 1873 the Regent class suffered most severely, and 
the Red-skinned Flour Ball was almost free. This season the 
result is exactly the reverse. 
Many of the stools had a dressing of Amies' Patent Chemical 
Manures. This certainly tended to increase the crop. 
The Committee have examined the potatoes whilst growing 
four times, and awarded five First-class Certificates. The number 
of assumed distinct varieties examined amounts to 280, not in- 
cluding some sixty unnamed seedlings. This formidable list has 
been reduceed by the detection of synonyms to 150 varieties, 
which have been described, and are probably distinct. 
The following is the list of Donors who this year furnished 
tubers for trial : — 
