ESCULENT- ROOTED PLANTS. — THE POTATO. 



207 



distant from the stems of the plants of 

 which they once formed parts. If the 

 tubers be placed with their leading buds 

 upwards, a few very strong and very early 

 shoots will spring from them ; but if their 

 position be reversed, many weaker and 

 later shoots will be produced, and not 

 only the earliness but the quality of the 

 produce, in size, will be much affected. 



To the selection of sets some have at- 

 tached great importance; for ourselves, 

 we prefer, as stated above, medium-sized 

 whole tubers, as these are not over-ripened, 

 and because they do not require to be cut 

 as larger ones do. Large tubers have been 

 recommended, but have been shown to be 

 of no advantage whatever. It has also 

 been proved that, if the tubers are over- 

 ripened, they are apt to produce disease. 

 It is, therefore, better to take up the seed- 

 potatoes before they become over-ripe ; or, 

 still better, to purchase seed from upland 

 situations, where the potato seldom ripens 

 to full maturity. 



The argument of those who advocate 

 the planting diseased tubers in preference 

 to sound ones, is practically, that they 

 soon rot away after the young shoot has 

 begun to germinate, while sound sets are 

 apt to remain till the ripening of the crop, 

 retaining in themselves the germ of the 

 disease — thus showing an effort, on the 

 part of nature, to throw off the disease. 

 Professor Lindley on this point remarks, 

 " Gard. Chron.," 1850 : " It is possible that 

 the morbid matter which causes disease 

 may disappear in the general decay of the 

 tuber, in the one case, and may remain 

 unchanged in the other, prepared to seize 

 upon the haulm as soon as it is ready to 

 receive its influence." The experiments of 

 Mr Smith, of Wokingham, Berkshire, ap- 

 pear to be very conclusive in this respect, 

 and highly deserving of our attention. 

 Mr Smith planted very much diseased sets 

 on the 18th of March, the crop from which 

 was ripe and taken up on the 2d of Au- 

 gust, perfectly free of disease; while sound 

 ones of the same variety, as well as others, 

 were planted in February, and, being taken 

 up during the August following, were 

 found very much diseased. Very rotten late 

 potatoes were planted by the same gentle- 

 man in November, inches ; over the 

 sets were first laid 2 inches of the natural 

 soil of his garden, then a layer of half- 

 decayed weeds, and over that a covering 



of the same earth. This crop was taken 

 up also in the beginning of August, and 

 was found without disease. These experi- 

 ments were made from 1846 to 1849 ; 

 and a person in the same town repeated 

 the experiments in 1850, with exactly the 

 same results. Whatever deductions may 

 be drawn from these experiments theore- 

 tically, it will be admitted they are of 

 great practical importance. 



Subsequent cultivation. — As soon as the 

 plants are fairly above the surface, hoeing 

 and surface-stirring should be commenced, 

 as few plants thrive better in an open and 

 oft-disturbed soil. The very early crops 

 should have the earth drawn around each 

 plant in form of a cup, to serve as a shel- 

 ter from the cold winds, which are a great 

 enemy to them during early spring : a 

 similar shelter will not be produced if 

 earthed up in the usual form, which leaves 

 them exposed on the top of the ridge. The 

 draw-hoe, fig. 80, is well adapted for this 

 earthing-up purpose, while implements 

 penetrating much deeper into the soil 

 must be used for loosening the ground 

 between the rows. 



Of the implements used in potato culture, the 

 following may be given as examples : — 



Draw-hoes, fig. 80, are amongst the most use- 

 ful of all garden implements : they are employed 



for destroy- 

 Fig. 80. ing weeds, 



r— ^ stirring up 

 rr^i^vW^mmm , the surface- 

 soil, drawing 

 drills, and 

 earthing up 

 crops. They 

 vary in sLze 

 and form — 

 draw-hoe. the smallest, 



which is used 



for thinning out seedling crops, being 1 £ inches 

 broad at the face or cutting part, and the 

 same in depth of blade. There is attached to 

 them a hose, 2 inches in length, for receiving 

 the handle, which is straight, varying in length 

 from 18 inches to 3 or 4 feet, according to the 

 purposes for which they are intended. The 

 shortest of these are very dexterously used by 

 English labourers for thinning turnips which 

 are sown broadcast, using one in each hand. 

 The largest is 9 inches in the face and 3| inches 

 deep in the blade, and are almost all now made 

 so that the hose part for receiving the handle 

 is riveted on to the blade, as shown in our figure; 

 formerly they were forged all in one piece, the 

 hose part being on the top of the blade. The 

 neck of the hose-piece should be slightly bent, so 

 that when the operator is standing nearly up- 

 right, which is the easiest position for him, the 

 face or cutting part of the blade may be at an 



