Jan."] 



THE FORCING GARDEN. 



623 



and bed are preparing for them, and when the bed is judged 

 to be in a fit state for their reception, let a quantity of hght 

 mould be placed upon the surface, four inches thick, upon 

 which place the young potato-plants, the roots of which will 

 have made some progress, and cover them up nearly to the 

 leaves with the same sort of mould ; it is of no consequence 

 whether it be rich or not, provided it be light and dry ; the 

 more sandy it is the better. Place them in rows about ten 

 inches apart, and five or six inches apart in the row. Proceed 

 in this manner till the frame be filled, after which, give the 

 whole a gentle watering and shut down the lights ; from this 

 time forward, they will require all the air that can be admitted 

 to them with safety during the day, and carefully covered every 

 night with mats. As may be deemed necessary, refresh them 

 with water, and frequently examine the mould towards their 

 roots, to see that it is kept in a proper state of moisture, with- 

 out which they would make little progress and produce a scanty 

 crop. The temperature, if kept about the same as has been 

 already directed for the asparagus-beds, will be found suffi- 

 cient. 



After the same manner they may be grown upon beds com- 

 posed of fagots, and managed as recommended for asparagus. 



The names of potatoes are so arbitrary, that it is difficult 

 to name such sorts as may be best fitted for early forcing. 

 The kinds generally used by us, during our practice, were the 

 Earhj Ash-lcaved, Early Cockney ^ and a sort much culti- 

 vated round London, known by the name of Fox's Yellow 

 Seedling, after a person of the name of Fox, a celebrated 

 grower of that vegetable. 



Potatoes, if not improved by being transplanted, are evi- 

 dently not injured by that process ; we have uniformly, for 

 many years, grown them to the height of three or four inches 

 in pots or boxes, placed in the forcing-houses or early melon 

 or cucumber-frames, and afterwards transplanted upon a bed 

 prepared for them, as noticed above ; and when circumstances 

 prevented that mode, we adopted that of springing them in a 

 basket or box mixed with mould, and afterwards planted out 

 upon the beds where they were to remain. This we have also 

 done with our earliest crops, planted out in the open borders. 



