Glimpses of Faimhuj in the Channel Islands. 379 
of the cotils in the last week of April or (more commonly) the 
besrinninc' of !Mav, but was more than a month later than usual 
this year. Indeed, very few potatoes had been dug when I was 
in Jersey, in the thu-d week of June. These remarks refer, of 
course, to the outdoor crop, forced potatoes being ready as early 
as January, and those grown in cool-houses in the latter part 
of April ; but the production of the crop under glass is not 
common in Jersey, though it is in Guernsey, as will hereafter 
appear. Although the yield of the potatoes first taken up — 
often before the skins are properly set — is, of course, smaller 
than when they are left to mature a few weeks longer, a week 
makes such an enormous difference in the price that there is a 
race to meet the early demand. In the season of 1887, which 
was not an early one, the small lots of tubers shipped in the 
week ending May 28, according to the weekly returns collected 
by Mr. Barbier of St. Heliers, sold at the rate of 221. 10s. a ton, 
while for the week ending June 16 the price was only bl. 12s. Id. 
This year the first lots realised IO5. per cahot, or 26/. a ton ; but 
in the third week of shipping the price had fallen to Is. 8d. per 
cabot for Ashleaf and 2s. 8d. for Royal Jersey Flukes, or 41. 7s. 
to not quite 61. a ton. This tremendous drop was owing to the 
extreme lateness of the crop in Jersey, the London market 
being speedUy glutted with produce from other sources. 
With respect to yield, Quayle, who wrote in 1812, vouches 
for 12 to 14 cahots per Jersey perch ("old" potatoes), or 23^ to 
24 tons per acre, being often obtained, and speaks of a quantity 
equivalent to 26 tons per acre having been grown; but some- 
exaggeration may be suspected in these statements, though a 
phenomenal crop of 24 tons per acre, mentioned with the grower's 
name, may have been produced once in a while before the disease 
was known. A yield of 1Q\ tons per acre is considered a good 
crop now that only early potatoes are produced ; while 12 to 14 
tons, occasionally grown, would be regarded as a great crop ; 
and 17 tons, talked of as having been produced, would be 
reckoned a tremendous yield. Such yields are not obtained 
upon the earliest diggings. Mr. John Gaunt, however, informed 
me that he grew 6 cahots per Jersey perch, or 9 tons 13 cwts. 
per acre all round, last year, and sold the produce at Is. 9d. to 
4.S. M. per cahot. As the yield of the potatoes that sold at the 
highest price was probably less than the average, it is not war- 
rantable to translate these figures into 47L hs. to 121?. IQs. per 
acre ; but Mr. Gaunt 's average return was 90?. an acre on 60 
perches of cotils for the three years ending with 1887. Another 
account, given me by Mr. Philip Lefeuvre, of St. Owens, where 
the land is not as rich as it is in Mr. Gaunt's district, was to 
