138 
Tlie Potato in Jerscjj. 
tagp. It will now be understood that the heavy dressing of 
manure used for the potato is again to be called upon to supply 
nourishment to the succeeding crops, and what splendid produce of 
roots do we often see. During our experience in these matters we 
have invariably noticed that some of the heaviest and best returns 
of roots have been in immediate succession to early potatoes. 
In our remarks on the manure employed we have mentioned 
guano ; we would observe that this article, so valuable to the 
farmer, was first brought to this island from Ichaboe in 1844, 
when its worth was much questioned and its use very little 
known ; it is indeed comparatively only of late years that it has 
been extensively employed : its effects are surprising ; we have 
seen on the same piece of ground two plots, one dressed with 
good farm-yard manure, the other dressed and treated precisely 
in the same manner, but with the addition of guano at the rate 
of 300 lbs. per vergee, and the two planted in fluke potatoes, 
when a difference of more than 50 per cent, resulted in favour of 
the piece where guano had been applied. We have also observed 
that where the potatoes were allowed to remain long in the 
ground, the haulm on the plot where the guano had been applied 
continued longer to vegetate than on the other ; and finally, the 
haulm dried up somewhat in the manner before described. In 
1867 there were imported to this island 379 tons of guano, and 
in 1868 the quantity amounted to 496 tons. It will be seen by 
this how much guano is now valued, and as its particular employ- 
ment is for the culture of the potato, some approximate idea can 
be made of the quantity used for the crop. At the same time we 
must guard against drawing definite conclusions hastily on this 
point, as we know that guano is coming greatly into favour, and 
is used by many for grass-land in lieu of sea-weed ; and in a 
general way, if the farm-yard cannot produce a sufficient supply 
of manure to meet the farmer's wants, he has frequently recourse 
to guano to make up the deficiency. 
By reference to the returns made here last year for the in- 
formation of the Board of Trade, we learn that potatoes occupied 
5129|- vergees of our land ; and as the whole superficial area of 
the island is calculated at 04,013 vergees, it follows that nearly 
one-twelfth part of the island's surface was devoted to the croj). 
Let us next see what has been the quantity of the produce ex- 
ported from the island, and endeavour to compute what is the 
gross amount returned to the growers of potatoes by the export 
of the last year, 1868. 
From the collective statements kindly placed at our disposal 
by the Custom-house authorities, the agents of the Steam-packet 
Companies, and merchants, we find the exports to have been as 
follows : — 
