378 
Oil the Potato Disease. 
hardy. Certainly, those I grew last year on poor light land did 
not suffer so much as those on stronger soil ; and although there 
may be some exceptions, I believe this to hase been generally the 
case. 
I consider on light land well prepared, dibbling holes* for the 
sets between every other I'urrovv is as good as any other plan ; for 
when the sets are placed in drill-furrows, if heavy rains ensue, the 
drill forms a trough for the water, which rots the sets. I have 
had a great many destroyed by this means, while sets from the 
same stock, dibbled, were uninjured. But I do not recommend 
dibbling except on well-prepared light land. This should be 
kept clean with the hand-hoe and stirrer, and when about a foot 
high the potatoes should be earthed up slightly, so that a small 
cJiannel shall be left with the stems in the middle of it. I do not 
like planting sets cut very small : I prefer them an inch and a 
half in diameter. I am also decidedly averse to autumn planting, 
as a general system ; for, besides the danger of frosts and thaws, 
there are many insects in some soils which would leave the sets 
mere shells. I have not had much experience in raising seedlings ; 
but have grown a few sown thinly in shallow drills in light vege- 
table mould — one root produced upwards of thirty small tubers ; 
and to raise the largest possible crop fiom a given number of sets, 
no plan can surpass that practised by the late T. A. Knight, Esq., 
who is said to have raised almost incredible crops by it. His plan 
was, to keep the surface roiuid the plants slightly stirred, and to 
add a small quantity of fresh light moyfld to them as their roots 
extended towards the outside, and to repeat this occasionally 
throughout the season. 
I might add more on this subject, but find it impossible to 
improve in any respect upon the very excellent Essay of Mr. 
Henry Cox, in the last volume of the Royal Agricultural Society's 
Journal, which ought to be read by every grower of the potato. 
I will, however, take the liberty of adding two sorts to his list — 
the White Scotch Kidney, which is a great bearer in good land, 
resembling the Ash-leaf, but larger and of excellent quality, and 
the Jersey Blue, which is an immense bearer, haidy, perhaps the 
longest keeper, and when grown in light soil, free from core, and 
boils to a mass of flour. 
I always avoid taking them up in wet weather ; there is fer- 
mentation enough in a heap of potatoes if never so dry. I had 
mine last year laid up in ridges 4 feet wide at bottom ; then 
roughly thatched with straw sufficient to keep out rain. They 
remained thus for three weeks, the weather being very fine; they 
were then carefully sorted a second time, which was more easily 
• This plan produces from 8 to 12 tons per acre on my land. 
