130 
THE AMATEUR’S KITCHEN GARDEN. 
jurious to the potato, bat that is a fallacy. Judicious ma- 
nuring, by strengthening the plant, enables it to some extent 
to resist disease, but if the ground is very heavily manured 
and a wet season follows, the crop will be likely to suffer in 
consequence of the retention of moisture by the manure, for 
the potato loves dryness, and generally pays best in a droughty 
season. Extravagant- manuring that would suit the cauli- 
flower might prove injurious to the potato, but it does not 
follow that because excess of food is bad, starvation is to be 
practised in its stead. 
If good stable manure is not obtainable, the manures 
known as artificials must be resorted to. The best manure of 
this class for general purposes are phospho-guano and Amies’s 
patent manure. These are rich in phosphates, and promote 
high quality in the produce. Poor sandy and shaly soils may 
be greatly aided by kainit and superphosphate, or better still, 
perhaps, by muriate of potash and superphosphate in equal 
proportions, applied at the rate of 5 cwt. per acre. Charred 
vegetable rubbish is of great service, especially on a clay soil, 
and if any quantity can be obtained by burning hedge clip- 
pings and weeds and such-like refuse, it should be stored in 
a dry place for the potatoes ; or, if that is not convenient, 
should, as soon as made, be spread upon the ground it is 
intended to crop with potatoes. 
Dry deep soils should be trenched for potatoes, and the 
manure laid between the two spits, but it is not desirable to 
trench heavy damp soils, for on these it is desirable to grow 
the crop on the surface, as will be described presently. The 
digging, whether one or two spits deep, should, if possible, be 
done in autumn, and the land left in rough ridges to be well 
mellowed by the frost. The work can be so managed that 
the planting may be done by laying the line in the furrow, 
putting the sets to it, and knocking down the earth of the 
ridge to cover them. When a heavy crop costing but little 
labour is aimed at, it is a quite easy matter for the workmen 
to lay up the ridges at a suitable distance apart, so that there 
will be no more digging needed until the crop is lifted. The 
distance will range from two to four feet according to the sort, 
and whether they are to ripen or be dug as new potatoes. 
The Sets should be prepared in good time, for it often 
happens that fickle weather compels us to plant and sow and 
do other spring work in a hurry, and everything that can be 
