Parsnips  ; Peas  ; Potatoes. 
91 
are  desired  three  inches  more  space  must  be  given  to  them. 
Eighteen  tons  })er  acre  is  a good  average  crop,  but  a crop  like 
that  does  not  pav  when  the  price  is  15s.  per  ton. 
Peas. — Peas,  as  a rule,  are  not  a very  profitable  crop,  but 
as  they  are  on  the  ground  only  about  five  months — February 
to  July  for  early  Peas,  and  April  to  September  for  the  inain 
crop — they  can  be  charged  only  for  six  months’  rent  and 
labour,  and  they  are  at  once  succeeded  by  other  and  possibly 
better  crops  in  the  way  of  cahl)age  or  swedes. 
In  regard  to  manuring.  Peas  a|)})ear  to  su})port  the  theory 
of  the  non-application  of  nitrogen,  as  regards  those  varieties 
which  are  required  to  produce  and  ripen  a crop  all  at  once  ; 
hut  I doubt  if  the  same  applies  to  those  varieties  which  grow 
five  to  eight  feet  in  height,  and  produce  a long  succession  of 
pods.  One  thing  is  quite  clear  as  a result  of  five  consecutive 
years’  experiments — chemical  manures  alone  do  not  })roduce  as 
good  a result. as  stable  manure  only,  garden  refuse  only,  or  of 
stable  manure  supplemented  by  mixed  chemical  manures. 
The  earliest  Peas  are  usually  sown  in  a warm  position  at 
the  beginning  of  November.  . Tlie  next  in  earliness  are  sown 
in  January  and  February,  to  be  followed  by  others  in  March, 
April,  and  May. 
Potatoes. — Potatoes  recjuire  potash,  phosphoric  acid,  and 
nitrogen  for  the  formation  of  perfect  tissue,  without  which 
there  cannot  l>e  abundant  crops  of  sound  and  well-flavoured 
tubers.  Under  a system  of  high  culture  on  suitable  soil 
it  is  comparatively  easy  to  obtain  from  15  to  18  tons  of 
potatoes  per  statute  acre.  The  best  average  results  are 
obtained  from  the  application  of  farmyard  or  stable  manure 
at  the  rate  of  about  1(5  tons  per  acre,  supplemented  by  3 cwt. 
of  bone  meal  and  2 cwt.  of  sulphate  of  potash  ; or  hy  5 cwt.  of 
superphosphate  of  lime,  2 cwt.  of  nitrate  of  soda  and  2 cwt.  of 
kainit.  The  animal  manure  should  be  turned  in  a short  time 
previous  to  planting.  Then  shallow  furrows  should  be  thrown 
out  with  the  plough,  or  drawn  with  a heavy  hoe,  the  selected 
fertiliser  applied  to  each  furrow,  the  Potatoes  planted  and  duly 
covered  in. 
The  common  practice  of  j)lanting  the  tuhers  in  direct 
contact  with  animal  manure  is  to  be  de|)recated.  My  experi- 
ence tends  to  show  that  tubers  thus  planted  are  aj)t  to 
deteriorate  and  are  predisposed  to  disease.^  The  “ dibbing  in  ” 
* For  notes  on  the  potato  disease  see  page  104. 
