CARTER AND CO/S GARDENER’S VADE-MECUM FOR 1862. 
09 
and the whole affair finishes with a harrowing and gather- 
ing of the left tubers, the Potatoes are pitted and covered 
with straw and earth, and left until ready for sale. The 
only remedy for the Potato disease seems to be to plant 
eariy sorts in early season and in early soils, so as to ob- 
tain a ripe crop before the disease attacks it. The crop is 
taken after any Corn crop, and, being well manured and 
cultivated, occupies the place of a fallow crop, though it 
can hardly be called a restorative crop, in the rotation. 
The most commonly grown sort is the Regent, a white 
round Potato, of which there are many varieties; the 
Dalmahoy is a very prolific second early variety largely 
grown in Scotland, and considered superior to, and rather 
earlier than the Regent. 
The Flourball and Fortyfold are two well-known va- 
rieties that are largely in demand, and are profitable sorts 
to plant ; the Early Oxford is a white, round, early Pota- 
to, of abundant yield; the Fluke, is a Hat Kidney of 
large produce, and good quality, and many other sorts 
might be named — the list extending to many hundreds 
in number. The sets for next year’s crop should be well 
dried and slightly greened in the sun or clay-light before 
being laid aside or pitted ; and they are the better, too, for 
not being cut, and for being planted before the first growth 
of sprout is so long as to necessitate its being broken off. 
The crop is to be lifted as soon as ripe, which it does not 
now so fully become as they used to do before the haulm 
was liable to be cut down by the disease. 
The crop is grown after Corn, or after Clover, or after 
Turnips ; and the latter is now a common place for it in 
the rotation, and the land is then in good heart for the crop, 
which it ought to be for what is really one of the most 
hungry crops of the rotation. The yield may be from 4 
to 8 tons per acre ; but the latter, formerly common enough, 
is now but rarely seen. 
Cultivation of Grasses and Clover.— March and 
April are the most common seed-times for them. Italian 
Rye -grass is perhaps better sown in early Autumn, and 
Trifolium incamatum is commonly sown after a Corn- 
stubble, as early as possible in Autumn ; and these will be 
found referred to in the month of September. The other 
seeds, both Clover and Grasses, are generally sown down 
with the Barley-crop, and more rarely with the Wheat, or 
even Oat-crop. 
The perennial Rye-grass yields a more leafy and succu- 
lent growth in the cooler and moister districts of the 
country ; on the dry hot side of the island it is common 
to sow Clover-seed alone: 20 lbs. of mixed Clover-seeds 
(10 lbs. of Red Clover, 5 lbs. of White Clover, and 5 lbs. of 
yellow) make an abundant seeding per acre. The bulk of 
the first cut is the Red Clover, with a little of the yellow ; 
the bulk of the second cut is then White Clover, with a 
mixture of the other two. The Yellow Clover, or Trefoil, 
has a good deal of asfcringency in its character, of use in 
succulent fodder. When cut for hay, as it may bo twice a 
year, it is mown in swathes, which are turned two days 
afterwards, and again after a similar interval, and then 
lifted into cocks, and carried next day, care being taken 
not to move the crop abruptly, or shake it much when 
nearly dry, as it will lose its leafy part, and be proportion- 
ally poorer in the rick. 
Common or Italian Rye-grass is sown along with Clover ; 
12 lbs., or thereabouts, of the mixed Clover-seeds are sown 
along with two bushels of the Grass-seeds per acre. If the 
pasture is to lie down for two years, 2 or 3 lbs. of the 
Cock’s-foot grass may well be added to the mixture, and 
1 or 2 lbs. of the Cat’s-tail may bo added too, if the land 
bo stiff. 
To our common Clover ( 7 rifolium pratensc and repens ), 
the common Red and White, there is added now a variety 
of the Red Clover, called Cow-grass, somewhat more per- 
manent in its duration, and on that account to be pre- 
ferred, and the Trifolium hybridum , or Alsike Clover, im- 
ported originally from Sweden, bearing an appearance 
midway between the Red and White, of growth as large as 
the former, but perennial like the latter. These plants — 
four species of Trifolium (pratense, repens , hybridum, and 
procumbens ) ; the Red, White, Alsike and Yellow Clover ; 
two species of Lolium (viz. perenne and Italicum , the 
common and the Italian Rye-grass) ; one species each of 
Thleum and Dactylis (viz. the Cat’s-tail and Cock’s-foot 
grasses) — constitute the material of the Grass-crops of our 
arable land, intended to remain down not more than three 
years. 
For permanent pastiu’es, a mixture, including other sorts, 
Festuca , Poa, and other Grasses, is sown generally without 
a crop of Grain, in suitable weather and early summer, 
rolled, manured, and afterwards, for several years, depas- 
tured, until a good sward has been obtained. The seeds 
chosen vary, of course, with the character of the soil, 
amounting in all to some 2 bushels light seeds, and 12 lbs. 
heavy seeds (Clovers) per acre, made up of seeds which 
vary from 5 to 8 lbs. per bushel, as in the case of Fox-tail 
(Alopecurus), up to 12 or 14 lbs., as in the case of Fescues, 
and lb or 18, asjin the Italian and other Rye-grasses. 
8 to 10 lbs. of the Rye-grasses (common and Italian), 2 or 
3 lbs. of each of 3 or 4 of the Fescues, 2 or 3 lbs. of the 
coarser Fox-tail grass, 2 or 3 lbs. of the two Poas, smooth 
and rough-stalked meadow-grasses, 2 or 3 lbs. of Cock’s- 
foot grass, and 1 2 lbs. of mixed Clover-seeds, form a suffi- 
cient seeding per acre. These proportions, of course, vary 
according to the nature of the soil. Perhaps, however, 
one of the best plans to secure quickly a permanent pas- 
ture is to cut; up an acre of good Grass to and fro with a 
tool of the roller kind, having on it a number of sharp 
circular disks, separated by 3-inch “washers” strung 
upon an axle ; then plough or pare the whole surface of 
the land about 2 inches deep, gather the whole of the surface, 
which will turn up in scraps of 2 inches square, into carts, 
and spread them out over 10 acres of a properly -prepared 
well-manured field, and tread them in, right side up, one 
to every square loot. There will be 000,000 such bits off 
the acre, so that it will suffice for the extent ; a roller fol- 
lows, and then some compost may be spread, and a light 
seeding of good Grass-seeds sown and brushed in afterwards. 
It is proper to add that Grass-seeds are very easily 
buried. Mr. Stirling, of Glenbirvio, published in the 
Highland Society’s ‘ Transactions ’ of 1844 an account of 
experiments which proved that the lighter the covoring of 
the seed (so that it was left just under the moist earth) 
the better. All the living seed came up which was not 
covered .] an inch deep with earth ; any deeper covering 
than this killed more or less of the seed, and if placed 
under 1 inch depth of soil, even though it was friable and 
well softened, all the seed perished. It is plain from this, 
that the proper way to sow Grasses is to place them cqui- 
distantly and evenly over the surface of a soil in perfect 
tilth, and then cover it or mix it with the top layer, by 
either the lightest possible harrowing, or a mere brushing 
in with the bush-harrow. 
When sown not with the Barley, but over the young 
crop, after the seed has brairded, it may be well to cover it 
by hand-hoeing the intervals between the rows, thus killing 
the young weeds, at the same time as you cover the Clover 
and Grasses. 
APRIL. 
During this busy month of the year, Oat and Barley sowing should be finished. All Clovers and Grasses too should bo 
put in, unless, indeed, their seed-time be postponed until the autumn. April wheat is even yet sown, m late seasons. 
