JGO 
PRODUCTIVE FAMILY GARDENING. 
begin to grow. In a general way it may be 
observed that a potato has the eyes for growing 
chiefly on one half. Now if fhejpotatoes to 
be cut are in good order, and not growing, 
one-half may be cut off for eating, the other 
containing the eyes should be so cut as to 
have one strong eye on each shoot ; some are 
more liberal, and have two, and in some kinds 
of potatoes the eyes sit so close that you are 
obliged to have more. These cuts should be 
spread out to dry before they are planted ; 
a little lime sifted over them, so as to dust 
them all, is desirable. The planting may be 
entirely regulated by the disposition to 
grow. It may be sufficient to say here that 
when a potato is in the ground it is gaining 
strength as it grows, but while it is out of the 
ground it is losing. It may also be observed 
that potato planting is good so long as potato 
sets that have not begun to grow can be pro- 
cured. The various modes of planting depends 
on the quantity of ground, the rate of labour, 
and the quality of the soil. The following 
practices are common in different localities : 
1. Trenches one spit deep are dug, and the 
soil thrown on one side; the trenches are half 
filled with stable dung, the sets placed on the 
dung, and the soil placed on the top, forming 
a complete ridge, under which the potatoes 
soon vegetate and often yield heavy crops ; 
but in general the best potatoes for eating are 
those grown on undunged land, which does 
not yield so much. 
2. Dung is placed on the land and dug in, 
and the sets are dibbled in from four to six 
inches below the surface ; in this case the soil 
should always be pressed on the tuber, that it 
may lie solid on the ground, for if this be 
carelessly attempted, one half the sets, being 
dropped into a hole that a lump of soil may 
stop up half way, would be left without any 
soil surrounding them: this cannot but be inju- 
rious, therefore we cannot be too particular in 
seeing that the soil above is bruised and lightly 
pressed, so as to surround the set. 
3. Where there is much land, furrows are 
ploughed, the potatoes dropped into them, and 
ploughing the next furrow covers them up. 
In this case, the second furrow is not used, as 
it would be too near for the rows, but the 
third furrow fills the second, and is used for 
the sets, the fourth covers them in, and so on, 
the whole ground being thus well stirred. If 
such land is to be dunged, the dressing is 
spread over the surface and ploughed in. 
4. After digging and, if necessary, dress- 
ing the ground, the sets are laid in rows of 
the proper distance, and earth is taken from 
between the rows and thrown on the sets. 
A crop of very early potatoes may be had, 
by digging the ground along the foot of a 
Bouth wall, placing the .sets a foot apart, and 
about six inches from it, and then take earth 
from the front and throw on them so as to 
form a sloping bank, and when the plants 
come up, earth them up on the outside. This 
may be a small crop, because it is generally 
dry, but it comes early in proportion, and 
always of fine flavour. The late potatoes 
ought not to be planted late, that is, the sets 
must not have grown out before planting, and 
the distance for the late ones ought to be two 
feet, and the very large ones two feet six 
from row to row. Potatoes are ripe when 
the haulm decays. Regent's, Forty-fold, York 
red, Ne plus ultra kidney, Champion, Red 
kidney, are good sorts for main crops. 
CARROTS, PARSNIPS, AND BEET-ROOT. 
Next to potatoes, which are food for months, 
these three vegetables are the most useful. 
They are not only good with almost every 
kind of meat, but they are always saleable in 
any quantity ; all grounds are not suitable, 
for they recpiire fifteen inches of good rich 
light soil, free from gravel and stones. The 
soil should be trenched and well broken ; beds 
of four feet wide, with one foot alleys between 
them, are the most handy for all three, and 
the seed should be very thinly sown over them ; 
when the plants are up, they should be hoed 
to leave them eight or nine inches apart, nor 
should a single weed be allowed to grow. 
The first hoeing may not do this effectually, 
but the second, with the help of the hand oc- 
casionally, will accomplish it. These crops 
are valuable in all families, and, besides using 
them as soon as they are large enough, they 
may be stored as soon as they are ripe, and, 
with care, keep through the winter. The 
early carrots to be drawn and eaten as soon as 
they are of sufficient size, should be sown in 
February and March, the main crop the latter 
end of April ; the best for the former is the 
Early horn and its varieties ; the best for the 
late is the Altringham. For storing they 
ought not to be taken up until the foliage 
turns yellow. 
ONIONS. 
This is one of the most useful of vegeta- 
bles, and deserves especial attention ; like the 
previously mentioned crops, they keep a long 
while if well ripened, and the principal art in 
their culture is to well dress the ground : well 
decomposed night soil a good two inch thick- 
ness all over the soil, forked into and well 
mixed with the top six inches of mould, will 
be found an excellent dressing ; but it must be 
well decomposed, or it will be too strong. 
The surface should be well levelled, the lumps 
well bruised, and the seeds sown thinly and 
equally over the bed ; this should be rolled in 
or trodden in solid, and raked smooth and 
