JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
August 10, 1882. ] 
135 
should be kept somewhat dry, but not allowed to shrivel, until 
the new growths produce roots, when water should be given more 
freely. 
Cattleya crispa with its beautiful large flowers is exceedingly fine, 
as is also Cattleya crispa superba, a superior variety of the former, 
being larger, and the lip of a deeper crimson colour. C. Eldorado 
and its varieties bearing flowers from a pure white with orange 
throat and white lip, to a deep rose with yellow throat and purple 
lip, are now blooming finely. C. guttata Leopoldi is exhaling a 
powerful clove-like odour from its lovely brownish yellow, purple- 
spotted blooms with velvety purple lip. C. labiata picta—this 
beautiful variety of labiata is now producing its blush-coloured 
flowers with crimson lip elegantly margined, and remains a long 
time in perfection. 
Disa grandiflora with its brilliant vermilion, green, and yellow 
flowers is exceeding attractive. Maxillaria venusta is bearing its 
charming pure white yellow-lipped flowers which are very fra¬ 
grant, while Maxillaria nigrescens is producing its dark port-wine- 
coloured flowers, exhaling a Melon-like odour. Oncidium in- 
curvum with its numerous pale lilac and white flowers is now in 
grand condition. 
Saccolabium Blumei is pretty with its arching spikes of numerous 
white, rose-stained blooms, which remain in beauty for about 
three weeks. 
Stanhopea insignis, S. oculata, and S. tigrina are all bearing 
their charmingly sweet-scented flowers ; the latter being the 
largest and most richly coloured of the genus. Trichopilia picta. 
with its yellowish-green blooms and creamy-white lip spotted 
with rose, is also in flower.— Orchidist. 
REVIEW OF BOOK. 
Report of the Experiments on the Cultivation of Different Varie¬ 
ties of the Potato. By Thomas Carroll, Esq., Superin¬ 
tendent of the Agricultural Department. 
The experiments made at the farm of the Munster Agricultural 
and Dairy School under the superintendence of a Committee of the 
County of Cork Agricultural Society and embodied in the Report 
before us were undertaken (1) to compare a number of the Potatoes 
generally cultivated, in order to discover what kind or kinds would 
best resist disease and produce the largest amount of food, and (2) to 
test the merits of potash salts, phosphates, and nitrogen both in the 
“ hydrogenised or ammonia form, and in the oxidised or nitrate form.” 
We are told that since the reading of a paper calling attention to the 
necessity of improved methods of cultivation by P. W. Ogilvie— 
a Scotchman evidently, as well as the Chairman—that a great change 
for the better has taken place both in the quality and quantity of 
Potatoes in the south of Ireland. It would have been interesting to 
know in whnt way such a revolution has been brought about, for 
“ a great change for the better” is exactly what the agriculturists of 
the whole world want. On this head nothing further is stated, but 
in the report that follows many valuable hints are to be found, and 
to a few of these we would specially direct attention. 
A number of French and German varieties were grown along with 
American and home kinds. Some of the Americans did well, but the 
French and German kinds for the most part did very badly; the 
crops were small, and even that small quantity was much diseased. 
Curiously Reading Abbey, a kind sent out as a disease-resister, proved 
the worst. We in a very different climate have found the same thing. 
Victoria, at one time the foremost among disease-resisting kinds, also 
fared very badly. As some varieties escaped disease, although grow¬ 
ing beside badly affected varieties, the reporter considers the disease 
as “non-contagious.” Nothing but a profound ignorance of the nature 
of the disease could have led to such a conclusion. The fact proved 
seems to be, not that the disease is not contagious, but that “ disease- 
resisting” is a proper epithet to apply to such varieties as escaped. 
As showing the influence of good or inferior seed on the ultimate 
yield, it is curious to observe that seed from one firm manured with 
ordinary farmyard manure at the rate of 30 tons per acre produced 
in one instance 13 tons 16 cwts. per acre, and in another 14 tons, while 
that from a different firm under precisely the same conditions gave 
only 11 tons 18 cwts. Under the same conditions American Chili 
gave 14 tons 1 cwt.; Brown Rock, 14 tons 2 cwts.; and White Rock, 
11 tons 16 cwts., with very little (in one instance no) disease ; so that 
Champion (Carter’s), which gave 11 tons 8 cwts., with 11 cwts.. of 
diseased, is by no means unique either in its yield or disease-resisting 
powers. Indeed, in this experiment Magnum. Prince Frederick Charles, 
Black Apple, Redskin Flourball, Brown Black, [Moray Blue, Brink- 
worth’s Fortyfold, White Rock, and Skerry Blue are before it, for they 
were quite free from disease. Unfortunately not a word is said about 
the table quality of any of these kinds, some of which, in one district 
at least, are hardly fit for pigs. 
In the experiments with special manure Scotch Champion was the 
variety fixed on. Nothing can be said against the confining of the 
experiments to one variety, but when that variety is perhaps the most 
robust in general cultivation it does not follow that the results can 
be trusted. Many excellent Potatoes require a strong start to enable 
them to “ forage ” with effect, whereas the Champion, in common 
with a few others, possesses, as we have said, an extremely robust 
habit and unequalled foraging powers ; so much so, in fact, as to make 
it an exterminator of most ordinary kinds of vegetation, and an 
effectual impoverishes of any but the richest soils. Should the same 
experiments be repeated with weaker kinds it is just possible that 
very different results might be the consequence. 
Unless we were to reproduce the tables it would be impossible for 
us to go over the ground indicated in the Report. In the case of sul¬ 
phate of ammonia alone we find that 2 cwts. produced 7 tons 15 cwts., 
but that 4 cwts. only gave 6 tons 17 cwts. Although it is not stated, 
we suppose the extra application had caused a too great growth of 
haulm, which often detracts from the underground produce. It was 
the same with nitrate of soda ; 2 cwts. produced 9 tons 8 cwts., while 
4 gave only 6 tons 17 cwts. When the ammonia salt and the nitrate 
were combined the same result followed—too much reduced the crop. 
We ourselves by sheer dint of heavy manuring have produced Cham¬ 
pion shaws 6 feet high with hardly any produce. Sulphate of am¬ 
monia and kainit gave 12 tons 10 cwts., and kainit combined with 
the nitrate gave 11 tons 19 cwts. Phosphates without potash salts 
gave good results. Sulphate of ammonia and alta vela phosphate 
gave 10 tons 6 cwts.; but with bone superphosphate the result was 
only 3 tons 19 cwts., or more than a ton under the yield when no 
manure at all was given—rather a blow to the manufacturers and 
manufacturing chemists who put bone higher than mineral, and dis¬ 
solved higher than undissolved phosphate. With nitrate of soda, 
however, rather a different story is told. Possibly the excess of acid 
might be neutralised by the soda liberated from the nitrate of soda, 
just as Mr. Jamieson found nitrate of soda neutralise the evil effects 
of chloride of potash. When sulphate of ammonia was given the 
evil would be increased, hence the very small crop. __ 
In all the other experiments with phosphates sulphate of ammonia 
gave better results than nitrate of soda, thus showing that the mis¬ 
chief must be attributed to the acid in the superphosphate. Not a 
word is said on the subject in the Report, which is rather disappoint¬ 
ing, for it surely came within the scope of the Superintendent’s duty 
to find out the cause and explain such results. It is rather bewilder¬ 
ing to find, too, that while sulphate of ammonia and bone superphos¬ 
phate gave such poor results, bone superphosphate and sulphate of 
ammonia gave 11 tons 19 cwts.—a fact which needs an explanation, 
which is not vouchsafed. Bone superphosphate and kainit gave 
13 tons 19 cwts., while kainit with mineral superphosphate gave 
14 tons 13 cwts.—a large yield, but exceeded by kainit and alta vela 
phosphate, which gave 15 tons. Kainit alone (2 cwts.) gave 13 tons 
19 cwts. ; double the amount, 14 tons 6 cwts. Kainit and curagoa 
phosphates gave 15 tons 19 cwts.—a fact which seems to prove that 
nitrogen may be dispensed with, although we think it a pity that 
nitrogen should not have been given along with both kainit and 
phosphates. Farmyard manure collected in the ordinary way and 
applied at the rate of 30 tons an acre (we presume) gave 13 tons 15 cwts. 
The same amount collected under cover produced 16 tons 13 cwts. 
This is a lesson that should be taken to heart, for less material 
is required to produce a given amount of manure in covered sheds, 
the rain washing the very best away from that which is exposed. As 
sulphate of ammonia along with kainit did not increase the crop 
very much, we hardly know whether to attribute such a remarkable 
increase in the produce to the greater amount of nitrogen in the 
manure, or the greater amount of potash salts in which urine is known 
to be rich, or to both ; but taking into consideration the effect of 
kainit, possibly the potash had most to do with it. . As, however, 
kainit itself is a complicated compound, such reasoning is not safe, 
even though the chemist employed by the Association tells us that 
the other matters have “ no disturbing influence.” This we know to 
be a mistake, as proved by the falling-off in the crops in the case of 
the highly scientific experiments under the auspices of the Sussex 
Association, when magnesia, for instance, was withheld. Kainit, we 
are told, was chosen because of its cheapness. Scientifically this was 
a blunder—different forms of pure potash salts should have been used 
if the object was to ascertain the value of potash for Potatoes. 
Practically the blunder was a happy one if anything approaching the 
results gained at Munster Farm can be secured generally with such a 
cheap compound as kainit is. 
One of the things insisted on in the Report need hardly have found 
a place because of its fallaciousness and because of its being univer¬ 
sally followed. We refer to changing the seed. That when Potatoes 
are badly cultivated and the tubers selected for seed are carelessly 
selected a change is beneficial we will not seek to deny, and if we 
did would be speedily and successfully controverted. _ But we have 
repeatedly proved, and anyone may profitably prove it, that when 
Potatoes are really well grown, the seed carefully selected and pre¬ 
served, improvement and not degeneracy results. To our loss we 
have found a change of seed under such circumstances not an advan¬ 
tage. Even in the Cork experiments different samples from different 
sources gave very different results, pointing not so much to the 
necessity for change in seed as for quality in it. This view we know 
to be exactly tbe reverse of orthodox, but it is hardly a matter for 
opinion seeing anyone can test the matter for himself. 
Space forbids us either quoting or further noticing more, but we 
recommend the Report as well worthy a perusal from which many 
fruitful hints may be gathered. If we have sometimes in our short 
notices pointed out what, in our opinion, has been done too much in 
a haphazard way we hope to be pardoned, for our object is to do a 
