November 11, 1880. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 443 
and fertility of its soil, which, by the successful mode of culti¬ 
vation, produces earlier and more abundant crops than that of 
any other part of the country. Near the town, on both sides of 
the river, large portions of ground have been converted into 
gardens, horticulture constituting the chief occupation of the 
labouring class. Asparagus attains an unequalled perfection in 
the soil, and is extensively cultivated, and vegetables of every 
kind are, by means of the river Avon, conveyed hence to the 
principal towns in the surrounding district.” 
Since this was written capital, science, and industry have 
enabled the gardeners of the productive vale of Evesham to 
immeasurably increase their out-put, and the railway has come 
and superseded the river Avon in distributing it. 
A great many spring Radishes are also grown at Wallasey, on 
the Cheshire side of the Mersey, and sent to the Manchester, 
Liverpool, and Yorkshire markets. 
Watercress has become an article of considerable commercial 
importance. As an early spring salad it is a great favourite 
throughout these districts, and has a yearly increasing sale. It 
comes principally from Oxfordshire, where it is highly cultivated, 
and finds employment for a considerable number of peasants. It 
is cut in the afternoon, put on the train, and reaches the Man¬ 
chester market at three o’clock the following morning. Many 
tons are sold here in one day. Thirty-five years ago the only 
supply of this article to Manchester was brought in a hamper or 
two by men, who gathered it from the Cheshire ditches. 
The first supply of spring Cabbages comes from the far-famed 
Evesham. They are followed in a few days by those which are 
grown around London ; then come the Lincolnshire and Cheshire 
Cabbages, and those grown in the neighbourhood of Warrington. 
Asparagus is now plentifully supplied ; the quantity consumed 
has probably quadrupled in the last eight years. One salesman 
has sold a hundred hampers here in one morning. Worcestershire 
(Evesham) and Northamptonshire are the chief sources of supply. 
The first green Peas which appear in the market come from 
Algeria, Spain, and France in the order named. The first English 
from Evesham, the next from Nottinghamshire, and lastly from 
Yorkshire. From these two latter places the supply is enormous. 
One salesman has disposed of 1500 sacks in one day. The quan¬ 
tities grown in Cheshire and Lancashire are quite insignificant in 
comparison, and call for no further notice. The rule is to market 
Peas the next morning after they are gathered. If they stand 
in bulk more than one night fermentation sets in, and they are 
much depreciated. The rates for bringing green Peas to Man¬ 
chester from Nottinghamshire are—for 2 tons and upwards, 13s. 4 d. 
per ton ; 1 ton and less than 2, 20s. They are put on the railway 
at Newark, Collingham, Swinderby, and Rollston. 
From Yorkshire—Burton-Salmon, Selby, and neighbourhood. 
11s. 8 d. per ton ; York, 12s. 4 d. ; Milford Junction, 12s. 
I should have previously stated that the rate from Evesham is 
20 s. per ton. 
In all cases the minimum weight for these rates is 2 tons, and 
lesser consignments are charged higher rates. 
Six thousand five hundred sacks of Peas have been pitched in 
the Manchester market in one day. 
The first new Potatoes seen in the market come from France in 
small quantities, and are always dear. In May they come from 
Cornwall and the Scilly Isles, and are followed by large quantities 
from Jersey. The Jersey Potatoes have very greatly improved in 
quality in the last few years, and the sale of them has consequently 
much increased. From the small beginning of a few baskets 
twice a week the trade has grown to many tons daily. One sales¬ 
man has sold 40 tons of them in one day. The Jersey are closely 
followed by the “ Ormskirk Pink-eyes.” Of all early Potatoes 
these are probably the very finest flavoured. For many years 
their production was exclusively in the hands of small farmers 
and cottagers occupying the district lying between Southport and 
Liverpool ; but of late years their cultivation has extended 
through South Cheshire, from the neighbourhood of Warrington 
away to Dunham-o’-th’-Hill. Much care is required and bestowed 
upon their production. They are kept indoors till they have 
sprouted, and then are carefully planted in “butts,” over which 
straw mats are laid during the night and on cold days to shield 
them from the frost. These supplies are followed by those grown 
on both banks of the river Mersey, chiefly between Warrington 
and Barton. Vast quantities of excellent late Potatoes are also 
received from North-west Lancashire ; indeed, it may be said that 
the county in which the tuber was first grown, after its introduc¬ 
tion into England, has never since shown it any neglect. The 
once-popular “ Fluke ” Potato was raised from seed by John 
Turner, a labourer on the Langley Hill Farm, at Birch, near 
Middleton. It has now fallen quite out of favour, and is but 
sparsely grown. 
All through the winter large quantities of Potatoes are received 
from Yorkshire, from Lincolnshire, and from Scotland. Most of 
these are those known as the “ York Regent,” than which no 
better late Potato need be grown. I have no means of ascertain¬ 
ing the quantity of Potatoes brought into Manchester in a year, 
but as all the populous towns by which it is surrounded draw 
their supplies from it the total quantity must be immense. 
Beside the great fruit and vegetable market at Shude Hill there 
is an extensive Potato market on the premises of the Lancashire 
and Yorkshire Railway Company, in Oldham Road. This market 
is in the hands of the Railway Company, who pay the Corporation 
£1500 per annum for the privilege of holding it. Under the 
agreement Potatoes and Carrots only are permitted to be sold 
here, and none but those which arrive by the Company’s line. 
The largest quantity of new Potatoes brought into the market 
at Shude Hill in one week, from 1870 to 1870 inclusive, has been 
as follows :— 
Loads op 18-Stone. 
1870. 1871. 1872. 1873. 1874. 1875. 1876. 1877. 1878. 1879. 
21,000 29,500 18,200 19,100 18,750 18,500 19,000 14,300 23,000 22,250 
That the home grower of this popular and useful article of food 
has not a monopoly of its growth, however, the following figures 
will testify. They are copied from the Government return for 
1877. I have been unable to procure last year’s return, but I 
believe the quantity to have been greatly in excess of that in 1877. 
I learn from a private source that the quantity shipped from 
Hamburg alone last year was 4,592,270 cwts. 
YEAR 1877—From 
Germany 
Holland 
Belgium 
France .. 
3,636,600 cwts. 
729,941 „ 
933,021 „ 
2,079,185 „ 
Portugal.. 
Channel Islands 
Malta . 
Canada . 
38,019 cwts. 
364,451 „ 
63,253 „ 
84,756 „ 
making a total of 7,929,220 cwts. 
The following are the rates for carrying Potatoes to Manchester 
from many of the places named :—Belgium, 14s. per ton ; Ham¬ 
burg, 22 s. 6 d .; France, 35.?.; Jersey, 50s.: St. Malo. 50.?.; Ayr¬ 
shire and district, 21s. 8 d. to 23s. 4 d. ; Perth and district, 25?. to 
275. GrZ. ; Goole, 11.?. lOtZ.; Hull, 135. Id. ; Keadby and Crowle, 
125. 2 d. ; and Holbeach, I 65 . 6 d. 
Cheshire .—Delamere, 8 .?. 8 d. ; Mouldsworth, 5.?.; Manby, 9.?. ; 
Helsby, 95 .; Tarvin, 9.?. ; Mobberley, 7.?. 1 Id. ; Knutsford, Is. 11 <7.; 
Plumbley, 85 . id. ; Northwich, 85 . 9 d. ; Hartford. 8 .?. 6 d. ; Cud- 
dington, 7 5 . 6 d. ; and Wallasey, 85 . 4 d.—(Royal Agricultural 
Society's Journal.') 
NEW AND OLD VARIETIES OF POTATOES. 
We have had a great addition to the number of new varieties 
of Potatoes of late years, respecting the merits of which all per¬ 
sons are not of the same opinion ; some praise while others 
condemn the same Potatoes. I can only account for this differ¬ 
ence of opinion by attributing it to variation of soil, situation, and 
method of cultivation. Much as I approve of new introductions, 
not only of Potatoes, but of other vegetables that may be really 
beneficial, I should like to see in the new something superior to 
the old. Now in new introductions of Potatoes, without looking 
for superior quality, I should be glad to find one that could equal 
a Jersey Blue or a Dunbar Regent for high quality. There 
are several old varieties that are really superior to any which 
have been raised of late years. The highest quality will always 
command the best price in the market, therefore we must con¬ 
sider the new varieties as novelties which it may be desirable to 
continue raising, in the hope that we shall some day be fortunate 
and find one of our seedlings that will equal in quality those that 
we have been endeavouring to supersede. Our patience and dili¬ 
gence have been great, but at present we can only congratulate 
ourselves that we have been trying for upwards of forty years to 
raise new varieties without having succeeded in producing one 
that will compare in quality with some that were in daily use 
before we began. We have obtained many useful varieties, I 
admit, but few that have made their mark in a commercial point 
of view like the York Regents, Flukes, and Dunbar Regents. 
When we shall be enabled to announce that our new introduc¬ 
tions have obtained a better reputation and a higher standing 
than those that we have discarded we shall be enabled to report 
progress.—R. C. 
HOLIDAY NOTES. 
In continuation of the notes taken during my holiday tour I 
now send a short descriptive account of Trentham and Keele. 
TKENTHAM. 
This being perhaps the best known, if only by name, I give it 
precedence as one of the best schools in the kingdom for thoroughly 
