November 25, 1880. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
485 
Christchurch in Hampshire, on the 1st of May, 1825. My father 
was a farm labourer. At the age of nine years I was sent to 
work on a farm in the neighbouring village of Iford, at Is. 6d. 
per week. I had had but little education, and had never taken 
a pen in my hand. When I was twelve years of age my parents 
moved to the east end of Christchurch, and I then went into the 
service of a medical man to look after his pony and to work in 
the garden. After this my father, who liked gardening, was 
taken on as an under gardener at Sir George Rose’s, Sandhills. 
Mudeford, and I went into the employ of Mr. Wm. Orchard, a 
maiket gardener at Christchurch. Although the wages were 
Fig. 87.— MU. JAMES CLARK. 
small I remember with thankfulness the kindness I received from 
this good old man and his wife. I worked for Mr. Orchard for 
two years, and then obtained employment at a cornfactor’s in 
the town, a Mr. Charles Hicks, and he being fond of his garden, 
and seeing that I took an interest in keeping it in order, we got 
on very well together. I was ten years in this place. 
“ June, 1855, I went as gardener to Mr. J. Sopp, a gentleman 
who had a large boarding-school at Christchurch. It was there 
that I had my first experience with seedling Potatoes. The first 
season I found a root of seedlings, self-sown, amongst the crops 
in the garden, with thirteen tubers ; I took care of them, and was 
much interested in the variety there was in the produce of this 
one root. One of them proved a very early round white, and I 
grew it for several years, but it became so subject to disease that 
I was obliged to discontinue growing it. While in this situation 
my health gave way, and I was compelled to give up the place. 
When I was able I went to the jobbing work, taking up pruning 
and the lighter parts of the work. In 1869 I removed from 
Christchurch to Cranemoor, where my wife undertook the care of 
a small chapel. In return for this we were allowed a cottage and 
three-quarters of an acre of land rent free. I employed the land 
in growing garden produce for market, and as the soil was rather 
stiff I grew Roses for sale, that being a work I was fond of, and 
one which I thought would pay. In June, 1870, I was again laid 
aside with heart disease, and was so thoroughly broken down 
that I was told I should not be able to take any active part in 
life again. In the spring of 1869 I had bought 1 lt>. of Early 
Rose Potatoes ; these I cut into fifty sets, and let a neighbour 
have half, and planted the other half myself. The sets planted 
in my own garden produoed 30 Its. These I had taken to Crane- 
moor with me, and planted in the spring of 1870. In the month 
of July, in my weak state, I lifted these Early Rose a few roots 
at a time as best I could. It took me many days to get them all 
up, but the weather was very bright and dry. One day as I was 
quietly walking by the spot where these Potatoes had grown I 
picked up four little seed balls with the thought that, if spared, 
I might get some good sorts of Potatoes from them. The seed 
