510 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 15, 1887. 
them be utilised; but to rely on them in any measure as 
substitutes for high culture can only end in disappoint¬ 
ment, and natural methods of improvement must never 
be overlooked. Good field culture of Potatoes means a 
yield of from 10 tons to 20 tons per acre, and when these 
weights are produced, as they are, and the produce 
realises £4 a ton, as it has, there is a margin left as a 
“living” off the land, even if half the value of the crop 
is invested in its production, and there can be no sub¬ 
stantial interest without a good investment. 
The Potato crop this year is unusually heavy, Magnum 
Bonum being taken as the staple variety. The plants had 
“potatoed” before the rain fell, and those who followed 
the advice of early lifting, which appears to have clung 
to the public mind, for avoiding supertubering, had to 
regret their action when they saw the results of another 
five or six weeks of growth. The early lifted produce 
does not represent half a crop, the tubers being small, 
malformed, and scarcely saleable; while those that were 
left are large, some perhaps too large, well shaped as a 
rule, the crop being more than twice as heavy as the pre¬ 
maturely lifted, and at the least thrice as valuable. This 
is not the result in one district alone, but in several widely 
separated. The growth after the rain and till very late 
in the autumn was wonderful. The heavy yield was not, 
however, gained by “supertubering” of the old ruinous 
kind, but in not a few instances was the produce of a 
distinct second growth of tubers which attained a full 
marketable size, most of them setting their skins firmly, 
but not all. In some cases the original tubers increased 
in size, attaining abnormal dimensions, yet not necessarily 
unshapely, but extending and “ thickening out,” a mark 
on them showing the first and second growth clearly; but 
in most cases the original tubers remained almost sta¬ 
tionary, some of them merely bulging out and spoiling 
their appearance, the second crop—that formed on 
“ spears ” direct from the stems, eventually proving infi¬ 
nitely the heavier and better in appearance and quality. 
This is “ supertubering,” no doubt, but of a profit¬ 
able kind, the form that was dreaded by the early diggers 
being exactly the reverse. This when it appeared in 
connection with weaker growers and earlier ripeners than 
the Magnum Bonum, consisting of young tubers pushing 
from the eyes of the first formed, or crop proper, and 
clinging like limpets to the rock; this “ supertubering ” 
commencing with a heavy fall of rain after a period of 
drought that brought growth to a standstill, and so far 
prematurely ripened the tubers, that, though small, they 
could not increase in size, but instead produced a cluster¬ 
ing progeny. Several of these second tubers were often 
found larger than the originals, yet not large enough, nor 
good enough for table use, though they answered for 
seed, producing fairly good crops; but those from which 
they sprang were of no use for seed, but only fit for 
pigs, probably doing these little, if any, good, for the 
tubers were hard, the starch having apparently been 
drawn from them by the supertubers, it is to be 
noticed that though the first formed tubers were so far 
ripened that they could swell no more, the eyes or buds 
were not developed, or they would have pushed growths 
in a natural way, producing stems and leaves above 
ground. This is what the earlier and fully ripened 
Ashleaf varieties have done when left in the ground, 
but the late kinds seldom. The supertubering described, 
when very pronounced is disastrous, and where the 
original tubers were large enough for use it was wise 
to dig them before the rain, if even a moderate crop 
could be secured, as it often could in the south; hence 
the advocacy of the plan that was, with rare exceptions, 
impracticable in the north for the reason stated. Ex¬ 
perience shows, too, that though early lifting may 
answer with Regents and others that ripen about the 
same time, it does not answer, nor is it needed, by the- 
later and stronger Magnum Bonum, for the early diggers- 
of this have certainly been very great losers. 
But, as intimated at the commencement of these notes,, 
there is danger in the other extreme of leaving the crops- 
in the ground too long, and being overtaken by frost 
before they can be secured. This has occurred with many 
in some parts of Lincolnshire, and possibly elsewhere. 
The growth was so strong and so late that the withering, 
of the haulm was waited for, this materially reducing the 
cost in facilitating the work of lifting. This was in full 
swing in November—all the hands that could be obtained 
being employed in it. It was a race against the portend¬ 
ing winter. In some fields the tops were pulled up, but 
the cavities thus left admitted the frost that immediately 
followed, and damage was dr ne. Hundreds of tons were- 
heaped and covered with straw, frost coming before they 
could be earthed sufficiently, and it is feared much loss- 
will be sustained in that way. Some readers in the 
salubrious south may possibly imagine that the winter 
of last year is referred to. They may not know that 
between the 14th and 20th of November this year that 
frost penetrated the ground to the depth of 5 inches, and 
that skating on deep ponds was indulged in. It is thought 
by some growers that the extent of the injury will affect- 
prices, and as they can afford to do so it is not unlikely 
they will “ hold ” their stocks for a time and wait tha 
issue of events. 
Enterprise as well as ability is not wanting amongst 
the best of the Potato farmers. They are on the look-out 
for new varieties and try many that promise to answer 
their purpose. They must be good growers, bearers, 
keepers, and cookers, with white (not coloured) skins, 
and preferably rough. Red and purple Potatoes are 
effective at exhibitions, and some of them of excellent 
quality when cooked; but there is no appreciable demand 
tor them in the markets, and they are therefore not likely 
to be cultivated on an extensive scale. Potatoes for 
exhibition have been fashionable during the past few years, 
and the “fancy” has done good in stimulating raisers 
and cultivators in the path of improvement. There is a 
plethora of varieties now. Some very good ones have 
no doubt been introduced, and their merits as croppers 
and cookers determined at Chiswick. These must have 
been widely distributed, and gardeners and others who 
have grown them might do good by directing attention to 
such as they have found to possess substantial advantages 
over older varieties. So far, after many trials in fields, 
the Magnum Bonum has held the premier position. 
Regents and some others are grown for special markets, 
but on “ Magnums ” reliance is mainly placed for pro¬ 
ducing the rent and something over; but it has a rival in 
the field now—a variety that does not figure prominently 
in trade lists, that has not been exhibited and certificated, 
nor frequently “ mentioned ” in the press. Its name is 
Imperator. Since 17 tons per acre were grown on a 
Yorkshire farm in a less bountiful Potato year than this, 
the extent of its culture has only been limited by the 
supply of seed. It is a robust, yet sturdy and upright 
grower, with round to oval, rough skinned, small eyed 
tubers, few being too small for market, but some too large, 
and the quality and appearance so good that the London 
salesmen who have received consignments are asking for 
more. Closer planting will I’educe the size, but a few 
