-ianua'y 19,1888. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER^ 
39 
Teceived of late years has in no way diminished during the past 
.year, and although it has been a most trying one in many situations, 
tind we hardly at present can estimate the extent of our losses 
from the drought, yet great progress has been made. In all 
•directions we find amateurs entering into the new pastures opened 
out for them, and many have felt how valuable they were during 
the past dry season, for where many others failed, and the vases 
would have been empty or nearly so, those who had herbaceous 
■plarits to go to could always find something pleasing, and often¬ 
times novel, while at many exhibitions throughout the country 
•groups of them, and collections of their cut flowers, have attracted 
n ‘large number of visitors, and encouraged many to begin their 
culture. It now becomes a question. What is to be considered an 
lierbaceous p'ant ? Do bulbs come under that designation ? It 
seems, for instance, rather out of place to see a large plant of 
Lilium auratum figuring amongst them as a hardy herbacous plant, 
but definitions are funny things, and I leave this thorny question 
€or the present. 
The depression which has rested on the whole commerce and 
agriculture of the country has had a very deteriorating effect on 
many of our large places. The staff of gardeners has been reduced, 
gardens left in untidiness, and in many instances sale of produce 
earned on to a considerable extent. I was in one place last summer 
which used to be a grand show place, and one I had often desired to 
visit. How woeful was my disappointment! Houses in ruins or 
pulled down ; gardens littery and ill-kept, and everything looked at 
in a commercial point of view. Nor was this to be wondered at. 
When the able and intelligent gardener went there twenty years 
ago he had twenty-three men under him, now he has four ! This, I 
very much fear, is a sample of what is going on around us, and 
I think no one can regard the process without great regret for what 
IS taking place. These large places formed some of our best schools 
for gardeners, and it will be a great pity if they should cease to exist. 
The question as to the equity of proprietors disposing of their surplus 
produce has been much debated, but personally I do not see why a 
gentleman should be thought mean if he disposes of surplus Peaches 
any more than of his surplus Shorthorns or Berkshire pigs. He is 
not regarded as a butcher if he does the one, why should he be 
<xillcd a market gardener if he does the other? 
The death-roll has not been so large this year as in some previous 
years, nor have those who are gone from us occupied very pro¬ 
minent positions. It is many years since Lord Hawke gave up 
exhibiting. He used at one time to be the great amateur Holly¬ 
hock grower, and his flowers were looked for with anxiety by those 
who cultivated that stately autumn flower, but when the mysterious 
•disease attacked it he became more engrossed with another favourite 
Slower, the Gladiolus. This he had already cultivated successfully, 
ibut the failure of the Hollyhock incited him to a more extended 
culture, and his flowers were looked for with great interest and a 
•considerable amount of fear by those who were his antagonists. He 
never undertook anything that he did not carry out with energy 
■und success. Mr. Kinghorn, one of the gentlest and most amiable 
of men had, from his delicate state of health, been but little seen 
latterly. He was a man of sound judgment, quiet, but not easily 
inoved from a position he had once taken up. Amongst gardeners 
Utr. Z. Stevens of Trentham has passed away—and so the world goes 
on. There is one lesson among many we all have to learn on 
(looking from year to year at the lists of those who have gone 
€rom us—vjz., how very soon we are forgotten. We fancy some- 
^mes. What a blank when such a one is gone ! Just the blank that 
the sea leaves on the shore when the receding wave lays it bare ; 
feut the next wave soon covers it again. And so it is with us all ; 
we must work for love of the work, and fulfil it in our day. Of 
all idle things, that which is the idlest is to think of what will be 
&aid of us when we are gone. We shall be forgotten ; and in the 
•emphatic words of the old Book, “ the place that knew us shall 
know us no more.” And so my brothers and sisters in the craft, 
3et us work cheerily on, rejoicing in a pursuit so full of calming 
■and restful thought, and look forward (forgive a parson) for the 
<true Garden—the Paradise of God.”—D., Deal. 
SeONSIDERATIONS AS TO EARLY AND LATE 
POTATOES. 
Early Potatoes. —Potatoes are of first importance in Ireland 
as a general crop ; but before coming to that it may be well just 
aiow to refer to preparatory considerations affecting early varieties, 
''fhe weather has been singularly mild since Christmas, so much so 
Ihat there seems some risk of starting into premature growth owing 
do the atmosphere being almost at saturation point for some weeks. 
Por frame culture this would be no inconvenience, as they might 
now be placed in at any time with a fair expectation that sufficient 
«un and light can be had to mature the haulm later on, without 
which tubers are insipid. The question has often been discussed 
whether the tubers or “ sets ” should be cut. Every such query 
must be decided on its merits. If a number of stalks and a number 
of small tubers are desired, do not cut; if the reverse, as is cus¬ 
tomary, divide according to size and number of eyes. There are 
other reasons for doing so, but at present I pass on. 
Those who have a warm southern border with a wall behind 
may do well, if they want very early Potatoes, to start the “ sets ” 
slowly any time now according to requirements, say in shallow 
boxes of sandy soil, and subsequently lift into the furrows as you 
would Peas. If the soil is naturally cold and wet this would be 
time lost as well as the “ sets ” and vexatious disappointment, as 
when transplanted growth would cease and the fibrous roots rot. 
Two capital applications for almost any soil and any variety of 
early Potatoes are newly slaked lime and rather fresh stable manure. 
The lime in that state is loose and friable, and kills larvaa, grubs, 
and the eggs of insects—benefiting the subsequent crop also—while 
thestable manure,somewhat fresh, warms the soil. If cold andsodden 
the tender forced rootlets in the e.arly spring are more injured than 
benefited thereby. In fact, no manure would be more desirable. 
Now is the time for the amateur and gardener to turn such con¬ 
siderations over in their minds; no writer can do more than mention 
general principles, particular cases differing in essentials. 
As to the best early varieties, the old Ashleaf Kidney (Mj'att’s, 
Veitch’s, or Rivers’) is now run hard in the race for priority and 
popularity by Carter’s First Crop, and by the recently certificated 
Snowdrop, all kidney shaped. If an early round is desired, after 
many trials and many years’ experience I have 1 our.d nothing to 
equal Carter’s Eight Weeks, that very nearly will be found to merit 
its name. If quality is a secondary consideration, Early Rose, 
Racehorse, or Excelsior should get a preference, as the yield is 
heavier. 
General Crop Potatoes. —Last year’s experience of the field 
crops has been very singular, owing to the persistent and almost 
continuous drought in the south of Ireland—the north had several 
inches more rain—growers were speculating on having no Potato 
crop as late as August. The clay was then actually hot, and after 
some heavy showers tubers began to form with extraordinary 
rapidity. Fortunately with me, and I may say the greater part of 
Ireland, the field Potatoes had formed no tubers up to that time, so 
there was virtually no “ supertubering,” a subject of much 
importance discussed recently by Mr. Laxton, Bedford, who takes 
much interest in raising new varieties. Another peculiarity of last 
season, and for which you must go back to 184,3, the year (and sub¬ 
sequent ones) of the famine and total blight, there was no Potato 
disease last year. I must specially draw attention to this matter, as 
I think it has not been sufficiently noticed, and this observation 
applies to all varieties sent me for trial by the most noted growers 
of England and Ireland. Up to the present moment of last year’s 
crop in any part of Ireland I have been in, from Clare to Dublin, 
from Cork to Wexford, I have not seen a diseased Potato. I say 
diseased advisedly, as I mean affected with the peronospora blight 
or “ murrain.” Of course I have seen a limited number of decayed 
ones—quite a different matter. Now this disease is a fungus, and 
moisture is necessary to its propagation, or even existence at a 
certain period. But there was no moisture and no disease at that 
period, so I am tempted to ask you and fungologists what they 
think of the country being finally rid of the Potato disease ? I am 
proceeding on the supposition that the experience of other growers 
last season and up to the present is like my own and those I have 
discussed the matter with. The importance of this point, in its 
bearing as the future prosperity of the country, leaves me only space 
to refer nominally to certain varieties I grew. 
The quality of almost all varieties was good. Of new ones I 
may name Carter’s King of the Russets and Cartel’s (Rennet’s) 
Surprise, which I find the Royal Horticultural Society also gave 
firat-class certificates to after testing at Chiswick. Sutton’s Abund¬ 
ance, Seedling, and Twenty-one, owing to the drought, I am growing 
this season again. Mr. Laxton sent me ten varieties rather late ; 
all were free from disease, but the best, everything considered, were 
Reward, Bouncer, and Bedfordshire Hero. Mr. Inglis has a 
capital Potato in White Fortyfold. Of older varieties I will at 
present merely name them as I found in the order of their merit— 
Reading Hero, Cosmopolitan, Beauty of Hebron (second early), 
Scottish Queen, Imperator, Carter’s Freedom (new). Champion, 
Magnum Bonum (heavy crop), and Vicar of Laleham.—W. J. 
Murphy, Clonmel. 
Readixc; Russet Potato. —We grew Reading Russet Potato 
for the first time two years ago, and were so pleased with it that 
we grew it more extensively last year, but the quality was not nearly 
so good, and the cracking mentioned by “ G.” was very prevalent; 
in fact, all our Potatoes cracked a good deal last year, but none so 
much as Reading Russet. I attributed the cracking to the heavy 
