414 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 26,1887. 
weak would ever thoroughly recover? or is tlie disease so unlike all other 
diseases, whether fungoid or otherwise, only temporary in its.effect ? If 
my theory is wrong, and “ A Thinker's ” right, how comes it that neither 
the latter nor his friend, “ a first-rate Potato grower,” tried the experi¬ 
ment of growing a quantity of seed Potatoes either in rough frames or 
on a warm border ? The latest Potato in cultivation can, with a little 
extra trouble, be induced to mature early on a warm border. Here 
they should assimilate and secrete the food gathered from the earth,” 
anil be either at once or gradually restored to their pristine vigour. 
They might, however, restore them to a profitable state, but never make 
them disease-resisting, and consequently such an unreliable sort must 
go out of cultivation. I should be glad to have a few tubers of the true 
old Fluke to experiment with, but where are they to be obtained ? 
As some readers are aware, I delight in upsetting time-honoured 
“ fads,” and those.who will take the trouble to refer to my former notes 
on the degeneracy of the Potato will find I am well supported, this time 
by “ A Thinker,” even to the extent that change of seed is by no means 
generally to be recommended, yet I am privately told I must be mad to 
deny the efficacy of such a change under any conditions. For several 
years past I have been favoured with samples of quite new sorts of 
Potatoes for trial, in eluding many of Messrs. Sutton’s valuable novelties, 
but I have always taken care to point out that the first year’s crops 
were no criterion of their worth, for the simple reason that I always met 
with greater success with seed of my own saving. Perhaps if I had unduly 
coddled them we might have lifted much larger crops ; but with all due 
respect to those who think and act differently I venture to say the new 
sorts, to be fairly tried, ought to rough it with the rest. It is this 
favouritism shown to bought or exchanged seed that has had something 
to do with encouraging the idea that a change is so very profitable. 
Those that get the best positions as well as the best worked and most 
freely manured ground should yield the heaviest crops ; do not, there¬ 
fore, give all the credit to the change of seed. 
The temporary deterioration of a Potato being traceable to th e 
weakening of the sets from premature sprouting, disease, or other causes, 
it, I think, naturally follows that success with a change of seed is 
attributable to either better stored or healthy sets, or what is also 
probable enough, to the sets containing a greater amount of starch. It 
must, however, be remembered that all the tubers do is to form stout 
sprouts, the latter soon becoming independent. In reality I believe the 
haulm keeps the old tubers plump and does not derive any further 
benefit from then). At any rate some of the best crops of Potatoes I 
have yet lifted were from sprouts rooted apart from even a portion of 
old tuber. I believe it was a German idea, which originated in a time of 
scarcity, to plant the sprouts and eat the tubers, and is by no means an 
impracticable one. The question arises, If the imported or changed sets 
contain material for building up stronger sprouts than may seed raised 
on the home ground, is it not possible to repair this deficiency in the 
latter and thereby avoid the trouble and expense of changing seed ? 
Where are the heaviest and in all other respects best crops of Potatoes 
obtained ? I answer in newly broken up pasture land. It is the virgin 
soils both here and in America that grow the finest crops, but they will 
not continue to do so without restoring to the lands the food exhausted 
by previous crops. It is to the neglect of this precaution that I partly 
attribute the temporary deterioration of the Potato ; and if instead of 
sending hundreds of miles for fresh seed, or even of purchasing it nearer 
home, the same amount or less was expended on some kind of artificial 
.manure, the crops of Potatoes would be materially increased, and, what is 
■of importance, successional crops, whether these be cereals, roots, or any 
member of the Brassica tribe, will also derive much benefit from these 
comparatively light dressings of manure. Farmers use artificials and 
lime much more freely than gardeners, yet it is the overcropped humus- 
abounding garden soil that stands in the greater need of it. Anybody’s 
special Potato manure, bone manure, superphosphates, sulphate of 
ammonia and kainit, guano and soot, may each and all be yet advan¬ 
tageously applied to the breadths of Potatoes, being merely dusted be¬ 
tween the rows and hacked or hoed in prior to a rainfall or moulding 
up, this being a sure method of preventing the deterioration of all but 
the non-disease-resisters. 
According to “ A Thinker ” it is of the greatest importance that the 
• sets be properly matured, and I am afraid therefore he will not have 
much respect for the late Mr. M'Intosh’s teaching. Much of the latter’s 
writing 1 has evidently been largely drawn on by authors now living, and 
on the whole he may safely be termed a good authority at the present 
date. He held or recorded a very queer opinion, however, as to what 
constituted a good seed tuber, and as “ A Thinker ” favours me occa¬ 
sionally I may by way of return give a quotation that may be said to 
indirectly corroborate his theories. In MGntosli’s “ Practical Gardener,” 
published in 1829, the following occurs “ In Denbighshire we call the 
hilly or unripe Potato, the wet Potatoes, and those from the rich soils 
and warm situations, where they ripen perfectly, we call the dry 
Potatoes, although exactly the same varieties ; the wet or unripe are 
reckoned the best for seed and the dry for food. The Potato tuber is a 
perfectly organised system, in which the circulation regularly proceeds, 
and if suffered to ripen will then tend to decay ; but if separated before 
ripe from the stem or stalk, which furnishes it with blood or fruit sap 
descending from the leaves, the circulation of the blood sap is suddenly 
arrested.” 
“ The ripe Potato, having performed all its operations, becomes more 
inert, but the circulation of the sap in the unripe tuber having been 
stopped, it starts more readily and with greater vigour when planted ; 
the one seems to die, worn out with ago, the other seems accidentally to 
have fallen asleep, and when awakened possesses an unspent vigour and 
energy. Placing the Potatoes upon the gravel, or in the sun, or any dry 
but not a grass walk, has the effect of stopping the circulation in the 
tuber, in which Nature has provided resources to carry it on to an 
extraordinary degree, unless so stopped.” 
If this was the system generally in vogue fifty years ago, which 1 
question, it may have led to the deterioration of the varieties cultivated, 
and as we were supposed to have hotter summers in those good old days, 
the crops were more often quite as “ dry ” as “ A Thinker could wish 
to have them, and I do not believe their deterioration can be attributed 
to the planting of either “ wet ” or “dry ” sets.. , 
In support of my previously expressed opinion that the ground is the 
best place for keeping seed Potatoes 1 may mention that the old Ashleaf 
lifted early, stored in a light and cool place, and planted on a warm 
border early in March, are now 12 inches high. Others lifted late in 
December, and planted early in April, are 6 inches high, while some lett 
in a warm border all the winter are only just above the surface, the 
“ weakling” Champion with us matures early,and if lifted sprouts much 
too early, but is quite late enough when left in the ground. 
W. IGGULDEN. 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS IN MAY. 
The season has been an unusually late one, and in many respects 
very trying. Even now (May 14th) we are experiencing what is called in 
these parts (East Kent) “ the Blackthorn winter,” which means a cold, 
bleak, northerly wind ; and although the Blackthorn is late this year, 
yet it has not failed to bring with it its wintry companion, hence all 
florists’ flowers arc late, and many operations connected with them will 
be late also, for however rigid we may make our rules with regard to 
them we cannot regulate the weather. - 
Auriculas. —In ordinary seasons these would have been out of 
flower and placed in their summer quarters previous to repotting, but a 
large number of mine are still in flower, and they will have to remain 
for a little while longer in their present quarters before that operation 
is performed. As I have already stated, I have not top-dressed mine this 
spring, and I never had better plants or finer flowers. The cool weather 
has done one thing, at any rate—it has kept them in flower for a long 
time, and so given us more enjoyment of them. Before the end of the 
month, however, they will have gone out of flower, and as I do not save 
seed I shall have no occasion to keep them any longer in their winter 
quarters. A place should be prepared for them under a north wall or 
hedge, and the frames removed there. The compost should be ready for 
potting, and should consist of good fibrous loam three parts, decayed cow 
manure one part, leaf mould and powdered charcoal one part, and a 
small quantity of road grit or sharp sand. This should all be well 
mixed together and well chopped up, but on no account to be passed 
through a sieve. In potting take care that the pots are perfectly clean. 
Place an oystershell or flat piece of broken pot over the hole,, then a 
good handful of broken pots, on top of this some of the coarser pieces, of 
loam in the compost, then fill up the pots about two-thirds. Examine 
the plants before repotting, cut off any moderate length of tap root, ex¬ 
amine the collar well to see if there are any woolly aphis about it, and 
if detected first brush it off, and then wash the plants in clear water. In 
brushing it off take care that it is done away from the potting place, as 
they are by their woolly covering easily carried about. Place the plant 
in the pot with the roots distributed evenly all round, then fill up with 
the compost, potting firmly, and leaving some of the finest of it for the 
top ; then water gently, and place them in a close frame for a few days, 
after that let them have all the air possible, and water regularly. Take 
off the large outer leaves as they decay, but not before, and. leave them 
in their summer quarters. I should have said that previous to this 
operation the pot or frame.should be fumigated so as to get rid of any 
green fly that may be about the plants. 
Carnations and Picotees. —I have again returned to growing 
these in pots, as I suffered very much from the last two winters when I 
grew them in beds. After they were potted they were placed under 
cover, just simply sashes, where I bloom some of my Chrysanthemums. 
As this is open all round they get plenty of air, while they are protected 
from the rain, snow, and high winds. Some are now spindling i.c., the 
flower stems are lengthening ; these will require to be tied up and the 
pots kept clear of weeds ; watering of course must be attended to, as 
they do not receive any rain. ' Where they have been up to this time in 
a house the pots will now require to be placed out of doors.; but as my 
plan gives me all the advantage of protection without in any way 
drawing up, they will probably remain where they are. Should aphides 
appear they should be at once got rid of by brushing them off. 
Gladioli. —Mine are showing very strongly ; they will not require 
during this month any special culture. The hoe should be run 
between the rows, anil the weeds in the rows taken out with the hand, 
as it is somewhat dangerous to use the hoe between the plants. 
Pansies in Pots. —I am more than ever convinced that for the 
south of England this is the only way to cultivate them, and mine are 
now in their full beauty. • Show Tansies have been very much elbowed 
out of the way by the wonderfully coloured Fancy flowers, which are so 
large, showy and effective in colour, and perfect in shape, while being of 
more robust habit, they do not go off in the same way as the Show 
varieties are apt to do. It will be well now when any small shoot8 
appear sufficiently strong for the purpose to take them off and place 
them round the sides of a pot in a cold frame, as they will at this time 
root easily. It is of no use taking strong pithy growth, as this will 
