170 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
December 8. 
of pointed remark, that onr early kinds in hotbeds, or 
frames, have not suffered in anything like a ratio cor¬ 
responding with that of the late crops in the fields. 
This I take for admitted on all sides ; and if so, to what 
does it seem to point ? Why, to the fact, that early 
planting, early rest, and a -very moderate amount of 
haulm, are favourable to Potato-culture in the present 
state of affairs. 
Before offering a little advice about early Potatoes, 
let me advert to a singular fact in out-door culture 
which has come to my knowledge somewhat recently. 
Within two miles of here, there are, perhaps, as many 
Potatoes grown, for the amount of laud, as in any part 
of England. Indeed, for more than thirty years the 
culture of Potatoes has constituted the key to their rota¬ 
tions on the lighter soils; and in this respect, the Po¬ 
tato here has become a sad rival of the dairy, causing 
many broad acres of old cheese pasture to be broken-up, 
and, of course, weakened by culture. Whether wrong 
or right, on the whole, I pretend not to judge; I merely 
speak as to the fact, and as one bearing on the cheese¬ 
making, for wc are here about in the very centre of the 
old Cheshire dairy district. 
About seven years since, a certain person, who had 
been, I believe, a shoe-maker, took a considerable extent 
of land, which had been, what is termed here, “ploughed- 
out,” that is to say, fairly exhausted by hard cropping 
and bad manuring. People thought he was mad; but 
he went boldly to work in the Potato way, planting 
most of this poor land with that crop; and as, of course, 
he had no manure, and the land would scarcely grow a 
Daisy without some application, he was driven to try 
guano, and the fact is, he has gone on annually in¬ 
creasing the breadth of Potatoes, until, it would appear, 
that what little alternations of crops ho has bear a direct 
reference to this Potato and guano system. He is now 
said to have amassed much property, and everybody is 
talking about Mr. B’s wheat stacks, and his thousands of 
bushels of Potatoes, when other folks have few or none. 
Now I, for one, must confess to having learned from 
the shoemaker’s practice; and my opinion may be em¬ 
bodied in the two following maxims :— 
1st. Potatoes, w'hen above ground, should be so situ¬ 
ated as to be a full-grown plant speedily. 
2ndly. To effect this, the manure used should be 
highly stimulating, but the first stimulus should soon 
pass away. 
Indeed, these results were to be expected from 
guano beforehand, and gardeners have yet much to 
examine into concerning the difference between a slow- 
acting manure long-continued, and a quick and highly- 
stimulating one soon declining. 
But it is not only in the Mr. B.’s case, before alluded 
to, but I have heard of many others tending to the 
same point; and I will venture to say, that if some of 
our readers will try two plots of exhausted soil, equal in 
condition and character, the one with guano, the other 
with farm-yard manure, that they will find, as to Potatoes, 
the superiority of the former. 
It is well known that the decay of the haulm presents 
different appearances under differing conditions; in one 
case assuming the condition called wet rot, or gan¬ 
grene; in the other, a dry gangrene. Now I have 
noticed, for years, that the dry gangrene in the haulm 
is a mere consequence of poverty in the soil; and the 
evil of luxuriance of plants through highly-stimulating 
manures. And so on, through intermediate characters 
of soil, producing, as might be expected, intermediate 
effects. 
But now to the chief purport of this paper—which is 
to offer a few hints to the inexperienced in the principles 
of forcing, or accelerating, Potatoes. 
There is no bettor Potato, for early forcing, than the 
Ash-leaved Kidney, if true (this is the Walnut-leaved 
Kidney of some districts), for there are several mongrel 
kinds in culture. Most gardeners force an early frame, 
or pit; some, several; and most resort to fermenting 
materials in such forcing. Whatever the bed may bo 
composed of, in this respect, it must be made to produce 
a bottom-heat of 65° to 70°, and should be capable of 
retaining it for several weeks, which is generally effected 
by wbat are termed linings. The fermenting material 
should be trodden carefully in the process of filling, or 
building, as the Potatoes do not thrive so well if the 
soil settles; their fibres become broken, and their 
foliage disarranged. The best soil for the Ash-leaved 
Kidney Potato is a turfy and somewhat adhesive loam ; 
but loam, or no loam, they love a sound soil—one not 
too sandy. 
The other classes of Potatoes will succeed in lighter 
soil, and, in fact, any of them will do very well in a 
good garden soil ; but by no means add manurial 
matters, unless a little guano were considered necessary, 
when the best way would be to blend it with the soil 
thoroughly. A gallon of Peruvian would be enough 
for an ordinary frame or pit. And now let us advise 
our young Potato-forcers to start all their earliest frame 
Potatoes in pots—those five inches diameter are the 
best; and they may be potted in soil both strong and 
rich, on the principle of giving things a good start. 
Almost any frame or greenhouse will do for them, but the 
lower the temperature, the earlier they should be potted. 
It in an ordinary cool house, or frame, minus frost, and 
the cultivator desires Potatoes in March, there is not a 
day to be lost; indeed, they should have been potted a 
month ago. The best plan is to put the Potato in the 
bottom of the pot, or nearly so, and then to fill-up with 
the rich compost; when the plant has to be turned out 
in the bed there will be found such a mass of fibres as 
will, in a generous soil, and a little bottom-warmth, 
cause the plant to develops speedily, which, as before 
stated, is the chief object in these days. 
About the third week in January is a capital time to 
make the bed and plant them out finally, and a little 
management is requisite in this proceeding. The fer¬ 
menting material being all right, our practice is to 
strew a layer of old turfy soil over it, and on that layer 
the kidney’s turned-out of pots, with, of course, nice 
white balls, and a well-established sprout; these are 
then placed in rows, about fourteen inches apart, and at 
the distance of some seven to eight inches between the 
plants. 
Henceforward, the Potato - forcer’s chief aim is to 
keep them from “ drawing ”—they require a bottom- 
warmth under such circumstances, if only to repel frost; 
and yet, again, for another reason, the root-action must 
be sustained. Ventilation on every favourable oppor¬ 
tunity is the pivot on which the chances of success 
must be founded. If this be well attended, and previous 
conditions have received the attention recommended, 
why all will be right. 
But, no sooner are the Potatoes three inches above 
the soil, than, owing to the discrepancy between heat 
and light, and, of course, our impatience, symptoms of 
this drawing will appear at early periods. However, 
now the bottom-heat will perforce decline, and this 
alone will cool their ardour; but by this time the plants 
will be freely developed, and all that remains to be done, 
is, not forcing, but such a guarantee of warmth ns will 
enable the plant to carry out its functions. Clear glass 
overhead, and, of course, all the light possiblo, with a 
most liberal ventilation on all fitting occasions, will 
nearly complete, the rest. It is worthy of remark, that 
early Potatoes do not bear “ earthing-up” so well as the 
out-door crops ; it, however, is well to add a little 
mellow soil or leaf-mould, about an inch or two drawn 
to their stems when they are about six inches high. As 
to wateiing, little or none should be practised until the 
