y08 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
December 16. j 
Mrs. Brarjcj (Bragg); golden-yellow, rich mulberry- 
piirplo margin; a good old variety. 
Mouaroli (Hale); yellow, with purple margin ; c.Ktra 
lino. 
Pandora (Hunt); yellow, margined broadly with 
ricli. glossy purple; fine form and texture; and very 
constant. 
Kenown (’I’lioinson) ; fine and large; extra shape and 
sulistancc ; iirst-rato ; yellow and purple. 
UisuKj Sun (Turner); bright yellow top petals, bright 
broiizo-rcd lower ditto, margined with the same; fine, 
j Sir John Oathcart (Turner); deep gold-yellow top 
[Kilals, liery-bronzo lower petals, margined with the 
I same ; c.xtra fine substance and form. 
Sir Joseph Paxton (Betteredge); yellow top petals, 
and belting rich dark maroon ; fine shape. 
: Thisbe (Hooper); yellow and novel, bronze margin. 
Tirnour (Bragg); bronze-yollow ground, with pnirplc 
margin; distinct. 
WHITE GllOUXDS, W'lTH MARGINS OF VARIOUS COLOURS. 
Albion (Thomson); white, margined with (uirplo ; 
dark eye; large and lino. 
Bine Border (Boyd) ; wliitc, belted with fine blue. 
Blue Brinye ; white, deep blue edge; rayed; 
vei-y beautiful. 
Beauty (Thomson) ; white and pnirplo; very fine and 
unique. 
Climax (Bell); white, with broad purple margin; a 
good old variety. 
Criterion (Hooper) ; white, with deep blue margin. 
Eva (Thomson); straw, and rich dark purple margin; 
surpasse.s France Cijcole. 
Lady Carrington (Hunt); white, margined with light 
blue; novel and beautiful. 
Lady Fair (Boyd); white, margined with puce. 
Miss Caroline (Bouverie, Archer); white, with light 
blue margin: good. 
Marchioness of Bath (Wheeler); white, belted wdth 
blue; bold, dense eye; fine form and substance; a good 
show flower. 
National (Turner); wliitc, with a broad, light puiqile 
margin; well defined; very smooth, constant, and lino 
form. 
Queen of England (Bellows); white, with blue-pmrjdc 
bcl t; c.xtra. 
Rotunda (Hunt) ; white, margined with purple; fine 
form, and constant. 
Royal White (Thomson); wdiitc, with dark margin ; 
extra fine form and substance. 
Sir Robert Peel (Hale); white, with line purple 
margin. 
Sylvia (Griffin); white, with a delicate, light blue 
edge ; elegantly beautiful. 
Fenus (Byue); white, with lino blue margin. 
T. Appleby. 
BOROING PflTATOES. 
Whatever be the peculiar fancy of the epicure (and 
have we not all our fancies?), a dish of young potatoes 
is sure to find admirers at a season when the old ones 
(however good) have been sent to table until the appe¬ 
tite seems to long for a change. Wo all know how' 
delightful it is to see the dish-cover unfold a progeny 
ot young potatoes, instead of the old ones “ served-up ” 
in every variety of way that the ingenuity of the kitchen- 
department could suggest. Young jiotatoes create a 
sort of a furor for tlio moment; and the young, aged, 
and infirm, must all have a taste of tlie first produce of 
the season; but it belongs to a higher genius than mine 
to describe the feelings which tliis and other jnoductions 
create on their first introduction; my duties are more 
in the back ground, where the operations are at work 
which furnishes the article at the time wanted. Now, 
whatever may be the wants or peculiar fancies of certain 
individuals, we may take it for granted that every one is 
glad of young potatoes at the earliest possible time; and 
to accomplisli this no time must be lost. The amateur 
whoso means are limited, must look round and see if 
any vacant space in any of the heated structures is so 
far at liberty as to allow a few 2 )Otatocs to bo spread 
thinly over its surface. To exemplify this matter more, 
wo will suppose that plenty of the earliest kinds of 
jiotatoes exist in the root-cellar, or other store. Now, 
in order to accelerate those intended for forcing as an ; 
early crop, a few must be jnit in heat as soon as pos¬ 
sible, and afterwards they must be planted out into 
the hotbed, or other heated apparatus, where they are 
expected to produce their crop. Now, this preliminary 
progress on the part of the potato may be of a more 
homely or economical kind than that which furnishes 
them the means of sujiporting a progeny. We all 
know that a potato placed in a warm situation soon 
begins to shoot and grow, and we also know, tliat 
if these shoots are broken off, others succeed them in, 
perhaps, greater numbers, but much weaker. This 
second crop is not always sufficient to exhaust a strong 
vigorous tuber; but the successive efforts of the parent 
show too plainly that it must at last yield to such an I 
exhausting jirocess. A potato placed in a warm atmo¬ 
sphere will quickly show signs of life; the vital iiowers 
which Nature had intended to remain torpid until she 
called them forth in spring, are now put in motion by 
an agent, certainly not equally genial, but quite as 
warm. 
Now a tuber or a bulb differs in many res]iccts 
from a seed; the latter has stored away in itself the 
germ of a new plant, which it has likewise the power of 
(iroserving for a considerable period, or until it be placed 
in such a situation as to call its vital powers into action. 
On the other hand, a tuber, or bulb, is only the accumu¬ 
lated energies of a plant stored away for a limited period, 
which cannot be prolonged to any great extent, while it 
may be shortened by the forcing process very consider¬ 
ably ; at the same time, some sacrifice, cither more or 
less, must be made in securing this early produce. Now, 
though there are few things committed to the ground in 
the shape of seed, or roots, that present a more robust 
bulky appearance than a good sound (lotato, yet many 
eminent horticulturists affirm that it is not always 
sufficiently strong and well set to be able to support its 
offspring against the attacks of that disease of which 
wo have seen so much, and know so little: whether 
this be the case or not, it is not necessary here to 
inquire; suffice it to say, that the stronger and more 
vigorous the set, the more likely it is to })roduco a 
healthy, good crop, other things being also favourable; 
it is, therefore, important that those required for forcing 
jmrposes bo plump, heavy, sound tubers, and not by 
any means too small; the thoughtful economy which 
reserves those for seed which are too small for table 
must be suspended here, and sound, good, useful tubers 
of a tolerable size employed instead. 'This is the more 
necessary in the instance of forcing, because the 
nourishment and support which the parent sot affords 
to its offspring is more required when in this artificial j 
condition than when the young plant is luxuriating in i 
all the advantages of the spring and early summer ! 
atmosjihero; this latter differs considerably from any¬ 
thing which we attempt to imitate it in, consequently, a ' 
more liberal course must bo adopted when anything 
like success is expected. 
To the enthusiastic amateur, we therefore say, select 
at once a few good useful tubers of fair average size, ' 
which place in heat,—if in the light, so much the 
better; if not, it is not absolutely necessary; lay them 
