247 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January 19, -1858. 
given to the roots—a point of great importance in early 
forcing: for.it is absurd and unnatural to have the 
branches in a temperature of 50° or 60°, and the roots 
nearly at freezing point. Every gardener that cul¬ 
tivates the Vine, should avoid this fatal error. The 
consequences of these improvements are already ap¬ 
parent. The bearing wood is stronger, and very fairly 
ripened; and in another season will be still more 
improved. The same judicious attention in the Peach 
houses has been effected; and this last summer they 
produced very decent fruit. 
The mode of heating these houses, is by hot-water 
pipes ; but they had been placed in deep troughs, and 
did their work very indifferently. Now, they are 
placed just above the level of the inside borders. They 
heat the internal air better, and save as much as three- 
fourths of the coal formerly used. This raising of the 
pipes has been carried out in the pineries also, with 
the same results. It may be then laid down as a rule, 
never to place the pipes loiv in any forcing, or even plant- 
house. 
The plant-pits are filled with bedding-out plants to 
a great extent. Some idea may '^be formed of the 
quantity, when I repeat what was told me, namely, 
that last season, to furnish the beds in the various 
gardens, required no less than sixty thousand plants— 
an enormous number, quite enough to set up a nursery¬ 
man. At 3s. per dozen, they would bring him in no 
i less than seven hundred and fifty pounds ! 
T. Appleby. 
(To be continued.) 
CULTIVATION OF EARLY POTATOES. 
PRIZE ESSAY. 
By the Rev. E. E. Manby. 
So much has been said upon the cultivation of the Potato, 
so many causes assigned to the disease with which of late 
years it lias been more or less affected, and so many remedies 
prescribed, that we feel some apology is due to our readers in 
bringing the subject again before them. 
We should not, however, venture to intrude upon their at¬ 
tention, had we not reason to suppose that we could lay before 
them some information which might prove to be not entirely 
I void of interest. 
Thus far we can promise—to describe a system of cultiva¬ 
tion which the experience of many years has proved to be at¬ 
tended with great success and profit; and which, we believe to 
be at present practised only by a few growers, and confined to 
a limited district. 
JPoulton or Morecombe Potatoes have now become so cele¬ 
brated for their excellence, that we purpose giving an account 
of the mode of cultivation there pursued. 
Boulton, or, as it is now called by the more dignified name 
of Morecombe , forms part of a township in the parish of 
Lancaster, adjacent to the shore of Morecombe Bay. The 
soil, at least that most favourable to the growth of the Potato, 
is a sandy loam upon a subsoil of gravel. There are other 
soils likewise on which they are cultivated—moss upon clay, 
and calcareous loams—but these latter are not considered 
: equal to the first mentioned; nevertheless, they are useful for 
raising seed—a change of soil being most beneficial. 
It will scarcely be credited, that on the same land, for a 
period of twenty or more years in succession, crops of Potatoes 
have been taken. Indeed, previous to the disease, it was cus¬ 
tomary to obtain two crops of Potatoes the same year from 
the same ground; the first of which, was taken up in June, 
and the second in September. But, since then, it has been 
the usual practice to transplant Swedes or Mangold Wurtzel, 
and of late, even to sow the former; though many growers 
will sow Tale's Hybrids, Yelloiv Bullocks, and other kinds of 
quick-growing Turnips. The produce of these second crops, 
will average about fifteen tons to the acre. In fact, we have 
observed but little difference between a second crop of Turnips 
here, and first crops elsewhere. 
But it may be objected that this is not farming, but garden¬ 
ing we beg to reply that it is cultivating the soil; and, that 
as long as a profitable, paying, produce can be obtained from 
the land by cultivation, it matters not what name you give it. 
Again, it may be said that, after all, such a system can 
never be carried out on a large scale. We answer: on a much 
larger scale than may be at first supposed. Why should it 
not be applicable, to a portion at least, of land now set apart 
for the production of winter Potatoes ? We can see no reason 
why it should not. In the case of winter Potatoes, the land 
might be sown with Rape instead of Turnips. But what we 
now have to do with, is the cultivation of early Potatoes. 
Within the last three years, the growth of early Potatoes has 
been almost trebled. 
But surely, it may be said, the land in this district must be 
most favourable for the produce of the Potato—in other dis¬ 
tricts it would be impossible. 
We do not say that every district could do the same; but 
we believe that many districts similarly situated, and possess¬ 
ing similar soil, might. “ Oh,” says A., “you have sea-sand, 
and sea-weed, and muscles, and that sort of thing—all of 
which are essentially requisite for early production ; and, as 
it would never pay to convey these commodities inland for the 
purpose of carrying out such a course, it would never pay.” 
A few years ago, this objection might have had some force $ 
but since the importation of guano, and the manufacture of 
many valuable artificial manures, brought to fight through 
chemical science, it is futile; for experience has proved that 
these artificial manures are equally beneficial with the muscles, 
&c., and, indeed, are now extensively employed. 
There are, however, two advantages in favour of this locality 
which are not general—first, the low level above the sea ; and, 
secondly, the sandy gravelly soil. 
The great drawback to the cultivation of the early Potato, 
is the injury inflicted by the severity of spring frosts. But 
these are less severe by the sea-coast than inland. Even at a 
distance of four miles it has been observed, that the frost has 
been very sharp, whilst by the sea-coast there has been little 
or none. Consequently, the plants have been much injured 
inland, whilst they have escaped with little or no injury along 
the sea-shore. So, again, there is the local advantage of a 
suitable soil; for here it may be remarked, that Potatoes 
growing upon hard land, or a sandy loam, for instance, will 
escape the frost, whilst the next field, moss or clay, will be 
cut down. 
It would then appear that there is great uncertainty with 
regard to the value of the produce; and so there is : but the 
uncertainty is, whether you realise £50 or £70 per acre. Those 
Potatoes are only planted which are known to recover quickly 
from the effects of the frost. Indeed, we can scarcely remem¬ 
ber a year in which the Potatoes have not been cut down once 
or twice, when one or two inches out of the ground. After 
such a catastrophe there is a general lamentation, “Fair 
frozzen clean to t’ ground ; waint be worrth a farding.” But 
the knowing ones take it very quietly ; for they know that the 
frost will have been more severe inland, and that others must 
have suffered more; so that in the end they will be rather 
gainers than losers. 
It is, however, strange how little known the kinds of Potato 
are, which are here so profitably cultivated. In other districts, 
we have found the Ash-leaved Kidney in high favour. They 
have been tried here, and are found by no means equal to the 
Lemon Kidney, which is equal in production to the Ash-leaf, 
earlier in forwardness, and far superior in flavour and quality. 
There is always a great difficulty in obtaining good seed. 
Genuine seed commands a high price, and not without reason ; 
for the growers take the greatest pains in cultivating the seed 
for their next year’s crop. For example, they set not the small 
refuse which* is generally done, but select equal, well-shaped 
tubers as smooth as pebbles; and as soon as any one shows a 
flower , it is immediately eradicated. A flower to an early 
Potato is considered a sign of deterioration, the first symptom 
of growing out; it being contended that all the strength of 
the plant should be thrown into perfecting the tuber, and not 
be spent in the opposite extreme. However this may be, it is 
certain that a plant when it has once shown a tendency to 
flower, is not so early in perfecting its tubers, and that the 
seed set from such a plant will shortly produce tubers 
irregular in shape, and deformed by little knobs and ex- 
