THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Januaey 26, 1858. 
I v * 
Although the state of the weather in some seasons may 
justify the description given of this month “ so full of frost, 
and storm, and cloudiness ;” nevertheless, the face of February 
is frequently brightened with sunshine, when air may be freely 
| admitted to invigorate the plants in the greenhouse; and 
when a little weak manure water may be given once a week to 
Cytisuses, Pelargoniums, Azaleas, Cinerarias , Cyclamens, and 
j all other such plants of early growth. A slight syringing 
occasionally, on bright mornings, will have a beneficial effect 
upon Pelargoniums, and other small-leaved plants : to be 
discontinued when the blooms have expanded. Cinerarias, 
herbaceous Calceolarias, and such succulent and large-leaved 
plants, are apt to damp off if syringed or watered too freely 
overhead. Some will now want shifting into larger pots. 
Fuchsias, Heliotropes, Verbenas, Petunias, Dahlias, &c., to 
be started into growth, if an increase and a liberal supply be 
wanted for bedding-out purposes. Any Heaths that require 
fresh potting, or fresh soil applied to the surface, to be supplied, 
if robust growing sorts, with equal parts of sandy heath soil 
and loam, with good drainage. And for such kinds as 
F. Hartnelli, Massoni, Archeriana, Aitonia, elegans, and aris- 
tata, very sandy heath soil and a small portion of light loam 
are suitable, with a good drainage of broken potsherds, 
covered with a little moss, to prevent the soil from mixing 
with the drainage and choking it. 
What are called New Holland plants also delight in good 
fibrous heath soil, in a rough state, with a good sprinkling of 
silver sand, and plenty of drainage. Rut, particular attention 
must be given to their watering, as they are more liable to 
suffer from mismanagement in that particular, than from the 
nature of the soil. The plants should be examined every 
! morning, and water given only to such as are dry. Plants 
going out of bloom, such as Epacrises, Camellias , Pimeleas, 
&c., will require less water than when in bloom, and to be 
pruned back to form compact heads. Tire creepers to be 
kept pretty closely pruned and neatly tied. Cobcea scandens , 
Lophospermums, Maurandyas, Rhodochitons, and Tropceolum 
Caroline, are now deserving of attention, to be increased by 
I cuttings or from seed. The Tropseolum is most useful for 
arbours, fancy trellis work, or any such places, where luxuriant 
1 growth, fine foliage, and bright flowers are desired. 
William Keane. 
CULTIVATION OF EARLY POTATOES. 
PRIZE ESSAY. 
By the Rev. E. F. Manby. 
{Continuedfromp. 249.) 
[ 
And now we come to the setting. The Potatoes are carefully 
taken up from their sprouting-places, and placed in small 
baskets with a bow handle. Those which have more than one 
good, strong sprout, are generally cut length-ways, —never cross- 
ways. Some never cut them at all, but rub off the second 
! sprout, which is, we are inclined to think, the best plan. The 
baskets are then carried to the field: these baskets contain 
about 201bs.; and, therefore, can be moved about with ease, 
I and are committed to the care of the setter—generally a boy of 
about fourteen years of age. 
The labourer with the spade—or “ shooter f as he is called— 
! commences his work, by throwing out a furrow about two 
inches deep. It is not necessary for him to use his foot—the 
mere action of the arm, with a peculiar shove, is quite sufficient 
to enable him to extract the soil. The width of the furrow is, 
of course, the same as that of the spade. Then the setter 
follows the sliooler, and places the sets, i.e., sprouted tubers, 
about twelve inches apart on the bottom of the furrow. As 
soon as the setter has got five or six yards down the furrow, 
| No. 2 shooler commences with his spade to cover the seta 
which the boy has planted; and, by so doing, he prepares a 
bed or furrow for the next setter. One active boy will keep 
at work too shoolers: but it as well to provide a boy for each 
man ; for, if he has—as he ought to have—time to spare, he 
may be employed in forking the head-lands, or in fetching 
more Potatoes. And in case the land should not have been 
previously manured, then the setter has to put in the guano, 
and other artificial manure, as well as to set. Care, however, 
must be taken that the seed be not placed in the guano, but 
above it. _ 
The distance between the rows will be about fourteen inches. 
The labourers, in this neighbourhood, are so accustomed to 
this kind of work that they can, without looking behind them, 
go as straight as a line ; indeed they never use a line. They 
take great pains in forming the first furrow ; and, by keeping 
their eye upon the edge of the furrow nearest to them, which 
forms of itself a natural line, they draw the next parallel. 
A man will “ sliool” about one-eighth of an acre per diem. 
We have known men accomplish a quarter of an acre; but this 
is excessive, and we are inclined to think, that the quantity 
first mentioned, is nearest the average quantity of work. 
About a fortnight after the land is set, a small light harrow 
is drawn over the groimd, when the land is dry, to kill or 
check the springing weed. We do not ourselves approve of 
this plan ; for, though it, no doubt, checks the young weed, we 
are of opinion that the teeth of the harrow break off many 
young sprouts. This implement is called a Potato harrow, 
and is made for the express purpose. The teeth are of iron, 
set in wood, and about three inches in length ; it is very light, 
and drawn by a man, as a horse or pony would break the 
sprouts. 
After this operation, the land is let alone until the plants 
may be distinguished in the row, thcny/aZ-hoeing commences. 
In fine dry weather once wall suffice; but, should the weather 
be showery, or rain fall immediately, twice or thrice will be 
necessary. • 
When the land is clean, “ moulding ” may be commenced. 
It was the custom to do this with the hoe, hence the terms 
of flat-hoeing, and “ hoeing-t^; ” but of late, a small iron 
plough, with moulding-boards, has been introduced by a re¬ 
sident gentleman, and this has now become generally adopted. 
The plough is drawn by a man and boy, another man holding 
the stilts. The quantity of ground they will go over in a day, 
far exceeds what they could accomplish with the hoe. 
And here, may be seen, the necessity of having tire rows at 
equal distances; for, though the mould-board might certainly 
be adjusted to an inch or two, wider or narrower, yet this 
would involve an unavoidable delay at the end of each row. 
And we all know, that when three men stop, it requires some 
little time to set them a-going again ; there is some remark to 
be made which, somehow, cannot be made on the move; 
some sentiment to be expressed, which would probably lose 
its point en passant ; at any rate, there is a difficulty in 
effecting a fresh start, and much time is lost. Now, the best 
time for performing this operation, is either early in the morn¬ 
ing or late in the evening, say before eight A.H., or after 
six p.m., for then the plants have drawn up their leaves, and 
they escape injury : whereas, if they were moulded up during 
the heat of the day, the rootlets would be scorched, and the 
plant droop. 
Four weeks or so after the moulding, the crop (we are now 
speaking of Lemon Kidneys ), will be ready for lifting; and, 
though they would doubtless increase rapidly in weight, if 
permitted to remain a fortnight longer, yet, if the prices be 
high, say about 2s. 6d. per score, they will never pay better. 
The first symptom of the crop being ready, is the curling of 
the lower leaves ; after these turn yellow, the tuber will not 
increase much in weight. In lifting, or “ getting up,” as it 
is here called, the fork with three prongs is used. One man 
with a fork is attended by three boys : the first to shake the 
mould and Potatoes off; the second, to pick up the large ones ; 
and the third, the small ones. The latter are sold at half- 
price, the former packed up in hampers, and barrels, and 
forwarded to different markets. 
As soon as the land is cleared, it is ploughed and prepared 
for sowing Turnips, or transplanting Swedes and Mangold 
Wurtzel. A second manuring is the exception, and not the 
rule. 
• We now come to another important point. We have 
spoken of the preparation of the land ; w r e have now to speak 
of the preparation of the seed. In order to insure success, 
and command high prices, the seed must be sprouted, i.e. it 
must have made an advancement in growth of at least an 
inch. This sprout should be strong and well-developed, its 
thickness about that of the stem of a common tobacco-pipe, 
and its top crowned with green buds just bursting into leaf; 
at the bottom of the sprout are emitted, or in the course of 
