188 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, December 16, 1856. 
measured out to the proper width, the work is performed 
in very much less time by this than by any other method. 
From this crop we commenced taking up about the first 
week in July; the tubers were pretty well ripened, so that by 
the skill of the kitchen-maid in dressing them they appeared 
very beautiful on the table. Several rows of this kind were 
consumed before the end of the month ; not that I confined 
myself to this plot for the consumption of the house, for, 
on the 10th of July, I tried my Looker's Oxonians, which I 
found then to be full grown, and to dress beautifully; and 
on the 13th I tried Rylott's Flour-ball, and these being the 
same, I supplied the demand first from one plot and then 
from the other, until all were taken up. 
The Looker's Oxonian we have grown for many years as 
one of our favourite early kinds. This is the name I had 
with it from an Oxford friend, but I have seen it since in 
the seed shops, sold by the name of the Early Prolific, 
which is a very good name for it, for it is a very productive, 
as well as a very stemmy kind, so that we always plant them 
wide apart in the row, and from row to row. A rich, open 
plot, not even shaded by a Currant-bush, about five perches 
in extent, was chosen for these. The plot was well dug, the 
rows measured out twenty-six inches apart, and in planting 
the sets were put in twelve to fourteen inches from each 
other. These were planted on the 1st of March, and were 
taken up on the 28th of July, as I wanted this plot of 
ground for Turnips. From that day to this I have not seen 
a single diseased Potato among this crop, and they have 
every one of them been through my hands since in the 
Potato-house, as I had occasion to move them to another 
part of the store. 
Had we then set to and dug up the whole of our Potato 
crops I believe we should have escaped the disease, and 
had as fine a yield, both for size, productiveness, and quality, 
as we could wish. I so believe, because we had already 
tested every kind, and proved them to be all well ripe at that 
time. 
My kind master was as much interested about the fear of 
disease and the particular fineness of his crops as I was ; 
but still he thought if they remained in the ground a little 
longer they would get better still. My practical ideas ran 
in favour of taking them up. 
After having secured the crop of Looker's Oxonian, and 
sown the plot again, the rains soon commenced, and, having 
a few rows of Haighs’s Kidney left in the ground, symptoms of 
disease began to appear in their leaves. Directly I saw this 
I took the first opportunity to take them all up. They were 
about three bushels in bulk, and the tubers appeared to be 
sound; but, at the end of a fortnight, I observed two or three 
diseased ones amongst them. They were then all turned 
over and examined carefully. I found from a dozen and a 
half to two dozen bad ones among them, and I may have 
taken one or two out since. 
After the rainy and muggy weather in August the disease 
made rapid progress in the leaves and stems; so, as soon as 
the weather became a little more settled and favourable, 
I determined upon taking up all the various plots that I had 
observed to go off first. I commenced with a beautiful 
quarter of Forty-folds, in a fine, open spot, not shaded by 
anything. These were planted, as before mentioned, twenty- 
six inches from row to row, and fourteen inches from set to 
set in the row, on the 20th of February, and taken up on the 
25th or 26th of August. The plot contained about five 
perches. AVe found, at the time of taking up, about one- 
third of the tubers diseased. Those we thought good were 
conveyed to the Potato-house, and placed upon straw about a 
foot thick; but, in about a fortnight afterwards, I discovered 
lots more gone off. They were all again looked over one 
by one at a loss of rather more than another third, so that 
the total loss was rather more than half, and, which is 
generally found to be the case, the largest and finest tubers 
were the victims of disease. 
Now, I attributed the cause, in a great measure, to the soil 
in this fine, open plot being so much more of a tenacious 
character, as it had been made ground; that is, a vast 
quantity of fresh soil had been carried in at different times 
upon this quarter, and, therefore, was less porous than the 
general sod of our garden. 
Two small plots of the Rylott’s Flour-ball, planted March 
7th, were taken up August 26th or 27th. The two plots 
were shaded by large Apple-trees, and contained about two 
perches each. In both of these cases two bushels in five 
bushels were diseased, owing, probably, to the shaded and 
gloomy situation they grew in. Of York Regents a small 
plot, about three or four perches, was planted on the 28th 
of March, in a dry, open spot, and taken up on the 27th of 
August, with a loss by disease of about one-third. 
Of Flukes, having had about two gallons given us, and a 
prime sample, I thought them as handsome a Potato as I 
had ever seen, so I thought I must try how fine I could 
grow them. I selected a nice open spot for them, about a 
perch, in good condition, where I planted them, two feet 
apart every w r ay from each other, on the 1st of March, and 
took them up August 27th, with a loss by disease of rather 
less than one-third. This variety proved to be a very strong 
grower, so much so, that the stems were quite erect in most 
cases to the last, and the tubers growing almost close to the 
stem, and as compact as the pips of a Pine-Apple, so that 
there was no fear of leaving any of them in the ground 
at taking-up time. I found them all most difficult to separate 
from the stalk—they held so strong. 
The Fluke is a very handsome Potato, but not one that I 
should grow many of, although I may plant it again and 
again. 
I am now come to our last quarter, which contained about 
ten perches. This was planted with a Potato called Dal- 
mahoy, a beautiful Scotch kind, very similar to the York 
Regent, and probably all but the same. These were planted 
March 7th, twenty-six inches from row to row, and fourteen 
inches from set to set, and taken up on the 6th of September, 
with a loss by disease of about one-tliird. This plot was 
left until the last, because we considered it the least liable to 
take the disease, on account of its being the driest-bottomed 
plot of ground, and not being shaded by so much as a 
Gooseberry-bush. 
We always plant whole, medium-sized sets, and insert 
them from six to seven inches deep in the ground. Nothing 
more is done but to carefully stir the earth between the rows 
as often as necessary, and as long as we can without either 
injury to the stems or the young surface fibre. AVe for 
very many years practised the plan of earthing up, or rather, 
basining them up, by drawing up a little earth along the two 
sides of the rows, which was thickening the earth over the 
tubers without injury to the stems; but this operation we 
have discontinued for the last two or three years. The Cot¬ 
tage Gardener, I think, told us that earthing up was not 
beneficial to the growth of the Potato, and this 1 now believe 
to be the case.— Thos. Weaver, Gardener to the Warden of 
Winchester College. 
PEARS WORKED ON QUINCE STOCKS. 
Being of the Erringtonian opinion as regards Pears 
worked on the Quince stock, and having twelve trees, or 
rather, had at one time—trees purchased^!' a celebrated nur¬ 
seryman some ten years since—let me record in your pages 
their present plight. They were planted out into a good 
Pear and Quince soil, which I found, by numerous speci¬ 
mens of from thirty to forty years’ standing, doing well in 
their vicinity. 
Under these circumstances, therefore, I consider the 
twelve trees a pretty fair sample of what one may expect 
if purchasing in quantity, and that sample, I am sorry to 
say, will but too truly show that nurserymen are not over 
particular in sending out trees worked on Quince stocks 
Tiefore they , have been thoroughly tested. There is not a 
doubt but many varieties agree upon the Quince. Indeed, 
there are here two of at least forty years of age, and two on a 
wall, trained horizontally, have a good crop of fruit this 
season, when their neighbours on each side have not had a 
fruit on them. The fate of the twelve Quince-worked Pear- 
trees is as follows : — 
No. 1. Dead. 
No. 2. Ten feet in height; branches ten feet in diameter ; 
quantity of fruit last year, but not worth harvesting. 
No. 3. Uncomfortable. 
No. 4. Dead. 
No. 5. Dying. 
No. 6. Eight feet in height; diameter of branches, ten 
