THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, December 23, 1856. 199 
even placing them near the chimney-piece at night, 
will cause them to grow faster. 
For other things at this season potting should be 
avoided. If any minutiae still perplex you, we should 
prefer settling all them in March. There are chiefly 
two circumstances in which repotting may seem 
necessary. One friend tells us that the earth is raised 
in little heaps over the surface of the soil, and chiefly 
near the rims of the pots, and that though she removes 
it, or levels it down, it is as bad in a day or two. This 
tells us that there are worms in the soil, and they must 
be got out. A thorough watering with lime-water, such 
as placing a large table-spoonful of quicklime in a gallon 
of water, and using it when allowed to settle clear, will 
either kill or start them. But the worms have very 
likely made the drainage defective, and, instead of this 
watering with lime-water in winter, so as to give such a 
soaking, it would be preferable to turn the ball of such 
little plants out of the pot, holding it reversed, well- 
poised on your hand, snatching at and pulling out every 
worm you can perceive, and sending a small wire, not 
much thicker than a needle, through and through the 
ball, which will drive out the slimy fraternity from their 
castle in the centre; then fresh regulate the drainage, 
and place the same pot, cleaned, or another clean one 
of the same size, carefully over the ball again. I would 
recommend the same plan with a plant that had become 
water-logged at this season. Try to remove the clogged- 
up soil, and break and take away what roots there 
are in it. Let the soil get dried by the improved 
drainage, and pricking up the surface to let the air act 
upon it, and, if not too far gone, it will again become a 
healthy medium for the roots ; at least, less danger will 
be incurred if you do repot after the soil in the pot 
has thus been made rather dry. All soils thus used 
should be well aired, and at least as warm as the 
atmosphere of the room. I have seen nice little plants 
taken from a temperature of 55°, and incased in fresh 
soil at 35°, and immediately watered with water at about 
38°, and could hardly help wishing that such gardeners 
had been whipped out of a warm bed, and for once made 
to do penance for half an hour by standing in the only 
covering nature gave them exposed to a cold, rainy sleet. 
All sudden extremes of heat and cold, of wet and dryness, 
must be avoided. R- Fish. 
(To be continued .) 
EARLY POTATOES. 
Few things are more generally esteemed than the first 
young Potatoes of the season. Rich and poor alike seem 
to welcome this favourite production. The interest 
attaching to them is in no degree altered since disease 
has restricted the general use of older ones to the more 
affluent, the poor being unable to buy Potatoes for use 
when their cost exceeds that of bread or other sub¬ 
stitutes, consequently they are the more ready to wel¬ 
come the young crop when they first make their appear¬ 
ance; and though the wealthy may have what is called 
“young Potatoes” all the year round, still there is a 
time when the rapid growth which immediately precedes 
the time of digging them up for storing is such as to 
justify the term “young Potatoes,” which all do not 
deserve that have that name attached to them ; for it is 
aot unusual to preserve old Potatoes until September or 
longer, and then plant them. The half-matured crop they 
are only then able to produce has been often enough called 
“ young Potatoes,” whereas the more proper definition 
would be “ retarded Potatoes,” as they simply attain a 
certain size, and continue in that unripened condition 
all winter, being at all times ready for use when wanted. 
Certain kinds are said to be very good when treated that 
way, soil and situation also having much influence in 
the matter; but the best are not so good as really young 
Potatoes advancing under a healthy growth towards 
maturity; for, be it observed, the retarded kinds have 
been arrested in their progress that way, and they gene¬ 
rally get the worse in quality as the season advances, 
as they are not ripened sufficiently to keep well, and, 
consequently, become worse either more or less through 
the winter. The cause of this is that they are expected 
to be grown out of doors in some sheltered spot, where 
they can also be covered up in hard weather. This 
retarded crop not being in any way a substitute for the 
early one, we shall offer a few remarks on having those 
at the earliest period attainable with humble means. 
The more wealthy classes have made a beginning for the 
same purpose long ago. 
When fermenting materials—as tan, dung, or leaves— 
abound in sufficient quantity to allow of their being 
made into a sort of hotbed, there cannot be anything 
more useful. A frame and lights are also necessary at 
first; but the robust character of the Potato is such 
that almost any make-shift in that way will do instead 
of the close-fitting frame so necessary for Cucumbers, 
Melons, and other delicate plants. The conditions 
necessary to grow Potatoes are a gentle bottom-heat and 
abundance of air at top. Of course, cold, frosty blasts 
are hurtful, if not fatal; but holes in the frame or cover¬ 
ing are not so injurious here as in more tender crops, 
although the least touch of frost is equally fatal as to 
other things. 
If, therefore, a large quantity of young Potatoes are 
wanted not particularly early in the season, and heating 
materials are to be had, let a bed about six feet wide be 
made, and any length required. On this fasten some 
slabs or boards on edge, and a few inches from each 
side and each end, and this bed, which we will suppose 
to be about three feet thick of fermenting matter not 
likely to overheat, cover over with good garden-soil 
about eight inches deep or more, and on this plant the 
Potatoes, in rows about eighteen inches apart, and the 
usual depth and distance apart in the row. This done, 
let some strong hazel or other rods be bent over the bed 
about a foot or less apart, and some others fastened to 
these longitudinally, so as to form a sort of continuous 
arch. On this throw over mats or anything else that 
can be had; an oil-cloth is best, as it excludes cold rains, 
but neither a single oil-cloth nor mat will keep out more 
than 8° or 10° of frost; consequently, in the early part 
of the season, if this bed be in work, some straw, fern, 
or other covering must be added as well, and if this be 
before the Potatoes are fairly through the surface it 
would be better to lay such litter over the soil at once, 
and cover that up with the oil-cloth or mats, for dry 
straw or other dry material is better than wet. 
This homely make-shift may be altered many ways, 
and the ingenuity of the operator will, no doubt, devise 
something useful in the stock of things at his command. 
One thing, however, must be borne in mind — this crop 
cannot be expected to come in so early as one having 
all the advantages of a close-fitting frame and other 
appliances; therefore, when Potatoes are wanted parti¬ 
cularly early, it would be advisable to have frames for 
this purpose; and as it is necessary, on all occasions, to 
husband what resources there are, especially bottom- 
heat, which cannot at all times be renewed when it fails, 
it would be better to start the Potatoes intended for 
planting in pots, in some warm place, and the bed 
intended for them need not be made for a fortnight or 
three weeks later, and the heat will consequently be con¬ 
tinued so much longer in spring when it is wanted. In 
fact, I think, and have often found, that a bed made up 
and undergoing all the chilly effects of a hard frost 
for, say a fortnight, loses its heat three weeks or more 
sooner than one working in fine weather. This, there¬ 
fore, renders it advisable to start the Potatoes somewhere 
