1879.] 
DUTCH MIGNONNE APPLE.—NEW POTATOS AT CHRISTMAS. 
43 
of necessity take much from the ground ; and 
Cabbages that are half-starved soon get the 
“ blues,” when they at once become stringy 
and tough, to an extent that no amount of 
boiling or skilful cooking can rectify. By 
ti-enching the soil and giving it a good dressing 
of rotten dung at once, it wilt be in fine condi¬ 
tion for the plants by the time they are large 
enough, for what frost we maj'- get now, and 
the air combined, will sweeten and pulverise 
it, besides helping to rid it of insects. A 
dressing of soot dug in helps wonderfully in 
effecting this, and is an excellent fertiliser as 
well, as is also a sprinkling of salt with it; but 
when this is used thus early it should be with 
a sparing hand, as the plants will not bear so 
much as they will later on.—J. S. (in Gcir- 
denei's’ Chronicle.) 
DUTCH MIGNONNE APPLE. 
useful variety of Apple is noticed 
ime fruit lists as “ a large kitchen 
dessert kind,” but I have grown it 
many years and found the fruit to be only of 
medium size, like the accompanying outline 
figure. It is a great bearer, both on young 
and old trees, these being in consequence of 
a bushy habit, thus taking up less room than 
those of more rank-growing sorts. The fruit 
is green, tinged with yellow and dull red, thickly 
studded v.dth dots on the sunny side, and in 
some seasons partly of a russet-colour. It 
keeps good and crisp till the middle of March. 
Those acquainted with apples may judge if 
my notice of the Dutch Mignonne is correct, 
because, as hinted, one cannot always be guided 
by descriptions of fruit in catalogues, however 
much pains may be taken with them, for 
even good judges are at times mistaken. For 
instance, I may here note that some years back 
I sent a collection of apples to a fruit-show in 
London ; among them were two dishes of the 
Aromatic or Spice Russet, both from the same 
tree ; those forming one dish were picked from 
the top branches exposed to the sun, and had 
rosy cheeks : the other, from shaded branches 
below, were dull russet-colour, and much in¬ 
ferior in flavour. This led the judges astraj’', 
indeed so much so, that they said the first dish 
was correctly named, but not the other. I 
mention this little incident merely to show 
how fruit varies in character and qualitjq 
according to the effects of the sun. In the 
case cited, both eye and palate were led astray, 
because the effects of the sun’s rays on the 
texture of the leaves which supplied the proper 
nutriment to the fruit, was not appreciated.— 
J. WiGHTON, Cossey Parle. 
NEW POTATOS AT CHKISTMAS. 
MONG the many highly esteemed early 
Vegetables, including Mushrooms, 
French Beans, Asparagus, Seakale, &c., 
none are thought so much of as genuine new 
Potatos ; and the very easy manner in which 
they may be got, is a fit subject for notice in 
your pages. 
To have New Potatos at Christmas is indeed 
nothing new. I have for many years planted 
old tubers, and gathered good crops from 
them, but these have at best but a watery 
flavour, and are not relished. Potatos in pots 
are also grown extensively among the rich ; 
but I have never taken up a crop out of pots 
that was satisfactory. I therefore, last April 
and May, when lifting the frame Potatos for 
table, selected a quantity of them for seed, 
storing them on a dry, but a dark shelf. In 
August, I had a nine-light pit, which had been 
used for carrots and other vegetables, prepared, 
by merely putting two barrow'sful of light soil 
or old mushroom-dung into each light, mixing 
up the old material with a steel fork, and level¬ 
ling all nicely. I then planted these small, 
forced Potatoii—which were well sprouted, put¬ 
ting on the lights forthwith, but each light 
having a brick underneath, both back and front. 
