September 19, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
41 
THE POTATO CROP. 
The crop of tubers on our light Surrey soils will, in 
most instances, be under the average, and in some 
places very much below it. It would be interesting to 
your practical readers generally, if some of your numer¬ 
ous correspondents would favour us with a few remarks 
concerning their experience with the varieties grown 
by them under the trying circumstances of the past 
season, stating briefly the results obtained as regards 
quality and yield. From my own observation and 
Beauty of Hebron, which commands the best price in 
the market, has entailed a heavy loss on one grower 
who planted a ton of seed, and now that the crop is 
lifted finds the produce under one ton and a half. 
This was owing to many of the sets not glowing, and 
to a large proportion of those which made an effort to 
grow,- being killed off by rust. I designate it thus, for 
want of a better term, as the affection seems to be 
quite different to the ordinary disease. The few sets 
which survived, yielded a good crop of fine tubers. 
Has this anything to do with the shallowness of the 
ones, more this season than in any other, but perhaps 
not more than 10 lbs. in a ton. Our great dependance 
is on our crop of White Elephant, and to all who have 
light, poor soils, I can with every confidence recom¬ 
mend this variety. The objection urged by many 
against it, of its being too big, will seldom hold good 
here. I took it in hand, thinking, that when in dry 
seasons the crop of other staple varieties would, from 
the smallness of the tubers, be a light one, this might, 
from the great size it attains in rich holding soils, give 
us a crop of fair-sized tubers. I find the Cottagers who 
Ari'LE, Mrs. Bareox, 
experience, I conclude that those who are depending 
on the later kinds for their winter and spring supply 
should be on the alert, for where the haulm is still 
green they have already started into a second growth. 
The Magnum Bonum appears to be exceptionally liable 
to do this. A neighbouring farmer had the whole of 
his crop of this sort last year entirely spoiled from this 
cause; they were absolutely unfit as food for either man 
or beast, and some other large growers, for the same 
reason, could not sell their produce, and used many tons 
of them for cattle feeding. I have grown this variety 
from the first season it came out, and only three times 
have we had it really good. 
eyes, rendering them liable to injury when moving 
them about ? Schoolmaster has turned out moderately 
well, free from disease, and good in quality. Vicar of 
Laleham gave a much better crop, free from disease, 
and first rate in quality. The Reading Abbey is good 
in quality, and only a few are diseased. The eyes of 
this variety are too deep, and, like the Champion, it is 
a wasteful Potato, so much having to be cut away in 
dressing them for the table. 
Ashleaf and other early kidneys were a very light 
crop with us, the dry weather having set in too soon 
for them. Magnum Bonums began growing again, so 
we have lifted most of them, and find a few diseased 
grow it speak loudly in its praise, indeed, in some in¬ 
stances, had it not been that they had a patch of this, 
their store of “ spuds,” as they term them, would have 
been a poor one. 
I may add that we find them equal in quality to the 
Beauty of Hebron, and our cook’s expression respecting 
it has always been, that “ it is the beautifulest potato ” 
she ever cooked. Looking at the very slight attacks of 
the disease we have had during the last three years, I 
sometimes think, that had proper measures been taken, 
the malady might have been stamped out by now.—• 
IV. B. G. 
