252 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
December 19, 1896. 
varieties ss Early Puritan, Flounder, Red Boy, 
Kemp, Beauty of Hebron, and Beauty of Bute, 
which form a succession. The heaviest cropper was 
Beauty of Hebron which produced about twenty 
tons to the acre, free from disease, but they grew too 
large, being between r lb. and 2 lb. each. Beauty of 
Bute be considered the best Potato in cultivation, 
and Maincrop was only second in importance. 
Sutton’s Abundance, in his opinion, came third on 
the list. His Lordship concluded his remarks by 
saying that he considered that Potatos should be 
dug when ripe. 
Mr. F. W. Moore, of the Glasnevin Botanic 
Garden, expressed the gratitude they all felt to Lord 
Powerscourt for presiding. With regard to Mr. 
A. O. Watkin’s proposal to start a Gardeners’ 
Benevolent Institution, he considered the idea a good 
one, and it would be in no way antagonistic to the 
old institution in England. 
Mr. W. Cotter, of Cabra, then read a paper on the 
" Past, Present, and Future of the Potato.” The 
origin of the Potato was lost in obscurity, but it had 
certainly been introduced to Europe by Sir Walter 
Raleigh. He thought that the Champion was partly 
played out, but there was nothing yet to take its 
place as the poor man’s Potato. 
" Insect Enemies of the Potato " was the subject 
of a paper by Mr. G. H. Carpenter, B. Sc., F.L.S., 
of the Science and Art Museum. It was illustrated 
by numerous lantern views, and was much appre¬ 
ciated by the audience. 
Professor Thomas Johnson, D. Sc., F.L.S , Royal 
College of Science and Keeper of the Herbarium, 
Science and Art Museum, read a paper on the 
" Potato in Health and Disease.” We may here 
remind our readers that Professor Johnson studied 
at South Kensington and at Kew, under Dr. D. H. 
Scott, then of South Kensington, but now Honorary 
Keeper of the Jodrell Laboratory, Royal Gardens, 
Kew. Professor Johnson, in dealing with the subject, 
said that the average weight of Potatos was only 3J 
tons per acre in Ireland, but was 3! tons per acre in 
the United Kingdom and 4J tons in Germany. He 
dealt also with the economical uses of the Potato 
besides its use as food. It had been stated that the 
raising of varieties of Potatos had been quite 
neglected in Ireland, but he explained the operation 
which was simple enough, and illustrated his 
remarks by lantern slide views of the parts of the 
flower thrown on a screen. He also illustrated the 
life history of the Potato fungus in the same way. 
Potato scab had been variously described, and he 
believed there were several kinds of it, not yet fully 
investigated. He would call the attention of the 
conference to Stachys tuberifera which had been 
finding favour in England, France, and Switzerland 
as a substitute for the Potato. It had been variously 
named Crosnes du Japon and Chinese Artichoke. 
The tuber contained eight times as much nitrogen 
as those of the Potato, and i6£ parts consisted of a 
readily digested carbo-hydrate, known as galactan, 
more digestible than starch, being allied to dextrose 
or sugar. For this reason the tubers were recom¬ 
mended for invalids in preference to the Potato. 
[A figure of Stachys tuberifera is given in The 
Gardening World, Vol. III., p. 117. —Ed.] 
The lecture was listened to with great attention. 
This concluded the afternoon portion of the pro¬ 
gramme. 
At 8 p.m. the confereuce was resumed under the 
presidency of Mr. A. O. Watkins. Arthur W. 
Sutton, Esq., F.L.S , F.R.H.S. (of Messrs. Sutton & 
Sons, Reading), then delivered a lecture on " The 
Potato,” admirably illustrated by numerous lantern 
views, representing various phases of the Potato. 
There was a large attendance of visitors during the 
evening, and Mr. Sutton told his audience that 
interest in the Potato was keener at present than 
during any former period of its history. Recent 
researches showed that it was originally brought 
from the mountainous regions of South America in 
the neighbourhood of Quito ; but that it was brought 
direct from Virginia in North America to this 
country by the colonists sent out by Sir Walter 
Raleigh. The lecturer then sketched the progress 
that had been effected in the cultivation of the noble 
tuber, especially in recent times. The average area 
for the last ten years, annually planted with Potatos 
in the United Kingdom, was 1,305,835 acres, giving 
an average return of 5,960,109 tens, or 4 57 tons per 
acre annually. He also furnished statistics concern¬ 
ing the cultivation and uses of the Potato in other 
countries. Much information on the methods of 
preventing the Potato disease was furnished by the 
lecturer; and here the numerous experiments con¬ 
ducted at Reading, stood him in good stead. The 
numerous trials of grafting the Potato on various 
other plants, but particularly on the Tomato, and 
vice-versa, furnished matter for much interesting 
comment. 
Mr. John H. Parnell proposed a vote of thanks to 
Mr. Sutton for his paper, and this was heartily 
accorded. The conference closed at a late hour. 
The Conference (Thursday). 
Proceedings in connection with the Tercentenary were 
resumed in the Rotunda on Thursday. The Lord 
Lieutenant was expected to attend and make a pro¬ 
nouncement of importance in connection with Irish 
agriculture. This probably, in a measure, accounted 
lor the greatly increased attendance of visitors. His 
Excellency reached the Rotunda soon after 3 p.m., 
accompanied by the Countess Cadogan and various 
other titled personages. The Viceregal party were 
received by the president of the Irish Gardeners’ 
Association, and other members of the executive. 
Miss Ada Watkins, daughter of the president, 
. presented the Countess Cadogan with a beautiful 
bouquet of Orchids The president welcomed their 
Excellencies, Lord and Lady Cadogan to the Tercen¬ 
tenary celebration, after which Mr. Shaw, the 
secretary, read the f flowing address 
May it please your Excellency,—We, the members 
of the Irish Gardeners’ Association, beg to tender to 
your Excellency a hearty welcome on this important 
occasion, not alone in your capacity as the represen¬ 
tative of our Most Gracious Sovereign the Queen, 
but also on account of the keen and generous interest 
taken by your Excellency and Lady Cadogan in pro¬ 
moting the prosperity of Ireland and the develop¬ 
ment of her industrial resources. The committee of 
the Irish Gardeners’ Association, who have inaugur¬ 
ated this Tercentenary and exhibition of the Potato, 
beg to call your Excellency’s attention to the lament¬ 
able deterioration of the variety known as “ Cham¬ 
pion,” which is almost exclusively cultivated at the 
present time, and they suggest to your Excellency 
the advisability of Her Majesty’s Government intro¬ 
ducing, without delay, experimental stations through¬ 
out the country for the purpose of cultivating and 
comparing the principal round varieties of Potatos of 
recent introduction, with a view of selecting the most 
suitable for general use, and thus avert a possible 
recurrence of a Potato famine. The experiments 
hitherto carried out in a few districts by the Irish 
Land Commission and the Agricultural Department 
of the Commissioners of National Education in 
Ireland being entirely confined to investigations as to 
the mode by which the disease reaches the tuber of 
the Potato, and for the prevention or lessening of the 
disease upon the crop, we submit are entirely inade¬ 
quate, inasmuch as the continuous plantirg of an 
exhausted variety year after year can only tend to a 
further deterioration of that variety because of its 
increased predisposition to disease. The importance 
of this suggestion will become apparent to your 
Excellency by the fact that but for the timely inter¬ 
vention of the Government in introducing and distribu¬ 
ting the “Champion” some eighteen years ago, 
Ireland was on the verge of a Potato famine, the 
result of which would have been as dreadful as that 
of 1847-8. This association of practical gardeners, 
supported on this occasion by so many prominent 
agriculturists, will be asked to record their votes 
upon the respective merits of the Potatos exhibited 
at the conference, having regard to their suitability 
for the soil and climate of Ireland, and such record 
will be duly forwarded to your Excellency to place 
before Her Majesty’s Government. We hope it may 
please your Excellency to extend your patronage to 
our association. 
Alfred O. Watkins, Pres : dcnt. 
Robert M’Craw, Vice-President. 
John J. Egan, Treasurer. 
James M’Donough. 
Joseph A. Rochford. 
Thomas Shaw, Secretary. 
The Lord-Lieutenant made a lengthy speech, in 
which he said that the address was one of the most 
practical which had ever been presented him. 
Although the weather had threatened the Potato 
crop during last autumn, he thought it had not fallen 
much below the average after all. The variety of 
Potato known as the Champion had apparently failed 
to such an extent that it could not be relied upon for 
a crop; but he made bold to say that Ireland would 
not continue to rely on one staple product for her 
food, but as the cultivation of the soil continued to 
be improved the attention of the tillers would be 
directed to other products, so that the people would 
be freed from dependence on the Potato crop, which 
must at all times be a cause of anxiety, not only to 
the Government, but to the tillers themselves. He 
believed that the agriculturists of Ireland were 
gradually acquiring a knowledge that would enable 
them to vary their cultures. He hoped, nevertheless 
that the Potato would remain one of the staple 
industries of Ireland. 
He reminded his hearers that they could not go 
on continually growing one variety year after year 
upon the same soil, but must introduce fresh seed of 
it from other countries. No class of Potato would 
grow continually on the same soil without becoming 
deteriorated. He had been asked whether it were 
possible by inquiry and experiment to ascertain 
what variety of Potato %vas best adapted to replace 
that which was failing. He looked to the creation 
of a Board of Agriculture in Ireland which would 
take all these things under consideration, and to 
which all classes of the community might appeal for 
information and assistance. He believed that in all 
human probability a Board of Agriculture would be 
created during the next Session of Parliament. He 
suggested that certain organised bodies should com¬ 
mence experiments in the meantime till a Board of 
Agriculture could be created and got into working 
order. 
It sometimes occurred tjhim, when reading of the 
Potato as suitable for Ireland, to ask whether 
throughout the whole of Ireland only one soil and 
one climate existed. His opinion was that there 
were several soils and several climates, so that there 
may be more than one variety it is possible or 
necessary to cultivate. He then entered into a 
humorous dissertation about the good and bad 
cooking of Potatos. The promoters of the exhibition 
might have had a section in which to show how 
Potatos should be cooked. His idea of a Potato was 
that it should be a mealy production, appearing at 
least to be digestible. He had never been able to 
get his own properly cooked, and the lack of a 
section to demonstrate this matter was the only 
criticism he had to pass on the proceedings of the 
day. Then he concluded by hoping that permanent 
benefit would accrue to the great Potato industry 
and the wealth and prosperity of the country. 
His lordship was much applauded during and at 
the close of his speech. 
Mr. J. A. Rochford then read a paper prepared by 
Professor W. J. Malden, Principal, Sussex County 
Council Agricultural School, Cardington, Bedford¬ 
shire. Professor Malden had formerly been Agri¬ 
cultural Superintendent of the Royal Dubfln Society. 
On this occasion his subject was “ English and Irish 
Potato Cultivation and Trade.” 
Professor M'Weeney, M.A., M.D., Lecturer and 
Director of the Bacteriological Laboratory, Royal 
Albert Agricultural Training Institution, Glasnevin, 
followed with a paper on " Sclerotium, or Diseases 
of the Potato Plant: their Cause and Prevention.” 
His paper was illustrated by specimens of the 
sclerotium stage of the disease, and other microscopic 
preparations shown by means of lantern slides; and 
practically took the form of a demonstration. 
Messrs. Dobbie & Co., Rothesay, Scotland, had 
undertaken the preparation of a paper on “ Twenty- 
five Years' Experience of Potato Culture in Scotland 
and the South of England.” This was read by Mr. 
Andrew Mitchell, a member of the firm. The Con¬ 
ference then adjoined till 7.30 p.m. 
Mr. A. Findlay, Markinch, Fifeshire, had prepared 
a paper entitled “ Remarks on Raising New Varieties 
of Potatos,” and on the resumption of the proceed¬ 
ings in the evening, this was read by Mr. J. A. 
Rochford. Mr. Findlay is the well known raiser of 
such varieties as Up-to-date, Farmer's Glory, The 
Biuce, and other heavy-cropping and disease resist¬ 
ing sorts, so that his paper dealt with his own acqui¬ 
sitions. He was followed by Mr. M. Maguire, 
Mullinscross, Dunleer, who read a paper on 
11 Opinions upon the Disease and Cultivation of 
Potatos in Ireland.” 
The busy two days’ Conference was brought to a 
close by the distribution of balloting papers to the 
members present, in order to determine which was 
the best Potato to take place of the Champion which 
had greatly degenerated. 
