THE GARDEN ALBUM AND REVIEW . 
43 
POTATO NOTES. 
The ideal soil for potatos is a light or 
mellow loam on a limestone bottom. The 
worst soil is a cold heavy clay. Any good, 
well-drained, garden soil, however, will give 
good results. It should be well trenched if 
inclined to be heavy, or otherwise deeply dug 
in autumn. Well-decayed stable manure at 
the rate of 12 to 15 tons to the acre (or about 
a ton to every 10 to 15 poles) may be dug in at 
the time. 
Planting out of doors for early crops on a 
south border may be done in February in 
favourable weather and mild localities, and for 
main crops from the middle of March to the 
middle or end of April. 
A few weeks previous to planting, select 
medium-sized tubers, and stand on end in 
shallow boxes in a light, cool, and airy place, 
free from frost. Remove all sprouts except 
two or three of the strongest at the top. Extra 
large tubers or “ sets ” may be cut in half, but 
the cut surface should be dipped in slaked lime 
to prevent fungoid diseases germinating. 
When ready for planting, stretch a line the 
length of row and draw a drill about 6 inches 
deep, with the hoe. The rows should run 
north and south, if possible, and be 3 ft. apart. 
Place the “ sets ” (with the sprouted ends 
upwards, of course), in the drill, about 18 
inches apart. 
Then draw the soil over the “ sets ” with the 
hoe, first from one side of drill, then the other. 
Some gardeners, instead of drawing drills, 
make holes about 6 inches deep at regular 
intervals, with a stout dibber, then drop the 
tubers in and afterwards cover with soil. 
In the case of early potatos, the soil should 
be drawn up to the tops when they are through 
the ground to protect them from frost. In 
main crops, the same work can be done when 
the tops are well through. In the meantime, 
and during the season, make a point of hoeing 
between the rows to keep the weeds down. 
When the leaves and stems change colour 
later in the season, it is a sign that the tubers 
are nearing maturity. Soon afterwards the 
yellow tops should be cut down and bunted, and 
the potatos lifted. 
Never dig the stalks (or haulms) of potatos 
into the soil, or allow them to lie about to rot, 
as they may harbour spores of the potato 
disease. The ashes obtained by burning them 
is a good manure, and should be returned to 
the soil. 
If possible, never grow potatos two years in 
succession on the same piece of ground. Land 
which has carried a crop of any of the cabbage 
family, or onions, carrots, parsnips, beets, 
celery, may be afterwards cropped with 
potatos. 
Well-decayed stable manure or leaf soil is 
the best all-round manure for potatos in 
general. It may be placed well beneath the 
tubers at time of planting, and also over them, 
but never in direct contact with them. A layer 
of soil should intervene. 
The spread of the potato disease may be 
checked by spraying the foliage early in the 
season with Bordeaux mixture. This may be 
made by dissolving 6 lbs. of sulphate of copper 
and 4 lbs. of unslaked lime, in 50 to 60 gallons 
of water. The lime should be slaked slowly 
into a paste, and when well watered may be 
poured with the copper sulphate solution into 
a wooden vessel. 
At the Annual Meeting of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society, held on February 13th, 
Messrs. Sutton & Sons, of Reading, staged a 
magnificent collection of Potatos which 
embraced practically all the more important 
varieties now before the public. Handsome, 
well-grown samples of no less than 151 distinct 
varieties were shown, and 90 of them were 
duplicated in seed-size tubers. An extremely 
interesting and valuable feature of the display 
consisted of a collection of specimen tubers 
of wild types and species, including the pro¬ 
duce of a successful cross made with one of 
the wild forms of the Potato, Solanum Maglia, 
and the Potato of commerce. These tubers 
are unique, inasmuch as they are the result of 
what is believed to be the only successful cross 
ever effected with Solanum Maglia. Another 
interesting item was that of the Black Congo 
Potato crossed with a garden Potato, the 
resulting tubers being purple, and purple and 
white, in the flesh. 
PROFITABLE GOOSEBERRIES. 
For some years we rarely had a good crop 
of Gooseberries. The trees were young and 
healthy ; but grown as bushes, and with an 
insufficient system of protection, the birds 
played sad havoc. Gooseberry trees grown in 
bush form are difficult to protect from small 
birds. It is not so much loss of fruit as loss of 
buds, with the result that there is little fruit to 
lose, and the bushes after a few seasons grow 
ungainly. Some ten or tw T elve years ago we 
placed wire netting over the trees, the latter 
being trained to wires. Most of the trees have 
half-a-dozen leaders from the base, and grown 
thus they give little trouble. The trees are 
spurred in every season, and the leaders 
extended according to the room at command, 
and it is surprising w 7 hat enormous crops have 
been produced yearly and from a small space. 
The wire and poles were paid for after the 
third season, and I should add the trees are 
remarkably healthy. There is a space of 
6 feet between the row T s, and manure is given 
annually in the winter. I am aw r are all may 
not have as suitable a spot to cover in as 
described here ; such places as low 7 north or 
east walls answer admirably, as it is an easy 
matter to net the trees in the winter if birds are 
troublesome. Last season I saw a rough 
wooden fence covered with trees growm as 
cordons ; the owner told me it was the most 
profitable piece in the whole garden.—G.W.S. 
in The Garden. 
