M.ircli  12,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
211 
variety,  with  its  solid  mass  of  petals.  Other  varieties  standing  to  the 
credit  of  Mr.  Owen  are  Excelsior,  unique  in  point  of  colour  ;G.  C.  Schwabe, 
itself  popular  ;  R.  Dean,  in  colour  most  brilliant :  Rose  Wynne,  chaste 
in  its  blush  white  tinge,  and  remarkable  for  the  massiveness  of  its 
petals.  In  1893  Charles  Davis  was  obtained,  which  in  tbe  recent 
election  noted  in  the  Journal  stood  equal  with  any  variety  in  a  long  list 
of  the  best  sorts. 
To  Mr.  Jones  belongs  the  credit  of  giving  us  such  sterling  varieties 
as  Mrs.  W.  H.  Lees,  Duchess  of  Wellington,  Miss  M.  Goschen,  Lady 
Randolph,  W.  Wright,  Alice  M.  Love,  Arthur  Payne,  G.  Langdon, 
Mrs.  G.  Gover,  and  Mrs.  H.  Chiesman. 
Turning  now  to  private  enterprise,  Mr.  C.  E.  Shea  occupies,  as  a 
raiser,  a  high  position.  The  variety  Mrs.  C.  E.  Shea,  although  not  seen 
last  year  in  its  best  form,  still  deserves  prominent  mention.  Mr.  Shea 
in  1894  sent  out  Miss  Dorothea  Shea,  and  in  the  present  year  Maggie 
Shea  makes  her  debut.  Both  are  desirable  kinds.  Mr.  W.  Seward,  who 
raised  that  unique  coloured — dark  crimson — variety  in  1892  which 
bears  his  name,  deserves  a  position  of  honour  amongst  English  raisers, 
if  only  for  that  single  addition.  John  Shrimpton,  by  the  same  raiser, 
is  worthy  of  mention.  Mr.  Seward  has  also  succeeded  in  raising  this 
year  such  sterling  varieties  as  Dorothy  Seward,  John  Seward,  and  Mrs. 
John  Shrimpton,  in  itself  a  splendid  achievement  for  any  man. 
Mr.  Briscoe  Ironside,  with  Lago  Maggiore  and  Arona,  deserves 
mention,  but  whether  the  actual  results  were  obtained  in  England  or  in 
the  more  favoured  climate  of  Italy  I  am  unable  to  say.  Mr.  H.  Weeks, 
Derby,  with  Mrs.  H.  Weeks  and  Lady  Biron,  the  result  of  crossing  Mrs. 
Alpheus  Hardy  and  Puritan,  are  worthy  examples  of  English  energy- 
Emily  Silsbury  owes  its  introduction  to  Mr.  Martin  Silsbury,  Shanklin, 
Isle  of  Wight,  and  should  occupy  a  good  position  on  exhioition  boards 
in  the  near  future. — E.  Molyneux. 
(To  be  concluded.) 
EARLY  POTATOES. 
How  much  the  present  time  and  weather  are  stimulating  the  early 
planting  of  Potato  tubers,  in  the  hope  of  securing  specially  early  crops. 
Were  Potatoes  quite  hardy  plants  that  expectation  might  be  justified  ; 
but  we  may  never  forget,  for  spring  frosts  rapidly  create  object  lessons 
for  us,  if  we  do,  that  Potato  plants  are  exceedingly  tender,  and  the  least 
exposure  to  frost  is  productive  of  exceeding  harm.  If  by  planting 
towards  the  end  of  February  and  early  in  March  of  what  are  naturally 
precocious  varieties,  inevitably  resulted  in  the  consequent  above-ground 
growths  which  appear  in  April,  not  only  remaining  unharmed  but  also 
growing  freely,  then  would  early  Potato  culture  be  a  happy  proceeding 
indeed. 
Such  a  condition  of  things  may  be  found  during  the  spring  now  at 
hand,  because  he  may  look  for  all  sorts  of  weather  eccentricities  in  these 
modem  days,  the  present  winter  being  an  example.  Yet  there  is  left  to 
us  enough  of  wisdom  and  of  common  sense  to  know  that  the  chances  are 
altogether  the  other  way,  and  that  sharp  and  destructive  white  frosts 
may  not  only  come  in  April,  but  in  the  following  month  also  ;  and  then 
if  unprotected,  what  becomes  of  the  precocious  Potato  plants  ?  I  would 
very  much  like,  if  anyone  can  carry  the  suggestion  into  practice— 
and  to  any  gardener  it  is  easy  enough — if,  say,  a  peck  of  some  early 
Potato  were  planted  now  on  a  warm  border  and  allowed  to  take  all 
usual  risks  without  protection,  and  a  peck  of  the  same  variety  in  pre¬ 
cisely  the  same  present  state  were  put  into  a  shallow  box,  and  stood  in  a 
very  moderate  temperature  near  the  light,  and  occasionally  sprinkled 
with  water. 
Assuming  that  in  both  cases  the  eye  buds  were  dormant  when  the 
experiment  began,  a  little  later  disbudding  of  all  but  say  two  of  the 
strongest  shoots  could  be  done,  and  even  a  little  fine  leaf  soil  might  be 
shaken  amongst  the  tubers,  and  thug  stimulated  make  root  growth, 
finally  planting  on  the  same  border  from  four  to  five  weeks  later  than 
was  the  date  of  the  other  plantings.  In  a  short  time  a  safe  test  as  to 
the  advantages  derived  from  either  method  of  planting  might  be 
obtained,  and  the  best  and  earliest  crop  would  be  entitled  to  the  award. 
If  the  earliest  planting  product  be  materially  protected  from  frost,  some 
consideration  should  be  given,  not  only  to  the  labour  involved,  but  also 
to  the  value  of  the  material  employed.  The  object  should  be  to 
ascertain  how  far  premature  outdoor  planting  of  early  Potatoes  did  or 
did  not  prove  more  satisfactory  than  the  much  later  planting  of  well- 
prepared  tubers. 
Where,  as  is  the  case  in  many  gardens,  materials  are  at  hand  for 
erecting  over  a  precocious  piece  of  Potato  plants  a  rough  form  of  frame¬ 
work,  on  which  can  be  thrown  at  night  some  mats  or  other  protection, 
then  much  that  is  very  helpful  is  done.  In  all  good  gardens  that  is 
common  practice,  but  in  myriads  of  small  ones  and  on  allotments, 
no  such  protection  is  afforded.  Yet  in  these  cases  fine  open  weather 
such  as  we  have  been  of  late  experiencing  tempts  to  unduly  early 
planting,  and  the  most  that  can  be  done  when  tops  come  through  the 
ground  ere  white  frosts  have  departed  is  to  draw  soil  over  them,  the 
temporary  expedient  of  a  night,  for  next  day  the  leafage  again  is 
exposed,  and  only  by  literally  burying  the  tops  in  a  ridge  of  soil — 
practice  that  is  really  very  harmful  to  the  leafage — can  this  tender 
produce  obtain  even  temporary  protection.  When  white  frosts  do  cut 
down  young  Potato  tops  to  the  ground,  as  so  frequently  happens  towards 
the  end  of  April  and  during  the  month  of  May,  the  result,  as  we  all 
know,  is  not  only  most  disastrous  to  the  crop. 
Two  things  in  connection  with  undue  early  planting  may  be  assured. 
One  is  that  the  Potato  plant  is  as  tender  to-day  as  ever  it  was.  The 
second  is  that  late  white  frosts  are  far  more  likely  to  prevail  in  spring 
than  to  be  absent ;  therefore  those  who  tempt  Nature  by  injudiciously 
planting  so  early,  and  furnishing  no  protection  do  so  at  their  own  risk. 
It  is  sometimes  assumed  that  this  early  planting  is  beneficial  to  Potatoes, 
because  rooting  of  a  useful  kind  takes  place  even  before  the  leafage 
appears  above  the  ground.  That  is  very  doubtful  doctrine.  Roots  are 
emitted  in  but  the  slightest  degree  until  leaves  are  put  forth.  The 
growth  or  development  of  root  aad  leaf  is  coterminous  or  collateral. 
One  is  dependent  on  the  other.  When  tubers  are  started  in  shallow 
boxes,  having  both  moisture  and  fine  soil  to  encourage  root  growth,  and 
warmth  to  promote  leafage,  then  roots  are  largely  produced,  because  the 
leafage  is  fully  exposed  to  the  light.  When  tubers  are  planted  some 
5  inches  beneath  the  surface  of  the  soil,  the  shoots  or  sprouts  they  put 
forth  have  to  rise  through  that  thickness  of  soil,  until  light  is  found, 
and  leafage  then  is  formed.  Until  this  latter  development  takes  place 
root  action  is  limited,  and  as  the  ground  so  early  in  the  season  is 
usually  cold,  must  be  naturally  slow.  On  the  other  hand,  similar 
soil  a  month  later  is  some  3°  or  4°  warmer,  hence  root  action  when  it 
does  begin  is  all  the  more  active.  It  is  one  of  the  useful  characteristics 
of  Potato  tubers,  that  whilst  they  have  innate  power  in  the  fullest  of 
light  and  exposure  to  air  to  put  forth  stout  green  shoots  from  eye  buds, 
yet  so  long  as  kept  dry  growth  rarely  exceeds  1  inch  in  length,  or  are  roots 
emitted.  In  that  condition  seed  tubers  may  be  kept  for  several  weeks. 
Thus,  beyond  what  has  so  far  been  done  there  is  no  tuber  exhaustion. 
It  is  only  when  moisture  or  soil  is  added  that  roots  are  put  forth,  and 
growth  of  a  healthy  kind  ensues. 
When  tubers  are  left  in  darkness  we  know  too  well,  if  temperature 
conduces  to  growth,  what  elongation  and  exhaustion  ensue.  In  the  former 
case  the  growths  having  found  light  are  content.  In  the  latter,  the 
search  for  light  to  satisfy  what  seems  to  be  an  insatiable  craving  on  the 
part  of  plants,  never  is  gratified,  and  shoots  have  gone  on  pushing 
to  indefinite  and  astonishing  lengths.  How  much  and  forcibly  this  fact 
tends  to  show  us  the  importance  of  so  storing  our  seed  tubers  that  they 
never  shall  have  in  pushing  shoots  to  be  insatiably  searching  for  light,  but 
that  light  and  air  in  abundance  be  furnished  at  the  outset.  If  Potato 
growths  have  this  craving  for  light  when  in  darkness,  humanity  has  also 
a  similar  craving  for  new  Potatoes  after  many  months  feeding  upon 
old  ones.  It  is  that  very  craving  which  underlies  this  anxiety  for 
precocious  planting,  and  perhaps  excuses  it.  It  is  a  craving  we  all 
desire  to  gratify.  What  a  tribute  do  we  thus  pay  to  the  merits  of  the 
Potato  as  an  article  of  food  ? — A.  D. 
TABLE  DECORATIONS. 
To  carry  out  dinner  table  decoration  in  large  or  even  moderately 
large  gardens,  so  as  to  provide  constant  change,  causes  a  good  deal  of 
worry  and  responsibility.  To  use  cut  flowers  every  night  proves  a  great 
slaughter  unless  they  can  be  judiciously  employed  afterwards  for  other 
forms  of  decoration.  Flowers  for  this  purpose  alone  have  to  be  produced 
in  large  quantities  at  a  time  where  distinctive  features  and  striking 
arrangements  are  aimed  at.  We  have  on  several  occasions  used  no  less 
than  250  double  Daffodils  or  Tulips  for  single  occasions.  If  the  dinner 
table  were  the  only  place  for  which  flowers  were  required  the  strain  on 
the  producer  would  not  be  bo  great,  but  it  frequently  happens  when 
the  greatest  quantities  are  needed  for  these  purposes  that  some  dozens 
of  vases  have  to  be  filled  for  other  parts  of  the  dwelling. 
A  few  examples  may  be  given  of  how  tables  may  be  effectively 
decorated  without  recourse  to  cutting  flowers  on  every,  or  nearly  every, 
occasion.  At  this  period  of  the  year,  say  for  tables  suitable  for  twenty 
