m
covered with dung. About the latter end of March they begin to appear above the surface, when tho
ground is deeply hacked with a mattock, and made very louse about the plants ; then in a fortnight or
three weeks move the surface again, but the plants need not be earthed up unless they are very much
exposed to the wind, when a little may be drawn about them to keep them steady. By this method fine
ash-leavcd kidney potatoes maybe gathered b y th e 12th or 15th of May, even in situations not very
favourable for early crops, and nearly three weeks earlier than they can be gathered from sets planted in
the same situation in the latter end of F ebrua ry; and if ordinary care is taken i a planting,' "
no danger
need be apprehended from the frost.
3C30. I n Cornwall early potatoes are planted in October, spring up a few weeks afterwards, are ready
before the autumnal frost stops their growth, and the soil being covered with litte r to exclude the frost,
they are begun to be used about the end of December, ancl continue in use till May, when they are succeeded
by the spring planted crops. Of late years Covent Garden market has received supplies of early
potatoes from Cornwall, treated in the above manner.
3G31. I n %'arious p a r ts o f the counti'y , young potatoes for the table during winter are produced in the
foUowing m;inner: — Large potatoes are picked out from the winter stock of an early variety, and buried
in dry soil to the depth of 5 ft. This depth, and the circumstance of treading the soi! firmly over the
potatoes, so far exclude both heat and air as to prevent vegetation. About the middle of July following,
take the tubers out of the pit, and pick out all the buds except a good one in th e middle of the potato.
Plant these potatoes in a dry border sloping to the so u th ; the soil being in good condition, but not
manured. Place the eye or bud of the potato uppermost, and as tbeir growth will be rapid a t this season,
earth them up carefully to preserve their stems from the wind. About the end o f October the young
^ , ancl all th at is now required to be
•om the frost. During winter theymay
- - „ 0 of pigeon’s egi
done is, to cover them well up with long litte r to preserve them fo
be dug up as wanted, and their delicate waxy taste will resemble th a t of new potatoes,
vol. viii. p. 5G.)
3632. M r . K n ig h t procured a crop of young tubers by planting large ones in September: not a single
shoot from these tubers appeared above th e soil, but a portion of the matter of th e old tuber was merely
transformed into young ones, as frequently happens when potatoes are laid between layers of earth in
boxes. (76?rt., p. 315.)
3633. M r . L in d lc y recommends the greatest attention to having sets with no more than a single eye to
each in the first crop of early potatoes. He says he has always found crops from sets having single eyes
ten days or a fortnight earlier than those produced from sets which have been cut with two eyes or more.
He has tried both modes several years, planting the single-eyed sets in alternate drills with the others,
and ' the difference " ’has s proved uniformly the same. (Guide , &c., p. 569.)
" ' ' (G a rd .M a g .,
The disease called curl has in many places proved extremely troublesome and
3634. Cui'l ................disease.
.
injurious. It has given rise to much discussion, and to detail all the various opinions would be a useless
task. It may, however, be remarked, that the experiments of Dickson (Caled. H o r t. M em ., v o l.. . p ..55.)
show, th a t one cause is the vegetable powers in the tuber planted having been exhausted by over-ripen-.
ing. T h a t excellent horticulturist observed, in 1808 and 1809, th at cuts taken from the waxy, wet, or
least ripened end of a long flat potato, that is, the end nearest the roots, produced healthy plants; while
those from the dry and best ripened end, farthest from the roots, either did not vegetate a t all, or produced
curled plants. This view is supported b y th e observations of a very good practical gardener,
Daniel Crichton, at Minto, who, from many years’ experience, found ( Id ., p. 440.) th a t tubers preserved
nuch as possible in the wet and immature state, and not exposed to the air, were not subject to curl.
And Knight (H o r t. T ra n s ., 1814) has clearly shown the beneficial results of using, as seed-stock, potatoes
which have grown late, or been imperfectly ripened in the preceding year. Dickson lays down
some rules, attention to which, he thinks, wonld prevent the many disappointments occasioned by the
curl. He recommends, 1. The procuring of a sound healthy seed-stock of tubers for planting from a
high■ p■ art ’ of■ ■t he cou■n try, w- here• th-e tu• •b ers are• never over-ripened : 2. TheJ, planting of such po...t.a..t.o..e..s.. as e intended to siripply s
:e thei
l-stock for the ensuing season, at least a fortnight I 1 those planted for
cuticle of the tubers may be easily rubbed oflT between the finger and thumb: 3. The preventing those
plants that are destined to yield seed-stock for the ensuing year, from producing flowers or berries, by
cutting off the flower-buds; an operation easily performed by children, a t a trifling expense. ShirreiF
(Caled. H o r t. M em ., y o \ .i . p. GO., and in th e F a rm e r 's M a g a zin e ) controverts Dickson’s opinion, and
accounts for the curl disease as the effects of old age, on the hypothesis that plants, like animals, will not
live beyond certain periods, &c. The essay is ingenious, but totally speculative. Young, who has paid
much attention to the subject, has brought forward a variety of facts to show that the “ curl on the young
stem rising weakly arises chiefly from the two causes mentioned by Dickson and Crichton, over-ripe
tubers, or the employment of seed-stock that has been improperly kept during winter, that is, kept exposed
to the light and air instead of being covered with earth or sand, or straw, so as to preserve their
juices.” (Caled. H o r t. M em ., vol. iii. p. 278.) The same view, it maybe remarked, had occur
D r. Hunter. A fact ascertained by Knight deserves to be particularly noticed: it is this ; th at by
ing late in the season, perhaps in June, or even in July, an exhausted good variety may in a grea
sure be restored ; th at is, the tubers resulting from the late planting, when again planted a t th e or
season, produce the kind in its pristine vigour, and of its former size. Crichton, who has made a i
of experiments on the effects of exposure to th e air in hampers and open floors, and on exclusion of the
air by covering with earth (Caled. M em ., vol. i. p .440.), concludes, “ th a t the curl in the potato may
often be occasioned by the way th e potatoes are treated that are intended for seed. I have observed,
that wherever the seeJ-stock is carefully pitted, and not exposed to the air in the spring, th e crop has
seldom any curl ; but where the seed-stock is put into barns and outhouses for months together, such
crop seldom escapes turning out, in a great measure, curled ; and if but few curl th e first year, if they
are planted again, it is more than probable the half of them will curl n ex t season.” Mr. Main is of
opinion “ th a t the curl is an atmospheric disease. T h e curl, though now rarely seen about London,
was once very prevalent there, as it was about Edinburgh fifty years ago : but about London now no
attention is paid to which end of the potato is planted ; either does equally weil ; so th at all that has
been said about one end being m ore suitable for sets than another, is all mere speculation.”
3635. The scab, or ulcers on the surface of the tubers in potatoes, has never been satisfactorily accounted
for ; some attributing it to the ammonia of horse-dung, others to the alkali of lime, and some to the use
of coal-ashes. Frequently changing th e soil is the only preventive which can be prescribed for this, or
for the grub or worms which also attack potatoes.
3636. The disease called the potato m w r a in , which was a t its height in 1845, formed so important an era
in the history of the potato, that it seems advisable to notice it here ; and we shall give a short account
of its rise and progress, aiiriclged from th e able article on the subject published by the Rev. M .J . Berkeley
in the J o u r n a l o f the H o r t. Soc., and other sources. In 1830 a disease among potatoes was first
noticed in Germany, and called the dry rot. T h e tubers, when stored for winter use, or planted, became
impregnated with a kind of mould, and so hard that they could scarcely be broken ; and instead of producing
shoots, they only threw out a few misshapen tubers. In the following years a somewhat similar
disease was occasionally observed, with the exception th a t the tubers became soft instead of hard ; and
this disease appeared to increase and spread till, in 1842, a t Liège, it assumed a very serious form, and
the potatoes, as soon as they were harvested, became rotten. In 1844 it broke out in Canada ; ancl in that
and the following year, two thirds of the potatoes dug up in the month of September “ were either positively
rotten, partially decayed and swarming with worms, or spotted with brownish-coloured patches.
resembling flesh th at had been frost-bitten. 7’hcse parts were soft to the touch, and had the appearance
of mud.” ( J o u 7-n. o f Ho ld . Soc., vol. i. p. 12.) 7'he first public notice of the disease having broken out
in England appeared in the Gai'deners' Chronicle for August 16th, 184.5, in a letter from Dr. Bell Salter,
residing a t Uyde, in th e Isle of W ight. “ A blight of an unusual character,” writes this gentleman,
“ almost universally affects the potatoes in this island.” “ The flrst appearance is a dark spot on the
margin of th e leaf, which withers it, and spreads rapidly to the stem. 7'he discoloration soon extends
along the stem in the course of the vessels, and the whole plant rapidly becomes black, so that within
th ree days after a plant is attacked it has become totally destroyed. With this appearance in the upper
part, there coexists a fatal change in the tu b e rs ; they become likewise spotted a t first near the eyes on
th e upper su riac e; the cuticle separates ; th e substance becomes friable, and the change soon spreads
through the whole.” (Gai-d. Chron. for 1845, p. 561.) “ 7’he attack on the plant,” Dr. Salter continues,
“ appears invariably to commence in th e leaf, and not in the stem ; and the spot commences in the margin,
corrugating the leaf as it spreads. It is black on th e upper surface, but on the lower, though black
in the centre, it is whitish or grey on the margin, but neither minute insects nor fungi can be seen with
a strong lens.” In th e tubers “ the first appearance much resembles a severe burn, the root turning
grey or ash-coloured, and the cuticle coming off. When the change has become considerable, I am told
th a t th e vegetable has a pungent and nauseous taste, and it is reported to have been injurious to pigs.”
( Ib id .) About a week after D r. Salter’s letter appeared, the disease first showed itself in the south of
England, spreading northwards. About th e 1st of September it was first observed in the midland coun-
ties ; a’b ouutt tthhee 77tthh oof' t'■h e same mont’h 'i t reach. e.d .Ire.la.nd., a.nd somewhat later Scotland. In 1846 the
disease continued, but it appeared to begin in the stem ju st below the surface of the ground, and to proceed
downwards ; so th at the upper p a rt of the stem looked green and vigorous, though the lower part
taken up as soon as it began to thicken, the potatoes were generally found in a sound state in the ground.
In 1847 the disease appeared ameliorated, and io 1848 it had nearly disappeared.
3637. The cause o fth e potato m u r r a in does not appear to have been ever properly understood. Some
writers have attributed it to a fungus, and others to a species of ap h is; but from various experiments, it
now seems clear that both the fungus and th e insect were the results, and not th e causes, of the disease.
It was found by the experiments of Prof. Solly th at all the potatoes attacked contained a superfluity of
" ' " ' ' eraily th at the
kd experi
water, and had a deficiency of fibre, gum, starch, and g lu ten ; and as it was observed generaily t
tubers seemed to consist almost entirely of cellular tissue, without having a proper deposit of farinaceous
matter, it was supposed th a t th e disease might have originated in some deficiency in the soil ; and experiments
were tried in th e Hort. Soc. Garden a t Chiswick, under the superintendence of Mr. 7'homp-
soii, of growing potatoes in different kinds of soil, and with various kinds of manure. The results were
not very satisfactory ; but the best crop was produced by lime and powdered charcoal : it docs not
appear th a t phosphate of lime was used. Plants grown in richly manured soil were decidedly the worst.
One of the most mysterious parts of the disease was that plants raised from unsound tubers generally
produced a greater crop of sound tubers than plants raised from unsound sets.
3638. F o r fo r c in g potatoes, see th e preceding chapter, § 3340.
S ubsect. 2. Jerusalem Artichoke.—Heliânihus tuherosus L . (Jac. Vind. 2. t. 1 6 1 .);
Syng. Polyg. F ru st L. and Corymbiferoe J. Poire de Teire, Fr. ; Erde Apfel, Ger. ;
Aardpeeren, Dutch ; Girasole, Ital. ; and Girasol, Span.
3639. The Jerusalem artichoke is a hardy perennial, a native of Brazil, and introduced
in 1617. It has the habit of a common sunflower, but grows much taller, often rising
10 ft. or 12 ft. high. The season of its flowering is September and October ; hut though
its roots endm'c our hardest winters, the plant seldom flowers with us, and it never
ripens its seed. The roots arc creeping, and are furnished with many red tubers, clustered
together, perhaps from thirty to fifty to a plant. To cause it to flower, these tubers
should be removed as soon as formed, so as to th iw the strength which would otherwise
be employed on them, into the stem, on the principle mentioned § 3605. Before
potatoes were known, this plant was much esteemed. The epithet Jerusalem is a mere
coiTuption of the Italian word girasole (from girare, to turn, and sot), or sunflower ; the
name Artichoke is bestowed from the resemblance in flavour wMch the tubers have to
artichoke bottoms.
3640. Use. T h e roots are esteemed a wholesome, nutritious food, and are eaten boiled, mashed with
butter, or baked in pies, and have an excellent flavour. Planted in rows, from east to west, the upright
herb of the plant affords a salutary shade to such culinary vegetables as require it in the midsummer
months, as lettuce, turnips, strawberries, &c.
3641. Pi-opagaiion. It is raised by planting, either some small offset tubers of th e m am roots, or mid-
dling-sized roots cut into pieces for sets, which is more eligible. Preserve one or two full eyes to each
cutting.
3642. Q u a n tity e fs e t s . For a row 120 ft. in length, th e sets being inserted 2 ft. apart, h a lf a peck, or
60 roots, will be sufficient. (A be rc rombie .)
3643. Culture . It will grow in any spare ordinary part of the garden ; but to obtain fine large roots,
give it an open compartment of pretty good mellow ground. The season for planting is February,
March or beginning of April. Having dug th e compartment, plant them, either by dibble, in rows
2Æ ft. asunder, about 18 in. in the lines, and 3 in. or 4 in. deep ; or, in drills by a hoe, the same depth
and distances. The plants will come up in April and May. In thcir advancing growth, hoe and cut
down all weeds, drawing a little earth to the bottom of the stems. T h e root will multiply into a progeny
of tubers in a cluster, in each plant, mcreasing in size till September and October: you may then cut
away the stems, and dig up the produce as wanted. Or, in November, when they are wholly done
growing, it will be proper to take up a quantity, and lay in dry sand under cover, to be ready as wanting,
in frosty weather, when the others are frozen up in the ground, or affected by the frost. As the roots of
this plant are very prolific, the smallest piece of a tuber will grow. In taking up the produce, yon should
therefore clear all out as well as possible; as any remaining part will come up the following year disorderly
and pester the ground; and would thus continue rising for many years, b u t not eligible to
cultivate for a good crop. Therefore, to answer a demand, make a fresh plantation every year. (A b e r -
c rombie.)
S ubsect. 3. Turnip.—"Brassica "Rapa L . a n d Dec. (Eng. Bot. 2 1 7 6 .); Tetrad.
Siliq. L. and Crucîferæ J. Navet, Er. ; Steckrübe, Ger. ; Soap, Dutch ; Navone,
Ital. ; and Nabo, Span. See Encijc. o f Agr., § 5373.
3644. The turnip is a biennial plant, growing in a wild state in .some parts of England
; but bettor known as an iidiabitaiit of the garden and the farm.
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