many establishments the demand for them is not limited to supplies
obtainable from the open ground. Sowings may be made from mid-November
to mid-February, according to requirements and the extent of
accommodation available, from which the crops may be expected to mature
from mid-March onwards. Where a large glass-house, such as is used for
Tomatoes, &c., is at command, early Peas may be grown without prejudice
to other crops. Assuming that a good depth of soil exists, thoroughly
trench and prepare it as for outdoor Peas. Select a tall-growing
variety, of which there are a number that do well under glass. Sow in a
triple row, placing the seeds about three inches apart each way, and in
due course support the plants with stakes. A cool greenhouse or a frame
will also carry through an early crop of Peas, but for these structures
pots should be used and only dwarf-growing varieties sown. A ten-inch
pot will accommodate about eight seeds, and these should be planted one
and a half inches deep. When a few inches high insert a few bushy
stakes to carry the plants. A compost consisting of two parts loam, one
part leaf-soil or well-decayed manure, with a small quantity of wood
ashes, will suit Peas admirably. At no time is a forcing temperature
needed. From 50° to 55° at night, with a rise of about 10° by day will
suffice, and free ventilation must be given whenever possible with
safety. Apply water carefully, but never allow the roots to become
dust-dry.
Peas for Exhibition.—On the exhibition table handsome well-grown Peas
always elicit unstinted admiration, and the magnificent pods of the
newer varieties are certainly worthy of the utmost praise bestowed upon
them. In all cases where vegetables are grown for competition at Shows
the amount of success achieved depends largely on the intensity of the
cultivation adopted, and in this respect no other subject will respond
more readily to liberal treatment than will the Garden Pea. Deep
digging, generous manuring, and copious watering during dry weather, in
the manner already described, are fundamental essentials. Another
matter of no less importance is the selection of suitable varieties. It
is now the general custom to start the early sorts in pots or boxes
under glass (see page 104), and some growers treat mid-season Peas in
the same manner. Of this system it may be said that it offers the
fullest opportunity of giving attention to the young plants and allows
of the strongest specimens being selected for transfer to open
quarters. The number of sowings will, of course, depend on individual
requirements. At the time of transplanting give each plant plenty of
space for development, and it will be well to stake the rows
immediately. Keep the plants under constant observation, especially
while quite young, when they are liable to destruction by garden foes.
The flowering should be limited to the fourth spike, and from the time
the pods appear assistance must be given in the form of liquid manure
or a mulching of well-rotted dung. Remove all lateral shoots and
promote vigorous healthy growth at every stage. Some means should be
adopted to prevent injury of any kind to the pods, which when gathered
should be well filled, carrying a fine bloom free from blemish.
POTATO
Solarium tuberosum
The potato has been designated the ‘King of the Kitchen Garden,’ and
perhaps ‘the noble tuber’ should be so regarded. Of its importance as
an article of food it is impossible to speak too highly, and the
dietetic value of the Potato appears to be always advancing. The known
deficiency of flesh-forming constituents naturally associates this
vegetable with meat of various kinds, poultry, game and fish, and in
this proper association the root is probably capable of superseding all
other vegetable foods, bread alone excepted. It is far from our
intention to recommend abstention from Asparagus, Cauliflower, Peas,
and Sea Kale, and to regard Potatoes as a sufficient substitute for
these and other table delicacies; but it is well to remember that by
virtue of its starchy compounds the Potato has a direct tendency to
promote health and that freshness of complexion that generally prevails
among well-fed people.
Forcing Potatoes.—The demand for new Potatoes exists long before the
first of the outdoor crops grown in this country can be lifted. To meet
such a demand is not a difficult matter where the necessary amount of
glass is at command, and by adopting the method here given supplies may
be maintained through the winter and onwards until the first-earlies
from the open ground are available. It may be said at once that for
culture in pots and boxes under glass a high temperature is neither
requisite nor desirable. Sturdy healthy growth is essential to the
formation of a crop of tubers, and if the plants be forced into an
attenuated condition the labour will have been in vain. Another matter
which needs to be specially mentioned is the choice of suitable
varieties. Only dwarf-growing kinds, thoroughly adapted for forcing,
should be considered. The date of planting will necessarily be
regulated by the time at which the crop is required. But a few weeks in
advance of planting, the sets should be sprouted by placing them on end
in shallow boxes, packed with damp light soil and stood near the light
in a slightly warm pit or house. When the sprouts are formed rub off
all but the two strongest. Good turfy loam, a small quantity of manure
from a spent Mushroom bed, and a little bone meal, will make an
excellent compost for the pots or boxes. Two sets will suffice for a
ten-inch or twelve-inch pot, or five tubers may be placed in a box
measuring about four feet long by one foot wide. Perfect drainage must
be insured. Plant the sets with care, taking up as much soil as
possible with the mass of fibrous roots which will have formed during
the period of sprouting. The operation may best be accomplished by only
half filling the pots or boxes at first, and when the sets are in
position add a further two inches or so of soil. Water sparingly,
especially at the outset. As root growth increases add more soil and
give the plants an occasional application of tepid liquid manure. At
all times avoid excessive heat, and if the crop can be finished off
gradually in a cool house so much the better.
Where sufficient accommodation cannot be found for forcing Potatoes in
pots or boxes, an excellent crop may be grown on a gentle hot-bed made
up in the usual manner, and covered to a depth of at least nine inches
with a compost of three parts light loamy soil to one part leaf-mould.
After putting on the frame, keep the lights closed for a few days. But
a great heat is not wanted, and undue forcing at any stage will lead to
disaster. Partially exhausted hot-beds which have been used for other
purposes will also be found to answer admirably. Prepare the sets in
the manner already advised for pots and boxes, and plant them with the
least possible disturbance to the fibrous roots, three inches deep, in
rows fifteen inches apart, allowing twelve inches between the tubers in
the row. Whenever the weather is fine afford the plants a little air.
Increase the amount gradually as growth develops, but close the frames
early in the afternoon and give them the protection of mats at night
should the outside temperature be low. Water must be given in
moderation. It should always be of the same temperature as the frame,
and as soon as the haulm commences to turn yellow watering must be
discontinued. Little earthing up is needed, but when the foliage is
about nine inches high the addition of a small quantity of warm soil
along the rows will be beneficial.
Early Potatoes outdoors are produced in various ways, and by very
simple appliances. The Potato will not bear the slightest touch of
frost. It is a sub-tropical plant, and will endure considerable heat if
at the same time it can enjoy light, air, and sufficient moisture. In
some respects it may be likened to the Lettuce, for if crowded or
overheated, or subjected to sudden checks, it bolts—in other words, it
produces plenty of top and no bottom, just as Lettuces similarly
treated produce flowering stems and no hearts. We will here propose a
very simple and practical procedure for obtaining a nice crop of
Potatoes in the month of June. This system fairly mastered, endless
modifications will be easily effected as circumstances and judgment may
suggest.
Begin by selecting an early variety of the best quality. Some time
towards the end of January the sets are packed closely in shallow
boxes, one layer deep only, and these are placed in full daylight safe
from frost, but are not subjected to heat in any way. Having started
the sets into growth in full daylight, proceed with the preparation of
the ground. This must be light, warm, dry and rather rich without being
rank. If a length of wall is available, and perplexity arises
concerning suitable soil for the early Potatoes, seize all the sandy
loam that has been turned out of pots, and having mixed it with as much
leaf-mould and quite rotten manure as can be spared, lay the mixture in
a ridge at the foot of the wall. As walls do not anywhere run in such
lengths as to provide for all the early Potatoes that are wanted,
select a plot of ground lying warm and dry to the sun, and having
spread over it a liberal allowance of decayed manure, and any light
fertilising stuff, such as the red and black residue from the burning
of hedge clippings, turf, and weeds, dig this in. The ground being
ready, it is lined out in neat ridges two feet apart, running north and
south. These ridges must be shallow, rising not more than six inches
above the general level. On every fourth ridge sow early Peas that are
not likely to grow more than two and a half to three feet in height.
This being done in February, the land is ready for Potatoes in the
first week of March. Plant on the fine stuff laid up next the wall in
the first instance, and then on the ridges, where there is room for
three rows of Potatoes between every two rows of Peas. In the process
of planting, it will be advisable to rub off all the weak eyes and thin
out those on the crown, two or three strong eyes being quite
sufficient. This can easily be accomplished as the sets are laid into
their places in a shallow drill opened on the top of the ridge. The
sets may be put a foot apart, and have four inches of fine soil over
them. Prick the ground over with a fork between the rows, leaving it
quite rough, but regular and workmanlike. The Peas will soon be visible
and require attention. Draw a little fine earth to them, and stake them
carefully with small brushwood. If snails and slugs appear, give
dustings of lime or soot, and as soon as possible supply stakes of
sufficient height and strength to carry the crop. By the time the
Potatoes begin to show their shaws the Peas will constitute an
effectual shelter for them against east winds, and it will be found
that the morning frosts that are often so injurious to Potatoes in the
month of May will scarcely touch a crop that has the advantage of this
kind of protection. But to that alone it is not wise to trust. One
serious freezing that blackens the shaws will delay and diminish the
Potato crop. Therefore, as the green tops appear, cover them lightly
with fine earth from between the rows, and if necessary repeat this,
always allowing the leaves to see daylight. When a sharp frost occurs,
it will be advisable to cover the tops with a few inches of light dry
litter in just the same way that a bed of Radishes is protected. There
are many other methods of saving the rising shaws. A plank on edge on
the east side of a row will suffice to tide through an ordinary white
frost. Mats or reed hurdles laid on a few stout pegs will also answer
admirably, but care must be taken that the plant is not pressed down,
and the covering must be removed as soon as the danger is over.
Crops grown under walls will be ready first, and those in the beds will
follow. Spaces between the trees of a fruit wall may be planted with
Potatoes, without injury to the trees. Those grown on the south face of
a good wall will be ready for table three weeks in advance of the
earliest crops in the open quarters. But east and west walls may be
made to contribute, and even north walls are useful, if planted a week
later and a little deeper. In all cases the sets should be put close to
the wall to enjoy the warmth, and dryness, and shelter it affords. When
the crop is lifted, the soil specially laid up for it may be taken
away, or scattered over the border. But the bulk will be so slight that
it will not matter much what becomes of it. However, in a new place
with a clay soil it may be prudent to remove it, and keep it ready as
an aid in seed sowing, for there are times and places where a little
fine stuff is worth a great deal to give a crop of some kind a proper
start.
The main crop, as the source of supply for fully nine months out of
twelve, deserves every attention. Potatoes are grown with advantage on
so many diverse soils, and in such unlikely climates, that the plant
appears, on a casual consideration, to be altogether indifferent to its
surroundings. But it is none the less true that for the profitable
cultivation of this crop certain conditions are absolutely essential.
Among these an open situation and a well-drained soil are perhaps the
most important. To this might be added favourable weather, because a
bad season frustrates every hope and labour. Having an open situation
and a well-drained soil, it is much to be preferred that the soil be of
a deep, friable, loamy nature; in other words, a good medium soil,
suitable for deep tillage, but neither a decided clay, chalk nor sand.
A fertile sandy loam, lying well as regards sunshine and drainage, may
generally be considered a first-rate Potato soil, and excellent crops
have also been grown on thin soils overlying chalk and limestone. So
again, fine crops are often taken from poor sandy soils, and from
newly-broken bog and moss, as well as from clay lands that have had
some amount of tillage to form a friable top crust. But when all is
said the fact remains that the ideal soil for Potatoes is a deep mellow
loam, and, failing this, preference should be given to calcareous and
sandy soils rather than to clays or retentive soils of any kind.
Manures.—Much prejudice prevails against manuring land for Potatoes,
and where the soil is good enough to yield a paying crop, it will be
prudent to do without manure, and to dress generously for the next crop
to restore the land to a reasonable state. Still it is the practice of
many of the most successful growers for the early market to manure for
this crop, and in some instances the manure is laid in the trenches at
the time of planting. Generally speaking, land intended for Potatoes
should be deeply dug, and, if needful, manured in the autumn. About
twenty to thirty cartloads of half-rotten manure per acre may be dug or
ploughed in to as great a depth as possible, consistent with the nature
of the subsoil and the appliances at command. In breaking up pasture
with the spade, bastard trenching will as a rule prove advantageous.
The land is lined off in two-feet breadths, and the top spit of the
first piece is removed to the last piece, which will often be close at
hand by the rule of working a certain distance down and back again. The
under spit will then be well broken up, the manure thrown in, and the
top spit of the next piece will be turned in turf downwards, making a
sandwich of the manure. If this is done in autumn, there will be a
mellow top crust produced by the spring, and the best way to plant will
be in trenches, unless the land is very light, in which case the dibber
may be used.
As light lands are often profitably devoted to Potato culture, and more
especially to the production of first-class early Potatoes for the
markets, a few words on their management may be useful here. If on the
light land there is a choice of aspects, by all means select the plots
that slope to the south-west; the dangerous aspects are north and east.
The ground should be ploughed up in autumn and left rough, but it is
not economical to manure light lands in autumn. At the time of
planting, the furrows should be cut with a plough fitted with a double
mould-board, and the manure spread evenly along them previous to laying
in the sets. A good dressing per acre will consist of fifteen loads of
farmyard manure, and four cwt. of artificials, consisting of one and a
half cwt. of guano, two cwt. of superphosphate of lime, and half a cwt.
of muriate of potash. When the sets are laid, cover them by splitting
the ridges with the plough. If planted early in March, the crop should
come off in time for Turnips, for which the land will be in good heart,
and the seed should be sown as quickly as possible after the clearing
of the Potatoes.
Preparing the Sets.—Among the many subjects that open out before us at
this point are the selection and preparation of the sets. Why are
smallish tubers chosen in one case and planted whole? and why, in
another case, are large tubers chosen and divided before planting, to
make two or more sets of each? Because there is a principle on which
sound practice rests, and it is this: the number of shoots starting
from any one growing point must be limited, for if they become crowded
the crop will be less than the land is capable of producing. Keeping
this principle in view, we proceed to remark, in the first place, that
carefully selected seed of moderate size may be planted as it comes
from the store without any preparation whatever, and with a fair
prospect of a profitable result. But certain varieties produce few
tubers of seed size, and when large they must be divided in such a
manner as to insure at least two eyes in each set. As a matter of fact,
profitable crops are grown in the most simple way; the seed is neither
sprouted nor disbudded, and with a well-made soil and a favourable
season, the return is ample, and all claims are satisfied.
Potato-growing entails much labour, therefore it is important to
distinguish between tasks that are necessary and those that are
optional.
But where the time and strength can be found for first-class
cultivation, it should have the preference over the rough and ready
methods that are satisfactory on a large scale. Exhibitions of Potatoes
are for the most part sustained by persons who can find the time to do
things with extra care, and they have their reward in their crops as
well as in their prizes, for what may be styled Exhibition culture
consists simply in growing the crop in the best possible way, and
planting many sorts where in any other case a few would suffice. Here,
then, on the best plan, we begin with sets most carefully selected, to
insure true typical form and colour, and these are, some six weeks or
so before planting time, put in shallow boxes or baskets, one layer
deep, to sprout in full daylight, but quite safe from frost. In the
first instance a number of sprouts appear, and a large proportion are
rubbed off. The object of the cultivator is to secure two or three
stout, short shoots of a green or purple colour; the long white threads
that are often produced in the store being regarded as useless. When
large sets are employed, they are allowed to make three or four stout
shoots, and at the time of planting—not before—these sets are cut so as
to leave to each large piece only one or two good sprouts or sprits. As
for the smaller sets that are not to be divided, it is common practice
to cut a small piece off each of these at the time of planting to
facilitate the decay of the tuber when it has accomplished its work,
for having nourished the first growth the sooner it disappears the
better. Thus, with a little extra trouble, sound tubers have been
prepared for planting, and the main reasons for taking this extra
trouble are doubtless fully apparent. The best seed possible is wanted
and the most suitable soil; these two items forming the first chapter.
By sprouting the seed time is gained, which is equivalent to a
lengthening of the season. By limiting the number of shoots an excess
of foliage is prevented. Where the shoots are crowded the tubers will
not be crowded, a few strong shaws with all their leaves exposed to the
air and light being capable of producing better results than a large
number contending for air and light that are insufficient for them all.
And finally, by cutting the sets, whether to divide them, or simply to
hasten their decay, we insure that they will not reappear with the
young crop as useless, ugly things.
Distances for Planting.—The distance at which the sets are planted is
of importance, for a crop too crowded will be of little value. But the
ground must be properly filled. By wasting only a small space in each
breadth, or in the spaces between the sets, the total crop will be many
bushels short of the possible quantity. The guiding principle must be
to allow to each plant ample room to spread, and absorb the air and
sunshine, in accordance with the character of the sort and the
condition of the soil. A considerable proportion of the losses from
disease may be traced to overcrowding in the first instance; the
tangled haulm being rendered weak through want of air, and then
becoming loaded with water, and in contact with wet ground, the disease
has made havoc where, had the management been founded on sound
principles, there might have been a vigorous healthy growth. If a doubt
arises, it is safer to allow too much rather than too little space, and
in this respect the exhibition growers are very liberal. They often
place the rows of strong-growing varieties four feet or more apart, and
allow a space of three and a half feet for the more moderate growers.
Even then, with good land, in a high state of preparation, the shaws
sometimes meet across the rows, and enormous crops are lifted. For a
very comprehensive rule, it may be said that the distance between the
rows may vary from fifteen inches for the early sorts of dwarf growth,
to forty inches for the vigorous-growing late sorts. Between these
measurements, for varieties producing medium haulm, a distance of
twenty-six to thirty-six inches may be allowed on good ground. The
distance between the sets must in like manner be determined by the
growth, and will range from nine inches for crops to be dug early, to
sixteen or twenty inches for the robust kinds. The medium maincrop
Potatoes will generally do well at twelve inches apart. Much, however,
depends on the season, for when great space is allowed, and the season
proves warm and showery, there will be more large tubers than the
grower will care for; whereas, if planted somewhat closer, the crop
would be smaller and more uniform in size. When planted, the tops of
the tubers should be about four inches below the surface.
Time of Planting.—Under favourable conditions, it is possible to plant
on a warm dry border as early as mid-February in very sheltered
districts, but a supply of protecting material must be instantly
available in the event of severe weather. As a rule, however, the
opening of March is soon enough to plant early crops out of doors,
always provided that the soil is light and the situation warm, but
where these conditions do not exist it will be safer to wait until the
middle of the month. Maincrops may be got in at the end of March and
during April, according to the locality and the character of the soil.
In any case, it is better to defer the operation for a week or so than
to plant in heavy wet ground which quickly consolidates, making it
impervious to air and unsuitable for root-penetration. Excellent crops
may also be obtained by planting in July, preference being given to
quick-growing early varieties. Old tubers only should be used and these
must be carefully stored until required for planting.
Method of Planting.—On light soils, in a sufficiently dry condition,
the dibber or planting stick may be used, but on heavy ground it is not
satisfactory. A good method of planting for all classes of soil is to
draw out a V-shaped drill of the requisite depth, place the sets into
position and lightly return the earth. Another plan which is largely
adopted is to insert the sets in the trenches as made during the
operation of digging the ground in spring, a garden line being used to
obtain the accurate alignment of the rows.