Cultivation of Arable Land. Potatoes. 603

much ftronger, where proper attention is beftowed in their culture. On grounds of the peat-mofs kind they have likewife been found to fucceed in a high de- gree. In Mr. Townley’s experiments, though the more{tiff and tenacious forts of lands do not feem to have been tried, the produce appears to have been the largeft on the ftrong kinds of foil; but, in every cafe, it is effential that they be dry, the ftagnation of moifture being highly detrimental to the growth of this taot*.

The potatoe, though it is found to fucceed to advantage in the more open and porous forts of land,.is not well fuited to thofe of the perfe€tly fandy kinds, as they feldom retain a fufficient degree of moifture to enable the tubrous roots of the plants to fwell out and become of a good fize, nor is there, in general, a {ufficient proportion of vegetable mold in fuch foils to promote the moft perfect growth of the crop. It is only in fuch as poffefs a confiderable degree of light- nefs and good carbonic earthy matter, that they are enabled to propagate their fubterraneous wires or root-buds, become fully diftended, and attain their utmoft fize and increafe.

This is fully fhewn by the experiments of Mr. Somerville, in cultivating po- tatoes with good earth alone inftead of manure; as, where that was employed, the produce was much more abundant than in other cafes+.

In order that this ftate or condition of the ground may prevail in as high a degree as the nature of the land will admit, it may be the moft advantageous practice in the field culture of this plant to put in crops of this kind in the mote heavy adhefive foils, after bean, cabbage, or other vegetables of the fame nature, that require manure; and in thofe of the more light defcriptions, after peas, fuch grain crops as demand a finenefs of tilth, and on fuch lands as are under the ftate of fallow.

It is a praGtice in fome diftri€ts to raife potatoes on the Jey grounds when firft broken up; but this can feldom be an advantageous method, except where they are planted in what is termed the /azy bed manner, or by the dibble in the middle of the furrow flice, in which, from the large quantity of loofe mold by which the fets are covered, good crops may be produced, as is often the cafe

* The refults on planting four eyes of the clufter potatoe, on four different forts of foil, were thefe<

Kind of Soil. Produce. On a ftrong rich loam::;° 34 lb. Qn a light rich loam:: é‘ 29 On a good gravel:°:°: 19 On a fand 5;‘:‘ é 15

+ Report of the Board of Agriculture.