Cultioation of Arable Land.—Potatoese 513

compared with them. And on being taken up and preferved in feparate bafkets for about a month, and then weighed, the produce of the former afforded by much the greateft weight; the cut fets giving one ftone and half a tron, while the{cooped ones yielded only three quarters of a ftone, the{mall fra€tions not being noticed. And in another trial, where one peck was cut with the knife, and the fame quantity prepared by the fcoop, and fet in the fame field, there was no perceptible difference in the growth of the crops while upon the ground; but, on taking them up, the difference of the produce in meafure was a peck and a half in favour of the cut fets*.

It was, however, found on planting cut and differently feooped fets alter~ nately, on a light earthy foil, in the drill manner, at the diftance of twenty- four inches between the rows, the fcooped fets being prepared to three-fourths and feven-eighths of an inch, and the after-culture performed in the fame way in each; that on taking up the different drills, and meafuring them feparately, the quantity of produce was nearly equal in every cafe. Hence it is concluded, that“ fcooped feed, and even the fmallett of the fcooped feed, produce equal to large ones, or thofe cut in the ordinary way+.” Similar fuccefs feems likewife to have attended the planting of fcooped feed under the dire€tion of Mr. Ford, in Suffolk t. However, though fuch fort of fets may occafionally, under favour- able circumftances of foil and fituation, afford full crops, it is probably a me- thod of praétice that fhould feldom be had recourfe to but in cafes where there is a difficulty of procuring a proper fupply of other kinds of feed.

On the whole, though there is reafon to fuppofe, from the various experi- ments that have been made on the nature of the feed, or fets of potatoes, that the quantity of produce is not, as has been fuppofed, exa€tly in proportion to the weight of them, yet that it is in fome meafure influenced by that circum- ftance, and their having a fuitable number of root-buds, as well as a due pro- portion of pulpy material furrounding them, to enfure the perfeé& evolution and {upport of the plants in the early ftages of their growth, and until they become completely eftablifhed in the ground.

Methods of Planting.—In the putting of potatoe crops into the ground, dif- ferent modes are adopted in different circumftances of foil and fituation. On all the more dry and fandy defcriptions of land, the furface of the ground fhould not be raifed, but kept as much as poffible on the flat; but where the climate is

* Farmer’s Magazine, vol. III. p. 103.+ Ibid. + Commercial and Agricultural Magazine, vol, II.