The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1878-07-30 00:00:00

aliticulturaltmL

-
THE POTATO BB : HOW TO SAVE THBIL

UR the whole of the earlier mope at once. The
skins of these arefirnil sle by mud-maturity and the
muses beat and drought, and not a day should be lost
In harvesting them. • thunder showers that hare
fallen at last on the morning of the 22nd will have one
of the following ef.cts—.ither a fresh flow of nap will
start the tubers into new growth, in such came its
quality will be seriously lowered if not ruined; or
super-tuberation will follow the rain; or the disease
will attack the crop The first is by far the least evil
of the three, though it is an evil without any corres-
ponding advantage as • set-off, for the addition to the
size of the Potato is far too dearly purchased at the
expense of its quality. Super-tuberation is utter ruin.
The first tubers are rendered uneatable, and the second
have no time to reach wale size, assaming, which is
most improbable that the dimes/ sparse either crop.
The risk of the disease itself is also very groat, rains,
and especially thunderstorms, after long droughts,
bring on the &lean with about as much certainty as
twice two are four. It is almost equally certain that
early crops lift= before the advent of the disease keep
soundly and well. The variety of opinion on the
latter point has risen from the fact, that in too many
Instances the disease has appeared before the mope
were liftmi When and where this is the 01110 there is
no security that lifting will arrest it though it often
seems to do an, end oftenar the lif Meting of • tainted
crop does little or nothing to arrest the malady. But
early crops lifted in • sound state do not cat= the
disease in store. Hence the sumistire importance of
early harvesting and the immediative lifting of all
Potatoes that have the akin set. Late crops not worth
lifting may as well be left in the ground c though, in
many cues, it would be wiser to lift theme also, and
destroy all the sham, so he to limit the area and
virulence of this disease, and perhaps checking also,
to some extent, its reproduction.—D. T. PIA.
GARDEN OPERATIONS FOR THE MONTH
OF AUGUST.
Prom Mews. Mat= and floes' "Amateurs' Guide."

The work of this month Is not sever% but • few of
Its details are of great importance. The rammer is
nearly over, and the supplies of the garden during
next winter and spring will in great part depend upon
good management now, for we have to make the
utmost of a few weeks of growing weather that
remain. Autumn sowings of seeds mart not only be
attended to. but with particular cars, to ensure a
regular and rapid growth, and yet not a wiggle wed
should be sown a day too soon, because ff the plants
attain too large a size before winter they might be
destroyed by frost. One greet difficulty in connection
with sowing seeds now is the likelihood of the ground
being too dry; yet it le most unwise to water seeds,
and it is always better if they can be got up with the
aid of the natural moisture of the soil as. However,
in an extreme case the ground should be well soaked
before the seed ix sown, and after sowing covered with
hurdles, pea-sticks, or mats until the seed begins to
sprout.
ARTICHOKES to be cut down as soon as the heads
are cut.

to be planted out. As the sprouting
Brocoll, which belongs to the clue of "Winter Greens,'
does not pay well in spring unless it grows freely now,
plant it fir enough apart, or it crowded where already
planted to .tend the winter, take out every alternate
plant and make another plant..to.
CABBAGE to be Down in small quantities, the
sorts being suitable to sow now. Plant out
In every vacant plot of ground.
CAULIFLOWERS must be sown to stand the
winter, and there is no better place for them than a
bed in • pit or frame in an open sunny spot, but they
may be wintered in open quarters under glasses. The
time to sow must be determined by the climate of the
district In cold late localities the find week is MSG
to early ; from the 15th to 25th is • good time for all
the midland districts. and the end of the month, or
even the first week of September, is early enough in
the extreme south. In any case, the seed should be
sown on a bed, and with care, in order that a healthy
growth may be promoted from the first. It is impor-
tant to have the plants es hardy as possible by free
exposure, and therefore they must not bel sheltered or
shaded until frost threatens them' and then the
glares must be put on, but they must have all at every
opportunity.
CELERY to be carefully earthed up u required,
It takes full five weeks to blanch Celery well, and as
the earthing up checks its growth, the operation
should not be commenced • day too soon. Take care
the earth does not get into the hearts.
ENDIVE.—Make • last sowing, and plant out all
that are large enough selecting, If possible, • dry,
alotig.hrtink for the purpose.
CE to be sown to stand the winter ; the
hardiest sorts, such as Brown Co. and Hammeremith,
being the beet. In cold districts the middle of the
month is the best time to sow; in favoured places the
end of the mouth will be better.

-61"IONS-t;--be-s;; t-s;-s-t-ind the winter. Two
smoll sowings-one at the beginning, the other at the
end ef the month-of the Giant Rocca, Red and White
Italian Tripoli, will be better than one large sowing.
TAG up Onions for storing; and if any are as yet
unripe, spread them out in the ground on • dry place
where they can be covered quickly in came of rain. In
wet, cold seasons it is sometimes necessary to finish
the store Onions by putting them in • nearly-cold oven
for some hours before they are stored away.
PEAS.-It is mere waste of seed to sow now, but
crops coming forward for late bearings should hays
attention, more especially to make them safe against
storms by a sufficiency of rapport, and in case of
dronit to give abundance of water.
EII'OIACH.--Sow the prickly.eeeded to stand the
winter. selecting for the seed-bed ground lying high
and dry that has been at least twig., dug over and has
had no recent manure. The twice digging is to
promote the destruction of the "Spinach Moth," grub,
which the robins and thrushes will devour when the
exposes them on the surface. These grubs ,
digging
an end of many a good breadth of Winter
Spinach every year, and are the more to be feared by
the careless cultivator.
TOMATORt3 to be gathered as soon am ripe. If bad
weather interferes with the finishing of the crop, cut
the full-grown fruit with • length of stem attached
and hang it up on • warm kitchen or in • sunny green
house.
_ .

—TURNIPS to be sown for epring use. The beet
sorts for this purpose are Jersey Nayet, White Stone,
and Sutton's all the year round.

THE POTATO CROPS.
/1017:111111111 COUNTIES.

Brae.—The early crops were partially dimmed
but not to any great extent. The late crops are
looking well hare and promise to give an abundant
There
ar="
or places round this neighbour-
hood wher, the Is making Its appearance. —T.
Jonas, the Royal Gardeners, Windsor.
14DDIJBEL —Potato' so far are very good, excellent
both in quantity and quality, and very few diamed
ones hays been found am yet. —T. P.. Stanmore.
SI/WT.—The Potato crop here is very much
Injured by the disease. The tope of the early kinds
are all deed, but the tuber@ are found, though small.
Late kinds are looking better, though in WADS cams
near the water they are showing sigma of the murrain
184atchas, which goon spread over the Wilolo plot.
no doubt to the heavy rain fail through April
and the early part of May, the disease made its
appearance six weeks earlier than usual. W. Kemp,
Albury Park, Guildford.
Kirr.—The Potato crop not having been cut by
hit* frosta, looked very promising up to the *ad of
June,when the disease made its appearance; but the
weather being dry it has not spread so rapidly as
usual. With a continuance of fine weather a fair crop
may be expected.—P. Hossack Bifrons.
Suastx.—There are • few ilseased tubers
the early kinds, but I have no reason to thlliar
the dined has es yet dome any harm worth speaking
ot —Joseph Rust, Bridge Cagle.
Wuza.—Potatose planted in the open, in • highly.
maimed piece of ground, and • most favourable piece
as far as quality and situation
with of soil are cos on
March 1 which grew on out the slightest cheek
whatever the mod satisfactory wa4b=bi.,,h.
" Laige
I)iderus°,Bfibnaili eqvuUttlyti,nqguantlt;°•tdi flavour—in short
it was the beau ideal of • potatoeorop ; but, Mae about
three weeks or a month ago the demos set in with •
suddenness both amazing and saddening to behold,
there beim fully more than on.-half of the crop
=sd; the sort. being thole good sorts Myatt's
oand Lee's Hammersmith Kidneys. Thus I am
more convinced than ever thatpohazanured ground
I. conducive to the dimes In and that the
the soil ha which the are planted the
Poorer
rliable they are to disease. The potatoes in this
district are all mon or lam bully dimmed, caused, no
T 0
in a peat by the great quantity of
main that fell during Uwe part of !fay and early
part of June; but on every it is admitted the crop
is everything that could be desired, were it not for the
disease setting in.—H. W. WARD, Longford Curti*.
Doutt.—The potato crop is very good in this
locality, the early varieties producing very heavy
crops, and good in quality. The dhow has made its
appearance, but as yet is not very prevalent. The late
clorozoisfaratoes promise to be good.—Hmar Mrimao,
Lynx* Regis.