The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-09-15 00:00:00

I

Countrg filiscellann.

Siaixo GAEDENING.—IIyscInths. 'Tulips, Crocuses,
LDS other Bulbs, from Holland, are sold by auction
every Wednesday and Saturday. and frequently on
Monday, at half-that 12 precisely, by Mr. J. C. Stevens,
at his Horticultural Sale Rooms, 38, King-street,
Coventsgardsn, London. Catalogues on application.
NUT Wl:stmt.—Au &Minden -e of hawthorn-benies
hogtherally considered to indicate a severe winter. If
this supposition is well-founded, and • pert of the
county of Kent may he taken as representing the test
of England in {that inatter,then the approaching winter
will be "my hard indeed. Long hedges mid trees may
be seen so thickly covered with berries as to be of •
bright red, in some cases entirely obscuring the leaves,
notwithstanding that • very large quantity was Shakes
off by the high winds lately.-- Once a Week.
KITCHEN GARDEN VPISATIONS.—The warm and dry
weather which we are again experiencing will necessitate
further plentiful watering.. Celery, in every stage of
succession except where finally earthed up, will need
copious deluging', if • really crisp "stick' is to be
looked for. Leeks, where well established, and
especially those planted in slight trenches, as previously
advised, will be much benefited by • like application.
Strong manure water increases their vigodr hastily, and
Its beneficial results will be materially enhanced during
the prevalence of the present hot weather if, after each
application of liquid manure, the surface is well watered
with pure water. Continue frequently to thin out
Spinach, Turnips, and the like, as they become
'efficiently large so to do. The last sowing of
Cauliflowers for early spring beaching must now be made.
Many prefer these to those sown earlier, and I doubt
not that this season they will prove the most maul.
It will be well to make another sowing of Lettuces,
watering the seeds in, and continuing to do se, as
re:mired, until the plants have attained a fair site. Keep
the hoe well at work, as needed, whilst the present
favourable weather lads.
WHAT RUST WI DO WITH OCR POTATOES ?
As I have noticed several &Gaols,' in the newspapers
expressing great fears as to the result, of the sprout,
now seen over the country in the potato, I would remits
mead all growers to let their crops remain in the ground
till the root is fully matured, excepting those required
for immediate use. The lath year thet I olsterve.l the
sprout was in 181;2. The weather that seaman continued
good through September, and when lifting time same I
found that sonic of the new strong kinds of toy seedlings
produced eight and ten goodaised totters from the eyes
of one potato, the original remaining good in quality
and • portion of the offsets being marketable Potatoes,
while the smaller ones made excellent strong wed. I
attribute the cause of the sprout to the healthy 0011.
ditiou of the plant and premature Yipeuing of the root,
On sccount of the dry weather, and the immediate rain
which followed in August eausieg n raction in the
constitution of the potato, not at all injurious to the
first crop, but giving the grower • eleutee of immuring
an additional weight of potato in the ground, and I have
no doubt the smaller ones will make as good seed next
;
year as they did in 1861 1 WO aware that some parties
are lifting their potatoes and storing them this I con-
eider dangerous, as should they continue to grow in
the pits, they may geoeues heisted and utterly azaleas.
I do not consider the sprout injurious to • very great
extout, although it may be • source of sithiety to many.
Fer epeeists of 40 years I have studied the potato in all
its freaks and forms of growing, and the attacks of the
various diseases upon the plant. I rosy mention the
fatal blight of '4B as the most destructive as, sweeping
over the length and breadth of the land, this disease
threatened to exterminate the plant chogotosr. Another
disease, known by the name of "the rust," Hat present
doing much more harm than the sprout. When this
takes place, the plant "tops growing, and the tuber
ceases to swell. It Is about seven years ago since I
observed this disease. I observed long before the disease
of '46 that many of the thanderd kinds of potato hoc.
gradually exhausted by remake' planting, and died
out, and I consider the only true sategutrd to the
prosperity of the potato plant is to follow up my method
of promotion, and that is by renewal of potato Ned
from the ohm or apple, and that to be done by arm-
bf.,diog from the strongest and most healthy kinds to
be °Merited at home and abroad to prod see apples. As
this speculation is • very arduom one, I would recom-
mend the system being carried out by the Governmeut
or by oreepsration. Moult! the WO of propeption be
neglected, and the constiffiction of the plant become
weakened by repeated planting, if the disease does some
as it did in '46, this esculent, now so valuable as an
article of food. may be swept out of existesim.—Wels
Agatha, I, Ussigelsetresf, Dthreisd. SeP4- 7.