The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-11-03 00:00:00

HOW TO SAVE THE POTATO.

TO THE PEASANTRY OF IRELAND.
In November last, and subsequently, I laid before the
government, and other leading authorities of the country,
the fact that the disease of the potato could be checked,
and overcome, by planting the seed in Autumn in place of
spring. And had it been the Almighty will that this
were then promulgated and believed, and that the planting
took place at that period, perhaps famine would not have
reached the land ; but it was otherwise ordained, and you,
who so truly depend upon the "will of God!" will feel
that what is is best.
No one then advocated the measure, because it was not
generally known; but now that the proposition has been
publicly promulgated, and reason brought to bear upon it,
the newspapers have echoed its truth and advantages from
end to end of the country. Ido not, therefore, ask you
to depend upon my simple word ; but as ail the agricultural
authorities now fully bear out what in November last I
urged as the real and simple remedy, I implore you, for
your own sakes, at once to follow the advice which I pub-
lish fur your good. If you doubt me, ask your clergyman,
and he will tell you whether I am wrong or right.
Lose not a moment in planting your potatoes ; and for
this year use beds or ridges, with deep furrows between,
so as to let all the water run off.
Manure the ground just as usual ; cover the set, at least
six inches, with fine earth ; that is, do not put on clods :
stake the covering snug and close, and finish your ridges
off evenly.
Run the beds so that the water may get off readily ;
and do not plant in any ground which will be flooded in
inter. .
Follow this plan, and, please God, you will have a good
crop early next year.
Do not be afraid of the frost—it will not injure the set;
and even should the shoot come up and be cut off, it will
come again, and give you a sound potato early in the sea-
son, if you but cover the seed as I have told you. And I
shall now show you why, because I wish you to know as
well as myself.
When you put your potatoes into pits in autumn and
cover them closely up with straw and clay and that they
area little time lying together, they begin to heat, just as
you know a green rick of hay would : but they cant take
fire, because they are so very wet in themselves—still they
heat Well, the consequence is, as soon as they get
warm, they shoot and grow ; and if the winter should be
mild (as it has been in Ireland for several years) they shoot
more ; and so, by the time spring comes, the whole pit is
filled with shoots, some a yard or two long.
Just think of this. Must it not take away almost all
the strength of the potato And when you pull off the
shoots, which are the principal part of its life, and then
put that potato for seed into the ground, you cannot surely
wonder that it either misses entirely, or that what it pro-
duces must be weak and diseased.
Suppose. now, that you had a parcel of oats, on a loft,
that you were keeping for seed ; and that you found, when
you were going to sow it, that it was all sprouted, would
you not think yourselt a very great fool to put that in the
ground, hoping to get a good crop? To be sure you
would ; in fact you would not use it at all. let this is
just what you have been doing with the potato for many a
year. You have put it in a pit warmer than the ground,
or the natural air, and after growing there by means of
that increased heat, from November till May very likely,
you expect it to give you a sound offspring, although it
has left almost all its life in the pit.
Now, you know this is quite contrary to nature. You
cannot expect a strong child from a weak parent; and why
the poor potato is to be worse treated than anything else
in its propagation I cannot see. If you want a good crop
of wheat you buy sound seed ; if oats, you do the same—
in short, for all crops except the potato but you use IT
BO badly, that you first drive almost all its strength and
growth away, and then you put it in the ground more than
half dead, expecting it to give you sound produce.
This, then, is the reason why autumn planting should
be at once adopted and always followed—because, when
you plant at that time, all the power and vigour of the
seed is given to the offspring. When natnre calls upon it
to grow. it grows as she wishes, which cannot be wrong.
Not like the forced and unnatural growth in the pit, which
is given out uselessly, then lost, and the plant left to de-
pend on whatever little life may still remain for the repro-
duction.
Do not hesitate, then, to plant your potatoes now; next
year you will have a good crop, and a year or two will,
with the permission of Providence, make the potato its
sound as it ever was, if you No
Now, if yon can contrive, in addition to this, to burn a
little turf into charcoal, which you all understand can be
simply done; and after breaking it about as fine as sand,
throw a small handful or even dusting of it, on each set,
will find that the crop will be stronger and bette

for the charcoal will give to the plant, when it begins to
grow, that which the disease has taken from it, and the
next crop will be quite sound. But if you cannot do this,
plant the seed just as I have before described, and no
matter what kind you have, do not be afraid of using it.
Let the sets be as sound as you cau get them, but don't
fear ti use diseased potatoes, if you plant them in dry
weather, and at once—that is, this month or the next—
but in no case later than December; and, if you follow
this advice, please God ! you will have good potatoes next
season.

JASPER W. ROGERS, C.E.
Nottingham•street, Dublin, Oct., 184 G.

THE LOSS OF THE GREAT BRITAIN.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.

Sett,—Your laboured article on my statement to the
directors of the Great Western Steam-ship Company has
just this moment reached me. I do not, cannot believe,
with all the power for mischief you unfortunately possess,
and exercise with evident gratification, that it can do me
any injury. We truly are a paper-ridden people; but
there are still many who judge for themselves, and they
will increase, I hope; and to them I appeal from your
self-formed judgment. The idea of a landsman or a
lubber (evidently one or the other is the editorial " we")
pronouncing so decided an opinion in such a case is ridicu-
lous; but you well know you have never given the Great
Western Steam-ship Company, or any pencil connected
with it, fair play. Why, you can best tell. Your scrib-
bler says, " Captain Hosken starts with excuses for tak-
ing the North Channel." Captain Hosken " starts" with
reasons for doirg so, and maintains them to be good and
sufficient; and then follow sapient remarks and laboured
lines, which I pass over, only noticing a few of them,
leaving you St. Paul's, Charing-cross, Whitehall, and
Farringdon-street to wander in, and recommending your
scribbler to extend his walk to Leadenhall-street, to
improve his knowledge in navigation.
" At half-past five o'clock he has the Isle of Man on his
right. He runs straight away, by his own reckoning,
some thirty miles, and then jumps at a conclusion, at a
quarter past eight, that be has this same island on his
left." Any of your nautical readers will understand a
ship's course being altered from N.W. by N. to N. by E.
will bring a light from the starboard to the port or lar-
board bow, and this is really all the point in your article ;
your winding up, " We have no wish to press hardly on a
man who has suffered already such mortifications and
losses from his own act," is paltry, and, as it means no-
thing, is unworthy of notice, as I shall consider any more
editorials on this subject. But if " Nauticus," or any of
your correspondents, attack me with their names, I shall
be quite prepared to answer them.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
JAMES HOSKEN.
Great Bri'ain Stearn-ship, October, 28th.

SECOND EDITION.

S;andard-qffice, Half-past 12 o'clock.

MUNICIPAL ELECTION.

ADJOURNED PROCEEDINGS.

STATE OF THE POLL.
SCOTLAND WARD.

12 O'CLOCK.
Mr. James Ilolme (c) .....
Mr. William Thornhill (R)
SOUTH TOXTETH WARD

20 MINUTES PAST ]2.

Mr. Thomas T. Glazebrook (c)
Mr. William Watson (rt)

GENERAL MISCELLANY.

The potatoes in the township of Queenhead are not so
much a failure as was anticipated.—Leeds Mercury.
The thick coal colliers of Dudley have given notice for
a rise of Is. per day, which will make six shillings per day.
The Bucks Quarter Sessions decided last week, by a
majority of one, not to call upon the chaplain of the
county gaol for the confession of Tawell.
Among the list of articles of merchandise imported
from Ireland during the past week, may be mentioned
1,509 pigs of lead, the production of the sister isle.
All the crew, except one, of the steamer Loch Ryan,
which was recently wrecked, were saved by a brig which
took them from the ill-fated vessel.

A young gentleman in London received last week se-
rious injuries, while making some experiments on the
projectile power of gun cotton.
A servant girl, whilst cleaning an upper window from
tho cutside, in Blackfriar's•road, the other day, fell into
the street, and was taken up without hopes of recovery.
A PEER A PREACHER.—The Right Hon. Lord Teyn-
ham preached in the long room of the Angel Inn,
Sherborne. on Monday.
A SPORTSWOMAN.—In a shooting party on the Blen-
heim domain, the Duchess of Marlborough this week

brought down eight head of game with her own gun.
It has been resolved to appropriate the sum of £16,000
to the purpose of enlarging the Gloucester docks, in order

to meet the increasirr, trade of the port.
At a wedding, which took place on Monday, at Snaith,
the bridal party and the guests arrived at the church on
sixteen donkeys.
A few days since, at a meeting in Edinburgh, Dr. Chal-
mers announced that it was the last time that he should
address a popular a3senibly.
Sir Henry Fetherstonhaugh, the oldest baronet in the
empire, expired on the 26th ult., at his seat, Up-park,
Sussex, at the age of 92.
On Monday, the omnibus which runs between Barnard
Castle and Darlington was upset. One passenger, Cuth-
bert Watson, Esq., sustained serious injury.
A few days since, a woman was poisoned at Bishop-
wearmouth, through taking a dose of tincture of opium
instead of tincture of rhubarb. The dose had been given
at a druggist's shop by a boy in mistake.
RUSSIAN BUTTER.—A vessel, just arrived in one of
the dock establishments from Russia, has brought, in ad-
dition to a cargo of t r and wood goods, thirty-nine casks
of butter, of Runsian produce.
Last week a vesel arrived in London from Ghent with
200 orange trees in full leaf and vigour, and another from
France with 121 orange trees, and several cases of choice
flowers.

UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE.—Friday week's Gazette
contains only three bankrupts,—a builder, a currier, and
a publican ; and in Tuesday's Gazette there are four,
namely, two grocers, one hosier, and one victualler.
Mrs. Jane Thompson, wife of Mr. John Thompson,
agent of the Berwick Bank, was tried at the court of
quarter sessions, Berwick. on Monday and Tuesday last,
on a charge of robbing the bank in August last, and
acquitted.
The extensive cooperage of Mr. Gordon, at Limehouse,
comprising twelve workshops and store lofts, occupying
200 feet in length, and 100 in breadth, were destroyed by
fire, on Thursday evening. The damage is estimated at
several thousand pounds.
A series of public meetings are to be held throughout
the manufacturing districts in furtherance of the move-
ment for obtaining a Ten Hours' Factory Act. Mr.
Richard Oastler, " the Factory King," and Mr. Feilden,
are expected to atttend the meetings.
FATAL BOILER ExPr.osioN.—On Thursday morning,
a boiler, 26 feet long and 7 feet diameter, exploded at
Charleston, Ashton-under-Lyne, and killed three versons.
It belonged to the works of Messrs. Ba ley and Dewhurst,
cotton spinners.
The government have at length issued the commission
to inquire into the state of Education in Wales. Mr.
Henry Vaughan Johnston has been appointed to North
Wales ; and it is understood to be his intention to com-
mence his inquiries in Anglesey forthwith.
Mr. Haig has successfully introduced his smoke.con-
suming apparatus into the Ariel, once a Dover steam-
packet. The experiment was made from Wooiwich ; the
people on the river were surprised to see the Ariel go at
full speed without any smoke funnel.
At the Central Criminal Court, London, on Wednes-
day, James Newbury, aged 24, groom, was sentenced to
twenty years' transportation, for sending a letter to Mr.
E. D. Protheroe, M.P. for Halifax, and with menaces,
demanding money under a threat of charging him with an
abominable offence.
At Glossop petty sessions, last week, a man was charged
with stealing his own son. It appeared that an illegiti-
mate child, which had not been affiliated, had been living
with its mother, and was stolen by the father. The
magistrates decided that the child should live some part
of the year with each.
At the Central Criminal Court, on Thursday, Anne
Sinner, alias Ruffey, 29, spinster, was indicted for the
wilful murder of Daniel Crawley, by stabbing him with a
knife. The jury returned a verdict of manslaughter, as it
appeared that the deceased had made a great disturbance
in the eating house, and had insulted Sinner.
There is a singular family of mutes in Jeantown, Ross-
shire. They are orphans, seven lads and two girls, all
deaf and dumb, and yet the most industrious people in the
village. Three of them have adopted a sea-faring life, and
have a boat and net in which they sail by themselves in
pursuit of herrings round the whole coast:
TEA.—One of the largest importations of tea has just
been brought to London from Canton by the ship Buck-
inghamshire. Her immense cargo comprises 18,156
chests, 8110 half-cheats, 2243 boxes, and 562 other pack-
ages. altogether the unprecedentedly large number of
29,071 packages of this esteemed and valuable article, in
addition to other merchandise.
An accident, similar to that by which, last year. an
actress named Webster lost her life, occurred on Wed-
nesday night, at the Princess's Theatre, London, to Ma-
Ciame Albertazzi. The side lights set fire to the lower
part of her gauze dress, and in an instant she was enve-
loped in flames. Immediate assistance being at hand,
Madame Albertazzi was fortunately saved from any per-
sonal injuries.
The annual meeting of the Protestant Association will
be held in Exeter• hall on Friday, the 6th of November,
when J. P. Plumptre, Esq., M.P., will take the chair.
Among the speakers will be the Rev. Hugh Stowell, and
Dr. Kalley of Madeira. The sermon will be preached by
Mr. Stowell on Thursday, the sth, at Fitzroy Episcopal
Chapel.
The celebrated Mr. Feargus O'Connor attended in
person at the Bell Hotel, Gloucester on Tuesday at the
sale of the Lowband Estate, Redmarley, in Worcester-
shire and became the purchaser of lot 1, containing 159
acres, £BlOO. The reserved price was £7,000 only. Is
this purchase for himself, or is it a move by the Chartists
or the Leagne to make votes ?