adheres to the potatoe, a fet of roots fpring out exactly in the fame manner as in the ordinary progress of vegetation; but instead of fpiring up as a fmall fem, it affumes a bulbous form, in every refpect refembling a potatoe in its form, in its eyes, and other particulars. This young potatoe continues to increase in fize for fome time; but at length it begins to push out sprouts, which refemble the young ftems of an ordinary potatoe, and which, if suffered to remain, become stems in every respect the fame, as if the potatoe had vegetated in the ufual way; at the bottom of which stems fpring forth, roots properly fo called, and umbilical fibres, bearing their fruit percifely in the fame way as if none of the bulbs above described had been produced. I am inclined to believe, that the young bulb has always attained its full fize before the stem begins to appear; but this I cannot pofitively say. It is, however, very certain, that it does not increase in fize, after the ftem has pushed out above ground; but from that period remains unaltered, a mere feemingly useless excrescence.

It deferves to be farther remarked, that though the ftem itself, when it fprings out from this kind of bulb, exactly resembles that of a potatoe, yet the way in which it rifes from the bulb itself, appears to be a good deal different from that which springs from an ordinary patatoe planted for feed. In the last cafe, it has been already faid, the ftem always fprings from an eye, and roots very foon appear at the bottom of the item, both ftem and roots being very ́eafily feparable from the potatoe, without any violent fracture. In the other cafe, the stem seems to push out from the fubftance of the potatoe itself, in the fame manner that the ftem of a turnip rifes from the bulb; and when broken off, makes a violent fracture; VOL. III. No. 1.

nor do any roots spring out from that part of the ftem, which rifes out of this new fort of bulb, the roots being all produced at the place where the original item fprung out from the parent patatoe. In fhort, this bulb appears to be nothing elfe, in the advanced Itate of vegetation of the plant, but an excrefcence on the ftem.

Thefe excrefcences, however, if feparated from the plant in due time, have the appearance, the taste, and apparently every other quality of young potatoes; and as they fometimes attain to a confiderable fize, there is no doubt but young potatoes may be thus reared for the table, at a much more early period than can otherwise be had, and at a much fmaller expence.-At the time I tranfplanted my potatoes, which was from the 5th till the 15th of May, I gathered a confiderable quantity of these young potatoes, (fome of which were of fuch a fize as to weigh more than three ounces averdupois) which I fent to my friends as prefents of great curiofity. Thofe that were too fmall for ufe, I allowed to be planted with the parent bulb; the large ones were feparated, and the old bulbs from which they had been taken, were planted with the others, and made as good feed as if they had not been touched. All of them produced a very good crop of early potatoes in the open ground, which were ready much fooner than thofe that were not forced.

The small price at which very early potatoes fell for in this place, made me not think it an object of importance to rear them for the market here; fo that I have not repeated the experiment, and of course have not had an opportunity of remarking the circumstances that tended to augment or diminish the produce of this kind of crop. In general, it appeared probable to me, that the phænomenon might be produced by the cold above F

checking

checking the vegetation occafioned by the heat below: But whether this is the cafe, or what are the precife degrees of cold or heat that are useful or hurtful, I had no opportunity of afcertaining. No fevere frofts occur red while the potatoes were in the bed, or I should have thought it ne ceffary to have covered them up with ftraw.

One circumstance occurred in this

experiment that ought not to be overlooked. It chanced, that fome of the potatoes that were planted on the hotbed were cut, though the greatest part of them were whole. Most of the cut potatoes were entirely rotted by the heat of the bed, while very few of the whole ones were hurt in the fmallest degree. The potatoes planted, were alfo in general of the fize of a hen's egg or upwards.

As the practice of forcing potatoes, fomewhat after the manner above defcribed, has been long followed about London and other large cities, I am perfuaded the phænomena above defcribed must have occurred to many perfons before I obferved it; but I never heard the leaft hint of any thing of the fort.

I beg leave farther to remark, that the kind of potatoes I employed in the experiment above recorded, was a large round early potatoe, of a dirty whitish colour, known in this neighbourhood by the name of manuel potatoe. I think it neceffary to specify this circumftance, because I am well aware that different kinds of potatoes poffefs qualities extremely different from each other; to that it is very poffible the fame phænomena might not occur with another kind of potatoe. I have heard of another kind of potatoe, which put out roots from every joint of the ftem when it was laid down and covered with the earth, and thus yielded a great crop: but though I have feveral times tried the experiment with a variety of kinds, I have never met with one that poffefled

that quality. In matters of this fort, it is impoffible for an experimenter to fpeak with too much caution or precifion.

The figures in the annexed plate will ferve to give a clearer idea of this peculiarity in the economy of the potatoe, than can be conveyed by words alone.

Explanation of the figures on the plate.

Fig. 1, reprefents a parent potatoe, with three young ones, produced in the manner above described, adhering to it. In this case, the stems by which the young bulbs adhere to the parent stock, are fo fhort as not to appear. The eyes of the young bulbs are completely formed, and the germ of the young ftalk just beginning to appear. Some of the roots which spring out at the place where the ftem fprings from the parent bulb, have already fhot out to a confiderable length.

Fig. 2, reprefents another old potatoe, with a cluster of young ones, of a fmall fize, adhering to it. In this example, the ftems have advanced fo far, as to have been nearly penetrating the surface of the earth.

Fig. 3, represents another potatoe, with a young bulb and a ftem produced from it, confiderably advanced above ground.

In this cafe, all the parts are diftinctly feen, and this peculiarity in vegetation is completely developed.

A reprefents the ftem fpringing out as ufual, from an eye in the parent bulb, with roots spreading out from it in abundance. All these roots are merely abforbents, none of the umbilical fibres having yet made their appearance.

At a fmali diftance from the po tatoe, a bulb is formed upon this ftem, which, before the upper ftem fprung out from it, refembled the young potatoes in figure ift.

At C, a new ftem has sprung out from an eye in the young potatoe ;

but

Meffrs. SWORDS,

tatoe, are checked in their growth by the luxuriance of the principal stem.

On another part of this parent potatoe, are seen two other young potatoes adhering to it; in one of which, at F, the ftem is beginning to advance. At E, are the germs of ftems not fo far advanced. [Bee.

M

ONDAY morning, rofe at four o'clock, and helped Catharine to milk the cows.

Six o'clock, breakfasted. Seven o'clock, went out with the Lady Dutchefs, my mother, into the court-yard; fed five and thirty men and women, and chid Roger very feverely for expreffing fome diffatiffaction in attending us with the bro

ken meat.

Ten o'clock, went to dinner. John Gray, one of our vifitants, a moft comely youth, but what's that to me? a virtuous maiden should be entirely under the direction of her parents-John eat but little-ftole a great many tender looks at me.

Meffrs. SWORDS,

Three o'clock. Poor farmer Robinson's house burnt down by accidental fire. John Gray propofed a fubfcription among the company for the farmer's relief, and gave no less than five pounds himself to this benevolent intention.-Memorandum. Never faw him look fo comely as at that moment.

Four o'clock, went to prayers.
Six o'clock, fed the poultry.

Seven o'clock, fupper on the table, delayed to that very late hour on account of poor farmer Robinson's misfortune.

What a friking difference between the character of ladies of thofe days, and that of our modern women of fashion!

of a fubaltern, and one of thofe who ventured their fortunes with Nunez, when he went upon the difcovery of new countries along the great river Plate, in America. This woman's husband was ever foremost in danger, and always teftified an averfion to the cruelties ufed by the Spaniards upon the unrefifting In

J.

fufficient to atone for the mildness of his difpofition, with a body of men with whom murder was grown familiar. Nunez fent him with a party, over whom he was fure the Indians would be victorious.

ally happened: the Spanish party, What this general intended actuconfifting of twelve men, were fur