About this time there was some appearance of a scarcity in England; and
many farmers set an unusual quantity of potatoes, in hopes that they
would bear a high price the ensuing season. Goodenough, who feared and
hated every thing that was called a speculation, declared that, for his
part, he would not set a drill more than he used to do. What had always
done for him and his should do for him still. With this resolution, he
began to set his potatoes: Marvel said to him, whilst he was at work,
"Cousin Goodenough, I would advise you not to set the shoots that are at
the bottom of these potatoes; for, if you do, they won't be good for
any thing. This is a secret I learned last harvest home, from one of my
Irish haymakers. I made the experiment last year, and found the poor
fellow was quite right. I have given him a guinea for his information;
and it will be worth a great deal more to me and my neighbours."

"May be so," said Goodenough; "but I shall set my own potatoes my own
way, I thank you, cousin Marvel; for I take it the old way's best, and
I'll never follow any other."

Marvel saw that it was in vain to attempt to convince Goodenough:
therefore he left him to his old ways. The consequence was, that
Goodenongh and his family ate the worst potatoes in the whole country
this year; and Marvel cleared _above two hundred pounds_ by twenty acres
of potatoes, set according to his friend the Irishman's directions.

This was the first speculation of Marvel's which succeeded; because
it was the first which had been begun with prudence, and pursued with
steadiness. His information, in the first instance, was good: it came
from a person who had actually tried the experiment, and who had seen it
made by others; and when he was convinced of the fact, he applied his
knowledge at the proper time, boldly extended his experiment, and