124 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



light, dry land, the drought seemed to affect it severely, and 

 in some cases it was a failure. 



Mr. Lyman. I made some remarks yesterday upon pota- 

 toes, and I would like to say a word further. The potato, you 

 will remember, that I spoke about yesterday, as. having tried 

 some experiments with, was the Garnet Chili ; but I had other 

 varieties. I planted six rows of that same potato in my gar- 

 den the first day of July, and they came out when I dug them 

 this fall very nice and large. There was nothing but a little 

 phosphate in the hill. It was after I had used up all the 

 ground that I cared about in my garden,! had a few potatoes 

 left, and I put them in, more to see what tliey would do than 

 anything else. It was very late in the season. The reason 

 I speak of this is, that I have neighbors and friends in my 

 own vicinity who planted the Early Rose about two or three 

 weeks later than the ordinary time, and they failed to raise a 

 respectable crop, or anything like it. Why this was I do not 

 know. I have one instance in my mind particularly. A 

 young man told me that the Early Rose which he got into the 

 ground very early yielded him a fine crop of nice potatoes, but 

 those planted late did not do anything at all ; yet the ground 

 was just side by side, was plowed, I think, at the same time, 

 early ; but for some reason, he planted a part of his potatoes 

 two or three weeks later than the others, and they came out 

 very small. 



Now, in regard to the ground that I planted myself. I had 

 two pieces, one of which was sandy land, and I planted that 

 early in May, and I did not see but that the potatoes were just 

 as good as they have been at any time ; but as I stated yester- 

 day, (and as there are some here to-day who were not here 

 yesterday,! will repeat it,) the first year I planted them, I used 

 very small pieces of potato. The next year, I increased the size, 

 and last vear I used still more seed, and I think that I find no 

 falling off in size, while those of my neighbors who have follow- 

 ed the plan of using very small pieces each of the three years 

 in which they have planted that variety, have grown only small 

 potatoes, and comparatively few in a hill. On the other piece 

 of my land, which was planted about the same time, I put ashes; 



