• POTATOES. 125 



in the hill, and I had a very handsome growth of potatoes. 

 It was nothing but clear gravel, where, when you ran a plow 

 through, it would rattle like going through a bed of oyster- 

 shells ; and yet, will you believe me, right on that knoll, where 

 we could dig down and come to good sand for plaster, putting 

 two double-handsfull of ashes, with no manure into the hill, 

 we had from six to eight good marketable potatoes in a hill. 

 The other part of the piece was on lower ground and richer, ' 

 and the potatoes were proportionately better. 



Mr. . The Early Rose is my favorite for an early 



potato. They seem to be good yielders, and do well as a 

 general thing. Last spring, I had a very warm piece of land, 

 and I planted my earliest potatoes about the first of April. 

 They seemed to grow well enough, but they did not yield very 

 well. About the first of May, I planted the last of my pota- 

 toes, and they were fit to dig about as early as those I planted 

 the first of April. When you come to late potatoes, I planted, 

 last May, a bushel of the Peerless, and they yielded beyond 

 all potatoes that I have ever raised. I dug from that bushel 

 last fall, twenty-one barrels of what may be called merchant- 

 able potatoes. There was only about a bushel of small pota- 

 toes in the whole twenty-one barrels. My mode of planting 

 has been to plant in drills. I drop the pieces from twelve to 

 fifteen inches apart, one piece in a place. I generally cut the 

 seed pretty small. I think that, as a general thing, farmers 

 put in too much seed for potatoes. I think, if you put in a 

 great deal of seed^ you have a great many tubers, and conse- 

 quently have small potatoes. The Peerless seems to be an 

 excellent table potato. I think it is rather the best late va- 

 riety we have now. We cannot tell how long it will last, for 

 most of our varieties, after a while, run out. 



Mr. Lyman. Will the gentleman state his opinion as to 

 whether they would require a strong soil? It is well known 

 that there is a difference in potatoes in regard to the character 

 of the soil they require. 



Mr. . The Peerless yielded belter than the Rose, 



with about the same culture. It was on pretty rich soil. I 



