142 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



no use raising them with the expectation of selling them in 

 our villages. Our foreign population occupy a good many 

 farms, small places, and raise a great many potatoes for 

 market, and they almost invariably plant the Davis Seedling. 

 But I can raise more good sizable potatoes for market from 

 the Garnet Chili than from the Davis Seedling, and I know 

 other farmers whose experience corresponds with mine. The 

 Rose for early planting, the Garnet Chili and tlie Davis Seed- 

 ling, are the three standard varieties in this region. We have 

 a great market for potatoes in all these villages, and besides, 

 there are thousands of bushels sent to Providence, and the 

 Seedling will sell as readily as any. I can sell the Davis 

 Seedling in these factory villages sooner than the Early Rose ; 

 but the Early Rose is sought after by our native-born popula- 

 tion. They would rather have it than the Seedling. 



Mr. Robinson, of Hampton. A very important question 

 has been asked here this evening in regard to hilling potatoes. 

 I do not know that it has been answered satisfactorily, and I 

 do not know that I can answer it satisfactorily to the gentle- 

 man who made the inquiry. A number of years ago, I lived 

 in Canterbury, and improved a farm that lay in the valley of 

 the Quinnebaug. It was dry, sandy, or gravelly soil. I came 

 to the conclusion, from experiments that I tried there, that 

 flat cultivation was the best. I afterwards moved to the hilly 

 land in Hampton, away from the river, on a gravelly loam, 

 mixed with clay, and there I have tried the same experiments, 

 and I find I have much better success to hill my potatoes. I 

 have come to the conclusion that on sandy soil, flat cultivation 

 is the best ; but on a diflFerent kind of soil, like that I am now 

 on, it is better to hill them. I used to think it was better to 

 spread the manure, but I now find that I can do better by 

 putting the manure in the hill. My soil is wet, and I have to 

 put the manure in the hill to keep the potato out of that wet, 

 cold soil, and I can do much better there to hill my potatoes. 



The matter of harrowing has been alluded to. Last spring, 

 I happened to be in Pennsylvania, and I saw them bushing 

 their potatoes after they came up. It looked to me like rather 

 harsh treatment. 



