AGRICULTURAL BOTANY. 287 



and find the immature tuber most favorable for their purpose. This is so far fortunate in the 

 case of the new potato, admitting, as we shall presently learn, of its rapid and unlimited pro- 

 pagation ; for the Chinese place these tubers first in pits or trenches for preservation, (and 

 they are said to keep far better than potatoes all the winter, covered with straw and a coat- 

 ing of earth, never losing weight or developing exhaustive shoots,) and in spring, being laid 

 out horizontally in beds of prepared mould, they speedily germinate and send forth long, 

 trailing stems, like those of the kidney bean. In six weeks' time the stems attain six feet in 

 length, and are planted out afresh and layered — that is, the plant is laid lengthwise along a 

 slight furrow on the top of a ridge, and all except its leaves covered over with earth. Imme- 

 diately after rain it begins to take root, or in dry weather is watered until it grows ; and in 

 fifteen or twenty days it produces tubers, throwing out at the same time long, trailing stems, 

 which are, however, carefully prevented from taking root and producing a second set of 

 tubers to the prejudice of the main crop. Sometimes the shoots are simply pegged down, 

 without removal of the plant, over the sides of the ridge on which it grows, at intervals of six 

 or eight inches, and there striking root, throw out tubers. By this means it is stated that im- 

 mense quantities of roots, of the size of our early kidney potatoes of the garden frame, are raised 

 on comparatively small pieces of land. To obtain large-sized tubers, small ones, or portions 

 of large, are planted in ridges at from ten to twelve inches apart; and the plants being allowed 

 to grow freely in autumn, the tubers thus attain an average weight of one pound and 

 upwards. This is the plan which has been pursued at the Museum of France, the only place 

 in Europe where the new plant has hitherto been cultivated. — Mark Lane Express. 



This plant, says the writer of a paper sent to the French Central Agricultural Society, may, 

 by its size, weight, and hardy character, become exceedingly valuable in France, as it will 

 serve as a substitute for the potato. Its tubercles, like those of the Jerusalem artichoke, 

 resist in the open air the severest winter without sustaining any injury. Several specimens 

 of these roots of very large size were presented in 1852 to the Society, one of which, of a 

 cylindrical form, was three feet in length; another tubercle, presented in 1853, weighed three 

 pounds, the former having been in the earth twenty months, and the latter sixteen. During 

 the past season, the French Imperial Society for Acclimation has distributed a large number 

 of these tubercles, with directions for their cultivation, among the various departments of 

 France, as well as Algeria, England, Gei-many, Piedmont, Sicily, Sardinia, &c. 



Experimental Researches on the Culture of the Potato. 



In consequence of the premiums offered by the New York State Agricultural Society, Mr. 

 H. II. Eastman, of Marshall, Oneida county, New York, has made some interesting experi- 

 ments in potato culture, the full details of which will be found in the Transactions of the 

 Society for 1852, page 342, and in the volume for 1853, recently issued, page 297. 



In the first year's experiments, 1852, some of the most noteworthy results were as follows : 

 Ashes, lime, sulphur, and saltpetre, (nitrate of potash,) diminished rather than increased the 

 yield. A tablespoonful of gypsum, applied when the potatoes were up, increased the crop 

 from one hundred and thirty to one hundred and fifty-six bushels per acre. Hog-manure, 

 half a shovelful in each hill, gave the largest crop — two hundred and seventy-one bushels per 

 acre. Fowl-manure, a large handful in each hill, gave the next best yield — two hundred and 

 twenty-nine bushels per acre. The plot without any manure at all gave one hundred and 

 sixty-six bushels per acre. 



The soil was a gravelly loam, greensward, plowed nine inches deep early in the spring ; 

 potatoes planted 18th May, and hoed twice ; variety, red "Irish lunkers." 



To test the question of early, medium, and late planting, one plot was planted the 18th of 

 May, and gave one hundred and forty-two bushels per acre ; another, planted the 23d of 

 May, gave one hundred and thirty-one bushels ; and another, under similar conditions, 

 planted June 8, gave only one hundred bushels per acre. 



The experiments in 1853 were with three different varieties : the Mercer or Philadelphia, 

 the red Irish lunker, and the Carter. The ground was a greensward, plowed early in the 

 spring, eight inches deep. Soil mucky ; planted May 7 ; the hills were three feet apart each 



