No. 85. J ' 443 



until the seeds separate. It is sown by hand, and a dry composition, 

 containing eleven diti'erent substances, forming the component parts 

 of the roots, spread upon it, — when it is covered with the hoe. 



As soon as the plants grow to the height of five inches, they are 

 thinned to nine inches apart, and the ground plowed from them, 

 which eradicates weeds and mellows the soil. After an interval of 

 fi^ve or six days, it is returned to them again ; and if, by accident, any 

 of the plants are covered with earth, they are released and set up by 

 a man who follows the plow with a hoe. During the summer, they are 

 frequently examined, and if attacked by insects, are immediately 

 limed ; if the ground is clean, they will require no more attention ; 

 if foul, ,the same process of plowing from, and to, must be perse- 

 vered in. 



When ripe, a plow is run beam deep on each side of every drill, 

 which operation exposes the root : men follow with sharp knives, 

 lift the roots and cut off the tops which are left on the field, and 

 plowed in with wheat, as before described. Roots so cultivated will 

 yield at the rate of eight hundred bushels to the acre. 



Potatoes. — By the analysis of Sprengel, the roots and tops of po- 

 tatoes contain respectively, as carried from the field in ten thousand 

 pounds. 



Roots. Tops. 



Potash, 40.28 81.9 



Soda, , 23.34 0.9 



Lime, 3.31 129.7 



Magnesia, 3.24 17.0 



Alumina, 0,50 0.4 



Oxide of iron, 0.32 0.2 



Oxide of manganese, 



Silica, 0.84 49.4 



Phosphoric acid, 4.01 19.7 



Chlorine, 1.60 5.0 



Sulphuric acid, 5.40 4.2 



82.83 308.4 

 I have copied the above analysis to show how requisite the use of 

 lime and potash is in the growth of the potatoe crop, and particu- 

 larly as a top dressing — the plan having been abused by non-readers. 

 The past summer by the use of those substances, combined with char- 

 coal, my gardener, Mr. Cunningham, raised at the rate of nine hun- 

 dred and ten bushels per acre; from three potatoes cut into sets, he 

 produced three bushels. 



In the year 1843 I planted a field of several acres in drills, har- 

 rowed the ground level, and top dressed it with two hundred bushels 

 of lime and charcoal dust to the acre ; the yield was 432 bushels per 

 acre — variety Pink Eye Kidney. At the same time the potatoes 

 throughout my neighborhood were decayed; likewise a parcel of the 

 same kind, planted contiguous to the above, not limed, were also 

 decayed. 



This year, (1844,) I planted the same seed in the following man- 



