No. 85.J 197 



" The land was plowed in the fall. In the spring it was cross- 

 plowed, by one span of horses and a driver, in half a day, — dragged 

 one-fourth of a day by same team, — opened in drills [furrowed] thir- 

 ty-two inches apart, and fifteen loads of manure laid in the drills. 

 On the 6th of May, the potatoes were planted, three seeds in a hill ; 

 the hills eighteen inches apart in the drills, and covered with a plow 

 in half a day. Fifteen days after, it was dragged with a light double 

 harrow, which levelled the ground and destroyed all the young weeds. 

 When twelve inches high, two men cut the weeds between the rows ; 

 and one week after, it was molded with a Scotch plow and one span 

 of horses, in half a day. This acre produced 496| bushels of pota- 

 toes, of the "Joshua Moore" or " Cork red " variety. 



The committee would add, that Mr. Morrison is from Ireland, and 

 being a farmer hy 'profession^ is well acquainted with the most ap- 

 proved methods of cultivating the potatoe in his native country. 

 And from observation and experience, both in that country and this, 

 he is decidedly of the opinion, that the farmers of this country gene- 

 rally, are by far too sparing of their seed, and that potatoes should by 

 all means be planted in drills. He also recommends a more thorough 

 distribution of the seed in the drills, by placing each piece singly by 

 itself, and the hills nearer together than he did in the instance above 

 described. It will also be seen that his mode of cultivation effects a 

 very considerable saving of expense, by the substitution to considera- 

 ble extent, of horse for hand labor. 



Statement of Samuel H. Knappen, of Clinton county, relative to a 



crop of potatoes, yielding 300 bushels per acre, from the proceedings 



of the Agricultural Society of that county. 



Statement. — Soil, black muck. The land was seeded with herds 

 grass when new, and last fall was broken up. In the spring it was 

 harrowed three times, plowed twice, and furrowed out three feet 

 apart. Planted the 28th of May in hills two feet apart, and two 

 pieces in a hill, the potatoes having been cut once in two. In the 

 after cultivation, plowed three times and hoed twice. 



Expenses. — Plowing three times, 4 . GO 



[Harrowing three times, and furrowing omitted. This 

 omission was not noticed by the committee previously 



to making their award, and may be set down at] 3.25 



Planting, 1 .50 



11 h bushels seed, at 2s. 6d. and cutting, 6.47 



Plowing out and hoeing, 4 . 00 



Harvesting at one tenth, 7.50 



Interest on land at fifty dollars, 3.50 



Total expense, $30 .22 



Produce. — 300 bushels, at 20 cts., $60 . 00 



Profit, $29.78 



