ROOT CROPS. 99 



WORCESTER WEST. 



From the Report of the Committee. 



However people may differ with regard to other roots, there 

 can be but one opinion about the potatoe crop ; its importance 

 here is certainly second to none other, except it be the corn or 

 maize crop, and perhaps not even that. 



A subject of such paramount importance should excite gen- 

 eral interest, and the very best means should be adopted to en- 

 courage the agricultural community to discover and communi- 

 cate to the public the best mode of producing and preserving 

 this useful article of food, and profitable article of commerce. 



It is certain that the average quantity of potatoes per acre 

 has very much diminished in the last twenty years, notwithstand- 

 ing all the improvements in other branches of agriculture, not 

 only in this vicinity, but generally through the country, and 

 the question suggests itself, whether, in our list of premiums, 

 the minimum quantity entitled to premiums is not too high. 



It is certain that in very few instances three hundred bushels 

 of potatoes have been grown on one acre, in this county, for the 

 last twenty years ; and certainly, low prices have not discouraged 

 the use of the best means to produce large crops, and it is not 

 likely that the cause of but a single application, (in due form,) 

 for the society's premiums, is attributable to want of exertions 

 on the part of the cultivator to produce large crops. 



By putting the least quantity entitled to a premium too high, 

 we may, perhaps, shut ourselves out from a very large amount 

 of valuable information, as the most important and successful 

 experiments may fail of realizing the specified amount. 



The amount of the produce is not of so much interest to the 

 public as the modus operandi of obtaining, with more certainty, 

 a satisfactory crop. The kind of seed, with its adaptation to 

 certain soils ; time and manner of planting ; kind and manner 

 of application of manure ; time and manner of cultivating or 

 dressing ; time and manner of harvesting and storing, are 

 among the questions important to be discussed and understood. 

 And the production of new varieties from seed is a subject wor- 

 thy the attention of farmers. Very little attention has been 

 paid to this, and consequently, we have only very few varieties 

 of good, productive table potatoes. 



