ON RAISING POTATOES FROM SEED. 



from the undertaking. The seed require a long time to vegetate, and the growth bein 

 slow thereafter, noxious weeds and grass get the start and become very troublesome; the 

 plants attain but a diminutive size early in the season, which is the most favorable time 

 for their growth; the tubers do not set until the latter part of summer, when the dry 

 weather and parching rays of the sun check their future growth, and tend to ripen the 

 crop before it has attained much size, so that the product of the first year is very trifling, 

 and several years are required to ascertain the true qualities of the seedling. 



The great object, then, is to get the plants so advanced in the spring, that the tubers 

 may set and grow in the early part of summer, when the refreshing showers alternating 

 with the genial rays of the sun are most favorable for their growth. 



The plan that has succeeded well with me for several years past, is as follows: Soon 

 after the ripening of the potato tops, I gathered the balls of the Mercer potato, mashed 

 them together, threw on a little Avater and left them a few days to ferment, when the seed 

 were easily separated from the pulp and husk, and after being dried were placed away se- 

 cure from frost or moisture, to remain until spring for planting. The latter part of the 

 third month the seed were sowed in a hot-bed under glass, the grains being sown a quarter 

 of an inch asunder. From the middle to the latter part of the fifth month, the plants 

 being three or four inches high, and frosty weather appearing to be over, on damp cloudy 

 days or soon after a rain, the plants were taken up with a portion of earth to each and 

 placed in loose rich soil, at about the same distance from one another as potatoes are usual- 

 ly planted. 



The plants neither wilted nor showed any signs of suffering from transplanting. 



It is of importance that thej^ should be put down into the earth two inches lower than 

 they stood in the seed bed; they will thus produce more roots: but care must be taken 

 that the young plants do not produce tubers while they remain in the seed-bed, as they 

 will be very much weakened if allowed to do so before they are put out. The earthing-up 

 of the potatoes raised from the seed, should be done earlj^, and not too heavily; for if the 

 plants are put out in weather which is not very unfavorable, they soon begin to shoot up, 

 and the entire soil is penetrated by very small fine fibres, which would be injured by a 

 high or late earthing-up, the production of tubers be delayed for a fortnight or three 

 Aveeks, and the produce diminished. The potato plants thrive best in a rich sandy soil 

 Avhich has been deeply dug. [Potatoes should never be earthed up at all. Ed.] 



By the above method I have raised full sized, merchantable potatoes the first year from 

 the seed ; many hills having but three to five potatoes and all of a fair size for market — 

 others having a larger amount were proportionally smaller. By recurring to seedlings Ave 

 may obtain a healthy article free from rot or any other disease, but I have no confidence 

 that they Avill long remain so after being exposed to the same influence under which the 

 parent stock has degenerated. 



The failure of the potato crop in many parts of the country has induced farmer to ex- 

 periment carefull}^ in order to ascertain if possible in Avhat situations or kinds of soils 

 they generally succeed best, and from Avhat experience I have had, I am inclined to the 

 opinion, that Avhere the land is clayey and tenacious, thereby holding the heavy rains in 

 immediate contact Avith the tubers until the hot sun coming upon them, Avhile thus tho- 

 roughljr saturated Avith Avater, completes their destruction, drying and baking the ground 

 over and around them, so as to exclude the air; that if they were so near ripe at the time 

 to retain their form until harvested, the}^ soon give Avay after being exposed to at 

 leric influence. Such soil is unsuitable for raising potatoes — and the same cause 

 s heretofore prcA'ented the cultivation of the more delicate sweet potato on heavy 



