82 



Tlie Hmiiculturist and Journal 



Potatoes— Brownell's Beauty, 



BY M". H. ■WHITE. 



TN the fall of 1871 Mr. E. S. Brownell of 

 -^ Essex Junction, Vermont, sent me three 

 varieties of seedling potatoes, to test on my 

 soil, etc. The potatoes all came from seed 

 of the Early Rose, fertilized by the White 

 Peachblow. In shape two resembled each 

 other, but while one was a russet white the 

 other was a red, or deep flesh-colored skin, 

 with white meat ; the other a light straw- 

 colored meat ; each cooked well through. 

 These two were fair, smooth potatoes, few 

 and small eyes ; the other was a rough, large 

 white potato and undesirable as a table 

 potato. These potatoes I cut to single 

 eyes and planted in the spring of 1872. 

 The worms eat them so bad that they almost 

 destroyed them, although I got enough to 

 give them a fair trial as a table potato. 

 The result of the trial was reported and 

 published in the Country Gentleman, Nov. 

 7th, 1872. The names given me of the 

 potatoes were Nonesuch and Vermont Beau- 

 ty — this last as Brownell's Beauty. In my 

 report this potato is thus spoken of:, "This 

 potato I consider his best, as to quality, on 

 my soil — white flesh and of fine flavor, 

 cooking just about right as to mealiness and 

 evenly throughout, devoid of any ground or 

 unpleasant flavor ; should call it a first class 

 potato for the table, and, if it should prove 

 equally good in other localities, a decided 

 acquisition in the potato line." Another 

 year's trial of this variety more than makes 

 good my then expressed opinion. This po- 

 tato I thus describe : Color, skin red, or a 

 deep flesh, meat white and fine grained ; 

 size medium to large, growing very fair and 

 smooth ; eyes few and small, scarcely sunken 

 below surface ; shape oval flattened ; stem 

 set on prominent ; quality, for the table 

 they cook equal to the very be^t, and with 

 ordinary boiling they cook through to the 

 center evenly and mealy; are never hard, 



hollow, watery or discolored at the core or 

 center ; flavor unexceptionable, never leav- 

 ing any disagreeable taste after swallowing. 

 The growth of vine top is medium in size ; 

 foliage a handsome healthy green, and in all 

 respects healthy. They grow very compact 

 in the hill and are easily dug, ripening in 

 about three months from planting, or about 

 a week later than the Early Rose, with the 

 same culture. In productiveness there is 

 nothing wanting, for the yield equals the 

 most productive of edible varieties, a very 

 large proportion being of good table size. 

 Their keeping qualities excel that of any 

 other variety, retaining their freshness, 

 soundness and other good qualities until 

 long after new potatoes come, in summer, 

 in an ordinary cellar, and with very little 

 care. 



This year I planted eight hills, some five 

 or six eyes to the set and hill, on the poor- 

 est part of my garden — a thin, sandy, loam 

 soil — with a shovel full of dry manure sci-a- 

 pings to the hill, the first week in July; the 

 6th of October dug them, and the following 

 day weighed, turning the scales at thirty- 

 two and a half pounds ; not more than a 

 dozen except that were of fair table size ; 

 some that would weigh three-fourths of a 

 pound. 



West borough Mass. 



A correspondent in Princess Anne Coun- 

 ty, Virginia, reports that one farmer, from 

 300,000 plants set out in November and 

 December, obtained a spring crop of cab- 

 bages amounting in value to 813,000. 



It is said that at the Denver Fair " cab- 

 bages of fifty pounds, pumpkins weighing 

 more than a hundred each, and turnips and 

 beets of fifteen pounds apiece were the rule 

 and smaller ones the exception." 



The business of canning tomatoes has 

 largely increased in Cumberland County, 

 New Jersey, where $100,000 worth of that 

 vegetable are annually raised for this 

 purpose. 



