228 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



coiikl desire. I have four barrels of tubers, of excellent quality 

 from a piece of grouud forty by fifty feet. The soil is a loam in 

 which sand rather predominates. It "was highl}' manured last 

 year as part of the ground upon which a crop of pickles were 

 grown. The only manure used this year to produce potatoes was 

 flour of bone. It did the w^ork and did it effectually. The phmts 

 were grown by M. M. Murray, Loveland, Clermont county, Ohio, 

 whence they were forwarded by express, and came to hand iu 

 sood order in five days, and were planted before the 15th of May, 

 the ground being first thoroughly plowed, and then worked into 

 mounds, about a foot high, upon the top of which the plants were 

 set. For some weeks they looked as if it was a hard struggle for 

 life, but neither water nor shade was given them, that theory hav- 

 ing proved fallacious in a former season. So had the attempt to 

 grow them upon a level surface. But after all, I believe the great 

 secret of success this year, is the bone manure. The growth of 

 tops was most luxuriant. Twice in the season a man went over 

 and lifted them from the ground to hinder their taking root at 

 the joints. Care was taken as soon as the frost touched the vines 

 last w^eek, to pull them up, for if left to die while attached to the 

 tubers, their quality is sometimes affected. The variety is called 

 Yellow Nausemoud. Mr. Murray sends out with his plants par- 

 ticular directions for cultivation. He recommends rolling ground, 

 mellow and Avarm, and planting in ridges manured, unless the 

 land is in first-rate condition. Ho sets the plants in the ridges 

 fifteen inches apart, which wm'11 require ten thousand plants per 

 acre. In hills, as these were grown, about six thousand plants 

 are sufiicient. If every one could have the same success that I 

 have had this year, I am sure every farmer w^ould grow sweet 

 potatoes. 



Mr. John G. Bergen. — I have made some experiments the past 

 summer with bone flour, comparing it as to cost and results with 

 other manures. On squashes and beans it did full as well, on 

 melons, cabbage and cauliflovv^er, better than other manures. 

 Upon the whole, the results are highly favorable. 



Mr. H. P. Smith. — I was upon the farm of David Gould, Quaker 

 Hill, Dutchess county, not long since, and he assured me that he 

 had tried bone manure for two or three years without being able 

 to see any advantage over crops planted without manure. I do 

 not know wdiether he used the bone flour; my own experience in 

 Westfield, Mass., has been highly successful with that. 



