1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



31 



say that It just "hits the spot" at this season 

 of the year better than any other vegetable. 

 We are rather behind with our Grand Rapids 

 lettuce; but a neighbor of ours who has a 

 greenhouse has supplied us, and we both to- 

 gether have been having quite a brisk little 

 trade on lettuce for Christmas. 



NEW POTATOES BY CHRISTMAS. 



You may remember I told you on page 819 

 that we planted some of Maule's Thoroughbred 

 potatoes in the greenhouse, Oct. 23. The pota- 

 toes have been so recently dug that it took ihem 

 some time to germinate. The first sprouts were 

 noticed above the ground Nov. 11 (20 days lat- 

 er) ; and in our last issue [ think I told you they 

 were (5 in. high. Well, to-day (Christmas) I saw 

 some of the largest stalks stood up over a foot 

 high. A potato-plant, where it is entirely pro- 

 tected from insect-enemies, is very pretty. The 

 leaves are very bright and glossy. With out- 

 door culture, where almost every leaf one can 

 find is perforated by that mischievous flea- 

 beetle, you rarely get a glimpse of potato-leaves 

 as they should be. These in the greenhouse are 

 perfect; and if you try some in a hot- bed or 

 even in the window I think you will agree with 

 me that they are a very handsome plant. Well, 

 while I was admiring the foliage, especially the 

 great stout stalks, and noticing their rapid 

 growth, I saw the ground was a little bulged up 

 and breakint: open by one of those sturdy 

 plants. Is it possible, thought I, that potatoes 

 can be forming already? Then I pushed the 

 dirt away with my finger. Sure enough, there 

 was a beautiful white new potato, half the size 

 of a hen's egg, and big enough to cook, I verily 

 do believe. New potatoes in 6.5 days after plant- 

 ing, or 45 after they were up! So the experi- 

 ment may be said to be settled, that rare and 

 valuable varieties of potatoes can be grown 

 under glass. We are making preparations to fill 

 all our greenhouses and hot- beds. The pota- 

 toes will be planted to one eye, and only a foot 

 apart; but this new potato ripens up so quickly 

 that 1 think they will stand this close planting. 

 New subscriptions have come in until the 

 first barrel is about gone. At the present rate 

 we shall give away all that are not u«ed in 

 planting on our own premises, long before plant- 

 ing-time. When we get to putting them out- 

 side in hot-heds and cold- frames we shall use 

 shutters over the glass, and cover up the space 

 between the paths so as to keep out the frost. 



MORE ABOUT MAUI.E'S NEW THOROUGHBRED 

 POTATO. 



From the Practical Farmer ofJDec. 7 we take 

 the following, by H. F. Smith: 



About the middle of April last I ref eived by mail 

 from Wm. Henry Maule, seedsman, Philadelpliia. a 

 potato weig'hing- about one-fourth of a pound. This 

 was accompanied by the statement that, if I felt 

 disposed, he would be pleased to have me test it, 

 saying that it was a new one that came highly rec- 

 ommended, and that he thought of offering it to his 

 customers next season. Whether he wished me to 

 test it by eating or by planting he did not say; but 

 as he said, "Label it No. 17," I concluded that he 

 wished me to plant it; so I put it away with several 

 samples I had stored for that purpose till it was 

 time to plant. I have made such tests of new vari- 

 eties with some of the best sorts I had on hand, 

 every year for several years, for my own benefit, 

 finding it a good way to determine the relative 

 merits of the different varieties when raised under 

 the same conditions of climate, soil, and cultivation. 

 I plant and treat in the same manner that I flo my 

 general crop, so that I may know by the result just 

 what I may expect them to do with me. I have 

 found that new and improved varieties invariably 

 yield the best, and also that there are comparatively 

 few kinds that can be raised at a profit. To he prof- 

 itable, the variety must have vigor to insure a good 

 yield, and be of the best quality to command a sale. 



Unless it combines these qualities it should be dis- 

 carded at once. The length of time required for it 

 to mature, its shape, color, and keeping qualities 

 must also be considered in fixing the value of a new 

 variety. 



May 10th, when my field was ready to plant I 

 selected two rows together for my trial plat. Here 

 I planted two tubers each of r>i different varieties; 

 but having only one of No. 17 I divided it into 12 

 pieces having one eye each. These were dropped 

 about 18 inches apart in the drill. 1 knew that this 

 would be a severe test for any new variety, for I had 

 several of the verj' best sorts with whicli it was to 

 compete, but 1 wanted to know just what to expect 

 of it hereafter. The trial plat was prepared and 

 treated in all respects just the same as my general 

 crop of Freeman, which yielded about 1200 bushels 

 on five acres of land. During the season of growth 

 I observed that the little red potato was holding 

 its own, in appearance at least; and on August 23d, 

 at which date 1 harvested the crop, the vines were 

 ripe and dry. As I dug one kind after another, 

 carefullj weighing each and noting the result, 

 some yielding thirty- fold, some sixty, and some a 

 hundred, I hardly expected the unacclimated, name- 

 less little slranger would equal the best. But as 1 

 counted the tubers from the 12 hills, large, smooth, 

 and bright, 112 in number, 1 saw at once that 1 was 

 handling something valuable; and when I placed 

 them on the scales, and they tipped the beam at 

 3U4 pounds, showing a yield of 126-fold, and at the 

 rate of 733^3 bushels per acre, 1 thought that surely 

 no one would test them by eating one of them this 

 year. I weighed them over again, then counted 

 them again, and then weighed them in parcels. 

 One weighed 17 ounces, and ten of them weighed sx 

 pounds. 'I'he yield on the whole plat was at the rate 

 of 341' 2 busliels per acre. 1 at once decided that 

 No. 17 was a well-bred potato, and if it is introduced 

 next year 1 am sure it will make for itself every- 

 where a wonderful record. Mr. Maule has just in- 

 formed me that he has named it "Thoroughbred," 

 and it well deserves such a name. Since reporting 

 the result of my test to Mr. Maule 1 have seen what 

 Mr. Terry says in the Practical Farmer about his test 

 of the same variety, and that, it did nearly as well 

 with him as it has done with me. 



The editor of the Practical Farmer adds: 

 As Mr. Smith is the originator of the now cele- 

 brated Polaris potato, the above account is made 

 doubly interesting, supplemeiuing as It dots Mr. 

 Terrj^'s remarkable experience wjth this new potato. 



Permit me to add that the above test, and the 

 one made by T. B. Terry, are, both of them, 

 where this new potato was given just the same 

 cultivation given the rest of the whole field; 

 that is, they were not put in a very rich spot in 

 the garden, and given extra care and attention, 

 as is often or usually the case with a new va- 

 riety. You will notice the whole plot in friend 

 Smith's experiment gave 34]!^' bushels to the 

 acre. This of itself would indicate that both 

 variety and cultivation must have been a little 

 more than ordinary; but this new comer, tak- 

 ing its chances with the rest, weni up to the 

 enormous yield of 733':; bushels per acre. Don't 

 you think, my friends, you had better nave at 

 least a pound yourself, to experiment with? 

 The probabilities are very strong that every 

 potato raised of this variety next season will be 

 worth a big price. 



A POTATO REPORT, ETC. 



We bought twenty eyes of Craig potatoes 

 from Christian Weckesser, Niagara Falls, in 

 April last. We planted them, and they all 

 started but one. They grew nicely till hot dry 

 weather came, when the tops seemed to blight 

 some; but after a while they started out fresh 

 and green, and grew till frost cut them down. 

 We had 32 lbs. of good-sized potatoes. We also 

 grow Freemans and Rural New-Yorker No. 2. 

 The Freemans don't do well; they blight bad- 

 ly: still, I like them so well on the table that I 

 guess we shall try them another year. 



The Rural New-Yorker turned out splendidly, 

 giving us 130 bushels of good large potatoes 



