i8 



Potato Culture. 



ten to twelve bushels ; place the pota- j 

 toes properly, and cover them care- 

 fully with clean straw, six inches 

 deep ; cover over the straw with four 

 or five inches of earth, except a small 

 opening at the top ; over this opening 

 place a board or flat stone, elevated a 

 little on one side, to lead off the rain. 



Let them remain so until the sweat- 

 ing is completely over, or so long as j 

 prudence will permit ; and when cold 

 weather fairly sets in, add more earth 

 to keep from freezing, leaving only a 

 wisp of straw protruding through to 

 carry off any foul air that may be 

 generated. 



Where the winters are intensely 

 cold, it is best to cover but lightly 

 with earth, say five or six inches deep; 

 and when freezing is becoming se- 

 vere, spread over the heap buckwheat j 

 straw, or coarse manure, to the depth j 

 of six inches. There is danger in ! 

 covering very deep at first, especially 

 if the autumn should prove warm. 

 If kept too warm, rot is sure to ensue. 

 Experience shows that any vegetable 

 keeps better buried in pits that con- 

 tain not more than ten or twelve 

 bushels each. 



Where large quantities are to be 

 buried, it is advisable to open a long, 

 shallow, broad trench, leading up and 

 down a hill, if possible, to secure good 

 drainage. Commence, at either end, 

 by placing a desirable quantity of 

 potatoes as soon as dug ; next to 

 these put a little straw; against the 

 straw place about six inches of earth ; 

 then more straw and more potatoes ; 

 and so keep on until the trench is full. 

 A few furrows plowed on each side 

 assist in covering ; and make a drain 

 to lead off the rains, which is a mat- 

 ter of the first importance. By this '\ 

 method each lot of potatoes is kept 

 separate; and any section can be 

 opened at any time to be taken to 

 market, without endangering the 

 others, 



Potatoes buried properly are usually 

 of better flavor in the spring than it is 

 possible for potatoes to be which are 

 kept in a common cellar. 



And here let me add that, if leaves 

 from the woods be used instead of 

 straw, to cover potatoes to be buried, 

 such potatoes will be of better flavor ; 

 and further, if nothing but dry earth 

 comes in contact with them, they will 

 be better still. Straw is used for the 

 twofold purpose of securing an air- 

 chamber to keep out frost, and to 

 prevent the earth from mingling with 

 the tubers on opening the pits. 



INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE PO- 

 TATO. 



There are ten distinct species of 

 insects preying upon the potato-plant 

 within the limits of the United States. 

 Many of these ten species are con- 

 fined within Certain geographical li- 

 mits. Their habits and history differ 

 very widely. Some attack the potato 

 both in the larva state and in the per- 

 fect or winged state ; others in the 

 perfect or winged state alone ; and 

 others again in the larva state alone. 



In the case of seven of these in- 

 sects, there is but one single brood 

 every year; while of the remaining 

 three, there are every year from two 

 to three broods, each of them gene- 

 rated by females belonging to preced- 

 ing broods. Eight of the ten feed 

 externally on the leaves and tender 

 stems of the potato ; while two of 

 them burrow, like a borer, exclusively 

 in the larger stalks. 



Each of these ten species has its 

 peculiar insect enemies ; and a mode 

 of attack which will prove very suc- 

 cessful against some" of them will 

 often turn out to be worthless when 

 employed against the remainder. 



The Stalk-Borer,* (Gortynani- 

 tela, Guenee.) This larva (Fig. 2,) 



* Where no hair-lines are given, the insects are 

 represented life-size. 



