318 



FARMERS' REGISTER— EXPERIMENTS ON POTATOES. 



about the 18th of October last, the com was re- 

 moved, (the peas having been previoiisly gather- 

 ed,) and tlie land laid down in wheat. 



No doubt but that some of the peas were left 

 on the land, ploughed under with the wheat, 

 and remained in statu quo all the \vinter. I am 

 now clearly of the opinion that it would be highly 

 beneficial to our poor sandy soils, where clover 

 will not take well, to sow one bushel of black eyed 

 or Jefierson peas, per acre, at the time of seeding 

 wheat, taking care not to commence, in order to 

 prevent the peas vegetating at that season of the 

 j^ear, before frost, or cold weather. Indeed, with 

 us, it is very unsaltj generally to sow wheat sooner 

 than the 15th of October; seeded earlier it is al- 

 most certain to be destroyed by the fly. 



This system of im])rovement possesses several 

 very important advantages. 1st. The expense 

 will be only about sixty or seventy cents per acre. 

 2d. There is no extra tallow, harrowing, or labor 

 of any kind — and 3d. The land is not at all ex- 

 posed to the action of a hot sun, which must ne- 

 cessarily be the case where you fallow for a crop 

 of buckwheat or peas. The tory, or black pea 

 is admirably adapted to this system, lor it will 

 bear the most rigid exposure, and produces a most 

 luxuriant cover of vines. 



fThe honorary- Silver Medal having been offered 

 as a premium for the best account of experi- 

 ments made, to ascertain what advantage may 

 be derived from plucking olf the flowers of the 

 potato, it was adjudged to the author of the fol- 

 lowing Report.] 



REPORT OF AN EXPERIMENT MADE AT ABER- 

 DONA, TO ASCERTAIN THE BENEFIT RE- 

 SUI.TING FROM THE REMOVAI< OF POTATO- 

 BLOSSOMS, 



By Mr. James Murray. 



From tlie Prize Essays and Transactions of tlip Highland Soci- 

 ety of Scotland, [March, 1834.] 



The experiment was made according to he 

 plan laid down by the Plighland Society in their 

 list of premiums for 1833. 



The quality of the soil was not the best adapted 

 for a very successful potato crop, but as I did not 

 think of making the experiment until after the 

 ground had been sown, I had no alrernative left 

 me. At the same time, I believe that an exper- 

 iment of this nature, although made upon a crop 

 raised in soil not peculiarly well adapted for its cul- 

 ture, will be quite as salisfiictory in determining 

 the advantages of it, as one made upon a moi'e 

 congenial soil. The soil consisted throughout the 

 two acres upon which the potatoes had been sown, 

 of a shallow loam, upon a bed of what is gener- 

 ally called till. The field had been well drained, 

 but like ev^ery other field of the same nature of soil, 

 (unless where Mr. Smith of Deanston's trenching 

 plough may have been used,) continues in what 

 may be called a cold, damp stoie, and therefore an 

 enemy to the potato. 



The variety of the potato sown, was one which 

 had been brought Ironi Ireland some years ago 

 by a gentleman of this neighborhood, and is called 

 the red potato in this neighborhood. 



I divided the whole field into parts of three drills 

 each, and having explained what'J wished to be 

 done to a few children of from nine to twelve 



years old, previous to the appearance of any blos- 

 soms, they never allowed a day to elapse, without 

 looking alter their charge, and no sooner had a 

 blossom begun to appear, (or in bud,) upon No. 1, 

 of each part, than it was certain to be immediate- 

 ly plucked off. The other two drills of each part 

 remained untouched until the blossoms upon No. 2. 

 seemed to be fully exi'anded, when they were also 

 plucked oil, while No. 3. was allowed to ripen its 

 fruit. By arranging the drills m this manner, I 

 could depend on being more correct in having the 

 soil of each of the drills of each part exactly 

 similar than I could have been, had I divided the 

 field in the manner jjroposed by the Society. 



The preceding part of the experiment was (as 

 it must appear to be) very simple indeed, and at- 

 tended with no expense whatever, tor there are 

 always children in the neighborhood of a farm, 

 who will do the work for a few pence a-day. 



The most difficult part of the experiment to ar- 

 range, was the taking up of the crop, so that there 

 might be no interference between the different 

 drills. To obtain this, I took three carts, one of 

 which was appropiated entirely by No. 1. of each 

 part, another by No. 2. and the remaining one by 

 No. 3. In this manner I prevented the very 

 slightest mingling of the potatoes. 



The quantity oi' potatoes which each cart held, 

 was exactly ascertained, and the management of 

 this part of the ^experiment being given to one 

 person, it was his business to mark down how 

 many loads each cart took to the potato-pit. 



After the whole crop had been taken off the field, 

 and the overseer's note-book examined, the follow- 

 ing was the result: — 



JDrills, No. 1. being those from which the blos- 

 soms were plucked in the bud, contained 30 bolls 

 2 bushels. 



Drills, No, 2, being those from which the blos- 

 soms were plucked when in full flower, contained 

 27 bolls 3 bushels. 



Drills, No. 3. begin those upon which the fruit 

 Avas allowed to ripen, contained 26 bolls. 



The superiority, therefore, of No. 1, over No. 2, 

 was 2 bolls 5^ bushels; over No. 3, was 4 bolls .3 

 bushels; and of No. 2 over No. 3, was 1 boll 3 

 bushels. 



From the above experiment it would appear, 

 that the potato crop had been improved by having 

 the blossoms plucked oft', and that according to the 

 period at which it had been done. At the same 

 time, the dili'erence is perhaps not much more 

 than would be counterbalanced by the additional 

 trouble given in taking up the crops; for, although 

 regulated as well as possibly could be done, still 

 it could not be taken up in nearly the time in which 

 it would have been done, had the drills been re- 

 sorted to indiscriminately. 



The quality of the potato is remarkably good, it 

 is of a mealy nature, and an uncommonly good 

 keeper. We were using them last year here, in 

 prelerence to early potatoes. 



ylberdona, Alloa, November 1833, 



GEOEOGICAt, SURVEYS. 



From the Southern Religious Tc-ltgraph. 



By the following notices it appears that a new 

 interest is awakened in respect to the geology of 

 difl'erenl portions of our country. 



