220 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



considered so immensely beneficial to England, and 

 wliicli has almost regenerated her agriculture. 

 Nor will it yield the palm to the mangel wurtzel 

 or the sugar beet, which the (feeders ol'stock are at 

 present extolling so highly, the latter almost extra- 

 vagantly. These may in the northern and western 

 states, be the best roots which can be grown for 

 etock, but in the lower parts of this state at least, 

 (and in all probability all farther south) none ol'the 

 varieties of the beet can be advantageously grown, 

 as they invariably rot, if sown at the usual time, 

 and if sown in summer, it is a very difficult matter 

 to get a stand, owing to the depredations of the cut 

 vvorm, heavy rains and hot suns, and if ihefje be 

 got over, the product is found to be comparatively 

 small. 



But we need not seek abroad for means of sup- 

 porting our stock. The potato possesses all the 

 qualiles requisite, in an eminent degree, and if we 

 will bestow on it but one half of the attention re- 

 quired to produce even a tolerable crop of beets, 

 we will be repaid by a much larger and more va- 

 luable one o! potatoes ; but as long as it is planted 

 on poor ground, without manure, and receives but 

 1 or 2 workings, as is the case in many parts of 

 this state, we have no reason to expect any other 

 than a scanty return. Manure and prepare the 

 ground well, give the crop as many workings as 

 are necessary to destroy the grass and keep" the 

 soil open, and the increased product will astonish 

 any one who has not made trial of this course. 

 We intend not to discuss the merits of this crop 

 here ; we may perhaps refer to it again, though we 

 would be much better pleased, to^see the subject 

 taken up by some of our readers. 



The ground selected for potatoes, usually lies 

 contiguous to the negroes' quarters, and its near- 

 ness is more regarded than its particular adap- 

 tation to this crop, lor as the allowances given 

 out during summer are daily, (owing to the lia- 

 bility of this root to rot, and the product bemg 

 increased by their remaining in the ground,) the 

 hands are not compelled to go fiir for their Ibod, 

 when their work is finished. So great a weight 

 has this had with some, that they have preferred 

 planting particular spots, which yielded hut com- 

 paratively small returns, to cultivating ihem on 

 more distant fields, where the product would be 

 greater. It was hoped that by manuring liberally, 

 a change of fields would be rendered unnecessary; 

 but experience has proved that this crop, at least, 

 cannot be cultivated in the same fields continu- 

 ously, for any length of time, no matter wliat 

 quantity of manure may be applied. Perhaps 

 when our scientific acquirements shall be greater, 

 we may be able to discover what particular sub- 

 stance has been exhausted, restore it to the soil, 

 and neutralise the excrementilious matter, which, 

 according to Macaire is deposited and proves inju- 

 rious to plants of the same species. At present, 

 we must rest satisfied with the fact, and act accord- 

 inirly. Two instances of this exhauBtion were 

 mentioned tons, and we understood that others had 

 occurred. In one instance, roots were planted in a 

 field lor 13 years, when it was entirely exhausted, 

 althouL'h the last year it was manured at the rate of 

 from 7 to 800 bushels of compost manure per acre. 

 In the other instance, slips (vines taken from the 

 roots) were cultivated in conjunction with oats, for 

 10 years, when this field also failed to yield a crop. 

 The plan of treatment was the same as that we 



shall presently detail when giving the culture of 

 this crop. 



All oi' the varieties of the potato art; cultivated 

 in this parish, but the yams are the liivorites in 

 middle St. John's, while the leather coats have 

 the prelerence in the upper part of the parish. 

 The red potatoes, (red skins with white flesh) are 

 cultivated in small quantities, being considered ex- 

 cellent in bowel complaints, especially among child- 

 ren. The adaptation of the different varieties to 

 diflerent soils is but little attended to, by any of our 

 planters. U'e cannot but think they pay less atten- 

 tion to this than it deserves, for every planter must 

 have observed, that all do not grow equally well 

 on his plantation, that there is sometimes a differ- 

 ence even in fields not far distant from each other, 

 and that his neighbor succeeds in raising those 

 best in which he (iiils. This may he illustrated, 

 in some measure, by experiments made in this pa- 

 rish, a lew years since. On a piece of ground, 

 manured and cultivated alike, Mr. Isaac Porcher 

 obtained from a row, 150 feet long, of brim- 

 stone potatoes, (red skins with yellow flesh) lour 

 and a half bushels, whilst from an adjoining row, 

 planted with yams, he obtained but two and a 

 hall bushels. 



Dr. Ravenel planted several rows, dropping the 

 yam and the Spanish pumpkin alternately on the 

 same rows. One row, of one hundred and filly 

 feet in length, produced two and three quar- 

 ters of a bushel of yams, and but two bushels of 

 Spanish pumpkin. Another row yielded two and 

 one-eighth of a bushel of yams, and only one and 

 three-lburths of Spanish pumpkin. It will be ob- 

 served that the yam, in Mr. Porcher's experiment, 

 produced but 2^ bushels to the row of 150 feet, whilst 

 on Dr. Ravenel's plantation, from halfof thatspace, 

 he produced 2| and 21 bushels, equal to 5| and 4J 

 bushels per row, making a diflerence in lavor of 

 the latter of 225 and 131 bushels per acre. In an- 

 other instance Dr. Ravenel obtained at the rate of 

 seven bushels per row, or 525 bushel per acre, and 

 this from a considerable space of ground. 



On the seaboard, roots are planted only in quan- 

 tities sufficient to furnish vines for planting, and for 

 allowances until November, the " slips," (those 

 produced from the vines,) being the principal crop, 

 on account of their keeping better through the 

 winter, and producing nearly, if not quite so 

 abundantly as the others. In St. John's, on the 

 contrary, the root crop is the principal one, and 

 as much ground is planted with it as is supposed 

 necessary to furnish ihe plantation from the middle 

 of August until Isi January, from which time the 

 slips are made use of, and these generally last 

 until March, and sometimes April, though they 

 are not given to the negroes af"ter they become 

 watery. 



In preparing the ground, the manure is first 

 spread, and then listed on. Compostand cotton seed 

 are those most used. Some lew still follow the 

 old plan of " cowpenning," but the first mode is 

 now generally adopted. The compost manure is 

 applied in quantities of from 8 to 10 ox cart loads. 

 The cotton seed at the rate of from i^ to f bushel 

 per row. The beds are what may be termed small 

 lor potatoes, being but about 30 to 36 inches base, 

 and from 12 to 16 inches high, and brought nearly 

 to a sharp ridge. By most |)laniers, the beds are 

 made at one operation. Major Porcher's plan is 

 somewhat diflerent, — a list is first made, and on i^ 



