POTATO PLANTING. 



From Uie Fanners' Cabinet. 



Sir — On a late visit, wiiich I paid to an iiilelli- 

 goiU Iriend and excellent agrirnliurist, I Ibmid him 

 in his field planting potatoes, alter a method wiiich 

 I consider about as near perlectiun as may be de- 

 sired ; and the simplicity and ease with which it 

 might be adopted for general culture are, tome, 

 amongst its greatest recommendalions. 1 speak 

 with confidence when I recommend this mode of 

 practice, lor 1 have used it very ex!en:<ively myself! 

 and have found it the (juickest as well as the least 

 expensive, the easiest as well as the most certain 

 mode of procedure, which I have tried or seen 

 adopted. The only difference between my friend's 

 management and that of ray own was, he planted 

 under a turf sod, with once ploughing, while I 

 always plough the land designed for portaloes 

 early in the autumn, deep, and well up, and so it 

 lies until the spring : the afier culture, and before 

 I plant my crop, leaves me but liille to do in the 

 way of cleaning and hoeing amongst the crop, it 

 being my plan to completely eradicate the weeds 

 and pulveiize the soil, belore planting the pota- 

 toes, when double the labor in half the lime, and 

 at half the expense, can be given for the purpose. 



His method after this was like myown— the sur- 

 face of the land had been spread with half-fer- 

 mented manure, and in a ilirrow which had been 

 thrown out adjoining the fence, potato sets were 

 dropped, at the distance of fourteen inches apart, 

 and upon these the dung of the two next iLirrows 

 in width was raked and spread carelully; the 

 plough, on again passing, turning a furrow upon 

 it and the sets, and making as good work as I 

 ever expect to see. .The next lijrrow had no po- 

 tatoes planted in it, and no dung, so the sets were 

 planted in every alternate furrow, and these had 

 the whole of the dung: thus the work was finish- 

 ed in the easiest, quickest, and most perfect man- 

 ner imaginable. 



Now, m all other sod-ploughings for planting, 

 I have been dissatisfied with the rough and un- 

 even state in which the land had been left after 

 the plough, and on which the hairows would ope- 

 rate to much disadvantage, and often to an inju- 

 rious extent, puliing over the half-turned sods, 

 which would require to be replaced by hand, and 

 even then the worn would be left ill done. My 

 friend liad, 1 believe I may say, invented a ma- 

 chine by which this inconvenience and injury were 

 prevented, anti lor this, if it be his own invetition, 

 he deserves a premium — it was merely the iron 

 tire of a broad wagon wheel, which was dragged 

 horizontally on the surface of the ground by a 

 longer or sliorter chain, so as to elevate the honl 

 to a certain degree to enable it to work properly ; 

 and by this very simple contrivance, the surface 

 was cut as smooth as it could have been by the 

 hoe, and the pulverized earth was dragged and 

 deposited in the hollows, as well as it could have 

 been done by the shovel ; the land being thus as 

 eflectually worked and levelled as by harrow and 

 roller. The use of this very simple machine is 

 Vol. VUI.— 57 



calculated to save immense labor and time; but 

 my Iriend could not be prevailed upon lo commu- 

 nicate its use for the benefit of his neighbors; I 

 have, (here(()re, undertaken to do it, conceiving 

 that It ought to be made known for the good of 

 the community. 



In conclusion, I have known upwards of seven 

 hundred bushels of potatoes grown per acre, by 

 the above mode of planting, which required one 

 Hat hoeing only by hand lor the destruction of the 

 seed weeds — the root weeds having all been ga- 

 thered and removed before planting the crop — 

 they were not moulded in the slightest degree; 

 nnd to this circumstance, in conjunction with care- 

 flil management in planting, must be attributed 

 the great yield of the crop, as also the quality, 

 which was very superior, the bulbs being all of a 

 good size, and not delbrmed by those knobs which 

 are so common on those that have been raised by 

 repeated mouldings — would our friends think on 

 these things'? A Subscriber. 



MAKING ANI> CURIJfG HAY. 



From the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Mr. Editor — The season has now arrived when 

 the farmer will be required to cut and put away 

 his crops of grain and hay ; his fields are to be 

 unladen of their treasures, and his barns to receive 

 the rich stores which a kind Providence has given 

 in return for his lator and skill, and it is to be 

 hoped that his toil and care will be rewarded with 

 an ample harvest. As some notions have sug- 

 gested themselves to me in relation to the making 

 and curing of liay, and as tliis is the teasoii when 

 they can be made useful, and I have experienced 

 the advantage of their ^application, I have deter- 

 mined to give them publicity. 



In making hay, I have for several years made 

 it a rule not to spread the grass (except when it ia 

 quite ripe) upon the day on which it was mown, 

 in cutting, I (bund the buls of the grass were ge- 

 nerally thrown by the scythe so as to be exposed 

 to the air, and the tops were below or covered by 

 the buls or thicker part of the stems ; I therelbre 

 let it lie until the next day, in order to dry the buts 

 as much as possible before spreading. 1 then 

 have it carelully turned from the bottom, and 

 spread after the dew is off and the svvarth has be- 

 come well healed from the action of the morning 

 sun. If the weather is unliivorable, the grass ia 

 allowed to remain in the swarih, and the tops 

 being still covered and entirely green, the swarih 

 will remain exposed to bad weaiher (or several 

 days without taking damage. I therefore conti- 

 nue to cut in cloudy or even rainy weather, and 

 frequently have a large quantity ready to spread 

 when the weaiher is favorable. I cut when it 

 rains, and make hay when the sun shines. When 

 I he stems of the grass are well wilted and warm 

 from the action of the sun, the tops on being ex- 

 posed will soon dry— much sooner, as you may 

 suppose, than when the whole is in a green state, 



