MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



ing of seed Potato should be selected, and, if it 

 require manure, let it be applied and plowed in 

 duiing the autumn and winter months. In the 

 spring, let the ground be wrought into a fine, 

 friable state, and plant the seed to the depth of 

 two inches, and no more. During the summer, 

 let tlie ground be kept loose and free of weeds, 

 but do not earth up the plants. In autumn, lift 

 the crop as soon as the stems begin to lose their 

 greenness. By this method the crop will be as 

 large as by the ordiuaiy way ; but, what is of 

 more importance, the germinating powers of the 

 Potato will be found greatly improved and in- 

 vigorated ; for the greater number of the tubers 

 having grown above ground will have the ad- 

 vantage of the light and air to form and strength- 

 en in the buds or eyes, and therefore will be 

 much hardier and not so easily injured by rain 



or fi-ost as those grown in the ordinary way."- 

 In conclusion, Mr. Tod says — " Before I adopted 

 the above method, 1 had, for several years, fail- 

 ures in my crops of early Potatoes — more espe- 

 cially in the Ashleaf Kidney and the Adelphi 

 Early — but observing that such tubers as were 

 accidentally growing above ground, expo.sed to 

 light and air, had well-formed, strong an<l vigor- 

 ous eyes or buds, I resolved to adopt the said 

 method of growing my seed, and have done so 

 for the last four years; and the result is that my 

 crops are considerably larger than they were, 

 and have now no blanks." To a question put 

 from the chair, Mr. Tod replied that he cut his 

 seed into sets when the Potatoes were large, but 

 planted the small Potatoes whole. He consid- 

 ered it, however, of the greatest importance to 

 manure the soil in autumn or winter. 



POTATOES FROM THE SEED. 



A WRITER in a late number of the Mark-Lane 

 Express assumes with confidence, that the dis- 

 ease in Potatoes is caused by the sorts in use hav- 

 ing '• worn out and become tired of the soil ;" and 

 recommends renovation bi/ planting the seed. 

 For preserving the seed, and the procurement 

 of new varieties, he makes the following practi- 

 cal suggestions, which may be of use to the few 

 pains-taking people, who are sometimes jeering- 

 ly called experimenters, and without whom, it is 

 hard to say how many of our be.st vegetables 

 and fruits would have been either obtained or 

 preserved. 



" Having three times, during along life, raised 

 Potatoes fi-om seed, and minutely observed the 

 progressof vegetation from the period of sowing 

 to the maturity of the crop, and having given my 

 best attention to the culture in every stage, my 

 practical experience and observations convince 

 me that the time has now arrived which makes 

 it imperative to renovate the Potato hy Seed. 

 The first step in this experiment, is to collect the 

 balls, or seed berries, or Potato-apples as they 

 are called, and place them in dry a situation ; but 

 these would have been found with greater facili- 

 ty before the late crop was raised, yet there are 

 a sufficient number to be found scattered about 

 the land where they grew on every farm. The 

 apples having been hoarded till as mellovr as 

 ripe plums, must be squeezed by hand in a ba.sin 

 of water, till the tough skin and pulp are well 

 separated from the seed, the latter of which will 

 readily quit the former, and precipitate to the 

 bottom of the basin; the water must be poured 

 off and the seed spread thinly on a coanse cloth 

 to drain and absorb the remainder of the water; 

 and then removed and spread upon brown 

 paper, and when perfectly dry, must be well 

 preserved till the following spring for sowing. 

 I have found the moat favorable time for depo.sit- 

 ing the seed in the jrround, well pulverized, is 

 the second week in May, or thereabouts ; at this 

 late -period the i)rob;ible occurrence of frosty 



(lis 



nights may be less prevalent than at an earlier 

 sowing, as the tender plants springing up are 

 extremely susceptible of the least fro.st. The 

 operation of sowing may be performed precise- 

 ly the same as with onion seed, and there will be 

 no particular care to be farther taken before the 

 time of transplantation. The seed will come up 

 freely, and the plants, when elongated three, 

 four, or five inches, should be carefully raised 

 with as much root as possible adhering, and re- 

 moved into small trenches ready to receive them, 

 and planted to the depth of the under leaves, 

 distant about six inches apart in the trench, the 

 trenches being about fifteen asunder ; and the 

 eartiiing up maj' be performed in the usual way 

 as the plants progress; but the transplanting oper- 

 ation will be more favorably done should the 

 earth then possess natural moisture. As the 

 plants advance toward maturity, some will ex- 

 hibit great luxuriance a long time, and others will 

 sooner appear to droop : the latter indicate an 

 earlier sort, and may be distinguished by placing 

 a little stick at the ham. The process now ter- 

 minates ; but the fruits of the labor in raising the 

 ripe crop will present a scene to the operator 

 truly wonderful and amusing : he will behold 

 among the vast variety of new Potatoes at the 

 roots, from the size of a pea to that of a pullet's 

 egg. purples, whites, flats, rounds, reds, kidneys. 

 &c., &c., in fact, such demonstrations of the 

 sports, freaks, and vagaries of Nature as areti-u- 

 ly astonishing. These new roots must be plant- 

 ed whole the following sea.son and after, they 

 will be in perfection for selection as future 

 stock." 



Clarified Butter.— Melt fresh butter bjr 

 placing it in a vessel set in a water bath, let it 

 settle, and pour off the clear into an earthen- 

 ware basin or pot, set in cold water, to cool it 

 as quickly as possible, without letting it crystal- 

 ize. It keeps a long time without becoming 

 rank. Cooley's Cyclo. of Prac. Receipts. 



