84 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



[Oct. 7, 



POTATOES.' j course of one season, arrive at a considerable 



We perceive b}' papers from varimi? sections ' s'^^e, and llie bnulni will boas vigorous as if ihe 

 of the coiinlry, that there is an uncommon scar- i sets [or cntlintrs] li.ul been phinte-l. Btit what 

 city of thi.s useful and almost necessary vegeta- ' Proves the luxuriancy, in the most convincing 

 ble production. Seventy-live cents a hushei ap- manner, is ihat ilouors and apj.les are sometimes 

 pears to be the average price in every place i P'''"'"'^p''- 



where the price is stated. In the Boston mar- j In Lancashire, where the gardeners raise po- 

 het the price ranges from 67 to 80 cents, and ! ''>'"es from seed, they are always two years in 

 the quality is by no means the first. With re- , 'jringir'S; ihem to lull size. By the above meih- 

 spect to the qua'lity, however, of potatoes raised ; O'' "'" trans;, ianting, with wide distances, many 

 in the vicinity of Boston, it has been falling for "*' "'e potatoes will attain their lull size in one 

 several years from good to indifTerent, and from «eas.on 



tical farmers, that ihey derived no henelil from 

 the use of ashes as n manure. But we believe 

 lhat in surh ra^^es the ashes have been applied 

 to moi^t and what farnieie rail S(.i>r 'oi!^. Ashes 

 are u-cd in Lon:; Ulanr! -diogf ther in light sandy 

 soils, and Ihe bitest :!n(l mosi em'nent Engli-b 

 writers on agriculture reronirmnd this manure 

 lor light iiianiy or gt.-iTrliy lands. — Ed. Farmer, 



Still 



indifferent to misera!)!y poor. Manv of them 

 are so execrably bad, that they cannot be eaten. 

 Cook them as you will — boil, frv, bake or roast 



It is observable that these seedlings produce 

 potatoes of many dilTerent kinds ; and sometimes 

 new sorts are procured. We do not find any 



them, — they will still boas hoavv as bullets, | <'''''^^''°nce whether the apple comes from a round 

 though something more yaterv, "and leave a o"" •' J"''"<?J' '''"''• It is not so when we use the 

 tang in the moutii, equal to tha't'of the Indian ^^1, whicli invariably produces the same kind. 



tobacco, and for which we know of but one reme- 

 dy, viz. a piece of pickled pepper. Agricultu- 

 ral Societies might be doing a real service to 

 the lovers of good potatoes, by offering a pre- 

 mium for an improvement of the jiresent breed. 

 As we profess to be one of them. i. c. a lover of 

 g-ood potatoes, we will give ten dollars for ten 

 bushels, if the seller will guarantee that two 

 thirds of them shall be dry and mcahj, when 

 ■•.ooked. — Boston Courier. 



Rcmarhs bij the Ediior nf the K. E. Farmer.— 

 The complaint of Mr Burkingham of the lam 

 enlable degeneracy of modern potatoes is, to our 

 certain knowledge, well founded ; and every 

 man of con-cci tasle must regret the circumstance. 

 We have frequently, heretofore, pointed out 

 what we believed to be the principal cause of 

 ;his deterioration, but will give line upon 

 iinc. Our old varieties have decayed, accord- 

 ing (0 our doctrine, in consequence of their 

 having been propagated " forever and for aye," 

 or thereabouts, iVmn the roots; whereas ihev 

 OQgiif now and then to be renewed from the 

 seed of the apples or balls. 



in Ihe New England Farmer, vol. iv. page 2G 

 we gave a descriptinn of an approved mode of 

 raising potatoes from the seed. The following 

 from Hunter's Georgical Essays, goes somewhat 

 more minutely into the process, with some va- 

 riations from that described a« before mention- 

 ed, which may be woith atten;ion. 



" Take a bunch of the apples of a while po- 

 tatoe. Jiang it u[) in a drv place during the 

 winter, and in February separate the seeds from 

 the pulp, by washing ihe nppb-s in water, and 

 pressing them wiih the ting" rs. Then dry the 

 seeds upon jiaper. In the^month of April." sow 

 these seeds in drills, in a bed of earth well dug. 

 and manured wiih rotten dung. When the plants 

 are about an inch high, draw a litlle earth up 

 to them wiih a hoe, in order to lengthen their 

 main roots. ^ When they are about three inches 

 Jrgh, dig Ijiem up with a spade, and separate 

 them carefully from each other, in order for 

 planting out in the following manner: 



Prepare a piece of new ground by trench- 

 Ing It well. Dig u,, iho seedling plants as be- 

 fore directed, and plant them out in the ground, 

 thus prepared in such a manner tluit there shall 



.Apples taken from a red polaioe that has (low- 

 ered in the neighbourhood of white ones, will 

 sometimes produce a kind internally marlded 

 red and white ; and I presume for the same rea- 

 son, lhat apples taken from a while potatoe that 

 has tlowcred in the neighbourhood of red ones, 

 will produce something of the same kind. 



Potatoes when (iropagated from sets after a 

 number of years, are found to decrease beaiiiig; 

 for wl)ich Te-Ason they slinidd be brought back cveri, 

 fourteen years to titeir original. 



From a want of attention to this circumstance 

 i have known potatoes so run out, lhat they 

 hardly returned treble seed. The f;iriner com- 

 plains that his land is tired nf them, — but the 

 true cause is the age of the sets. 



The increase of potatoes raised from seed is 

 astonishing. They continue in vigour lor about 

 fourteen years ; aftei which the produce grad- 

 ually declines. 



Method of making c.rcdleni butter from the ini'-k 

 of cozc's fed upon turnijis. — The following recipe 

 from Hunter's Georgical Essays, was inserted 

 i:i the first volume of the New England Farmer, 

 but is ro[)ublished for the benefit of subsequent 

 subscribers. — Let the vessels in which the milk 

 is put be kept constantly clean, and well scalded 

 with boiling water before using. When the 

 milk is brought into the dairy, to every C quarts 

 mix one quart of boiling water ; then jiut uj) the 

 milk into the bonis to stand for cream. 



Ashes for Manure. — Leached aslics arc much 

 useil. in some parts of the United States as a 

 manure. Great quantities are annually la!:en 

 from the city of Philadelfdiia to Long Island for 

 this |iurpose. They cost in Philadelphia W cts. 

 per one horse cart load, and commonly bring 

 ii\\.b^ when delivered. From a j)apcr in the 

 tir«l volume of the N. Y. Agric. Soc. 'i'rans. by 

 Mons. E. L. Ilommidieu, it appears lhat ashes 

 are fiund to su'ceed best on dry loamy lands, or 

 loam mixed with sand. It is considered as the 

 cheapest manure that can be procured. Ten 

 loads of this manure, on poor laud, will produci.' 

 ordinarily, 25 bu«hels of wheal, which exceeds, 

 by ^.5, the expense of the manure ; and the five 

 ilnllars pays for the expense of raising the crop. 

 The land is then left in a slate tor \ielding a 



'■"g 'f <^ Wasp. — The (Jomplele Farmer's 

 Dictionary say, — " A copper coin of any kind, 

 held for a siiort lime to the part wounded by a 

 wa«p, is an excellent remed\." If so, we should 

 believe ih it a solution of sulphaie of copper 

 {blue vitriol.,) might be stijl more efficacii'us. 



Ci;cumbers. — Mr .J.W of Philadelphia inform- 

 ed Dr Mease that he enriched the ground near 

 the trunk of a peach tree, and sewed some cu- 

 cumber seed, which rame u[i very aboiidantlj'. 

 He pulled up ail the jilants but one, and per- 

 niilled Ihe vine to run up the tree. It bore 150 

 encumbers. The numerous crecp'ors with which 

 the encumber abounds, and the result of this ex- 

 periment, would seem to point out the climbin"- 

 nature of the plant, and the gre^it advantage a- 

 rising from letting it atlach itself to a tree or a 

 frame instead of confining it to the ground. 



The seeds of melons and cucumbers are lia- 

 ble to run loo vigorously to vine before Ihev 

 emit a single fruil. To prevent this Dr Darwin 

 advises to wash the seeds clean from their puip 

 before Ihev are put away for i^-eservatic^n, and 

 to keep them 3 or 4 years before ihev are 

 sown. The experienced Abercrnmbie (Mawes' 

 Gardener) confirms Ihe advice to plant seeds 2. 

 ■ >, or 4 years old. — Domestic Enciidnvcdia. 



lie sixieen inches betwee.i each plant. As they] crop of hay of between two and two and a jialf 

 advance in growth. |p( them receive one or two '"ns per acre, which it will continue to do for 

 earthings up, in order lo lengthen the main root, | n great number of years. No manure Ctmtinues 

 flnd encourage the shonis under ground. SO long in the ground as ashes. — Domes. Encyc. 



By this managcmenl tb.a potatoes will, in. (he ! Wc have frequently heard it asserted by prac- 



From ihe ^'aUonal Cazclle. 



rmi-AnELrniA society for pro:>;otin-g .^griculturf. 

 Stnfed Meeting. Scnlember 20, 1824— Rob- 

 erts Vai'x in the chair. The following com- 

 munications were read : 



1. A letter iVom Samuel Webb, of Gloucester 

 county. New Jersy, to R. Vauv, on the mode 

 adopted b\ hini in cultivating vines. 



2. A letter iVom Messrs. W. k W. Beach of 

 Philadelphia, with a self-sharpening plough — ;j 

 sell-shar[)ening corn-cullivaior, invented by 

 them, and a model of a three winged, double- 

 mould board plongh.abnut to he cast. The cura- 

 tors were charged with the examination of the 

 imnlements, and to rrport tiiereon. 



.3. A letter from Mr. Samuel Swiff, of Phila- 

 delphia rnnntv. to Mr. Daniel Buckley, approv- 

 ing hisrhlv of Biviey's mowing machine, the op- 

 eration of which he had recently witnessed on 

 the f;irm of Edward Duffield in Phihidelpiiiij 

 county. 



4 An arrnunt by Dr. Mease, of a hirhly ma- 

 lignant disease, resomblinEr Ihe lilnody murrain, 

 whirb was communicated some years since, by 

 ;i drove nf Southern cattle, to all other cattle tvith 

 which Ihey mixed, or which frequented fields 

 previously ocrnpiedbv the drore Irom the South. 

 The myslerv w;is, llint the cattle thus evidently 

 (he source of disease pxhibitednom.uk of indis- 

 position. .Some analogiciil farts were riled by 

 the writer, to show that in Ibe butnan race, di^- 

 ease has often resulted from heallby people, fi ntn 

 dilTi^rent climates, mixing at s(;;i. ;>nd in ramp; 

 but in these cas^s both parties suQ'cred more ot 



