NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Published by JOHN B. RUSSELL, ;.tlhr coiner of Coiig:ress ami Linclall Slnets, Hoston TMCiMAS G. fFSSKNOKN, Epitob. 



VOl^. IV. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, APRIL 28. 1«20. 



No. 40. 



oaxazNAi. GoniMnrxncATioiTS. 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW EKGI.AND FARMER. 



imiHOvement ofrun-onl potatoes, was (or ji nio- 

 niPcit fnislrated ; however, the next Irinl wns 

 upon those in the new field ; liere the liilis ;if- 

 torJcd :i grood yield of round, fair and cl^ar po- 

 tatoes ; when boiled, they were nhoul as good 

 ns the ;>d year's growth, bnl nothing improved 



CULTIVATION OF POTATOES. 



Worcester County, 4th Mo. 10, 1826, 

 ■ There have been grievous complaints by the!' continued experiments, (always carefiij in the 

 people ofBoston for a number ofyears (and not | selection of (he seed) nnd the illi year plough- 

 wilhout just cause) of bad i)otatoes. I have no- j ed and fcnceil with posts and rails, a piece of 

 ticed a number of scientitic disquisitions upon! greet) sward in my pasture—harrowed in conl^e 

 the subject, but none that exactly accords withl''"n?i and had an excellent crop of the best of 

 my views. However incorrect 1 may be in my|po''"oes, (some of these I sold in Boston for 50 

 conclusions upon the subject, I may run but j cents, tv^h^en they were plenly ' " ' * ' 



little risk in stating what 1 think I have satisfac- 

 torily ascertained to be the best method for me, 

 on my land, lor insuring good potatoes. About 

 fifteen years since, I purchased some of the 

 common blue jintaloes tor seed. The seller 

 said the potatoes had heretofore been very 



staled Ihatscniis woi:ld grow if they 'vi-re plann- 

 ed with the end sealed with lbs compo3ltion 

 used on trees after pruning. I was quite 

 pleased with the new idea of olitaining a choice 

 collection of fruit trees so easily. Accordingly 

 I went to woik and selected the finest thrifty 

 scions I could procure, from various slocks, and 

 planted in the spriiig of 181 i, two rows of about 

 '10 leet in length, from fotir to six inches apart, 

 and took the greatest pains with them. The 

 grer.ler part of thrm leaved out, and remained 

 just in that silrialion most o^ the season, without 

 atlvancing. The next season very few produc- 

 ed any signs of vegetation, and by autumn they 

 were all dead with the exception of now atid 

 then one having a slight appearanco of life near 



good, but he thought they had lo>.l their good ''el"'^rmed and less farinaceous, and in the fol- 

 quality, and that by changing them (as the | ''^"'''ng spring there was a great difference in 



})hrhse is) they would do better. I was young 

 and incxperieiiced, but 1 had no faith in this hy- 

 pothesis. However, the potatoes were ill shap- 

 ed things, and, when cooked, as free from any 

 fuiiiaceoiis apjiearance as a pickled cucumber. 

 1 planted them uii a piec3 ol land that 1 was sub- 

 duing, dunged them lightly wilh winter dung 

 which w;\s spread and harrowed in. The crop 

 Avas iniddling, and the potatoes for autumn and 

 xvinlor eating, tolerably good. The next season 

 1 manured the same land \\i\h winter dung, ajd 

 {doughed it in ; round, fair and middling siyA" 

 potaiocs only nere selected iVom the previou* 

 year's growth, for seed ; tliey were planted in 

 the usual way, two in a hill; ploughed and ho- 

 ed twice. The succeeding autumn they yield 

 ed a good crop of mostly round, fair and hand- 

 some potatoes, and for eating 1 n^u;r saiv bet- 

 ter Their superior quality was noticed by all 

 ■who ate of them. I now considered that these 

 potatoes had regained their original good qual 

 ity ; and that it was affected by selecting the 

 seed onlif ; but it was an erroneous conclusion. 

 The third year the seed was selected as be- 

 fore ; a part of the same field, ])loughed and 

 manured in the same way as the year before, 

 was planted ; some of the selected seed was 

 also pSauted in a field that had for a number ol 

 years been cultivated — here, several rows were 

 dunged in the hill with fine mixed manure, and 

 a' "M' a'i many with only a handful of plaster. — 

 Id the fall I commenced digging successively of 

 li.' lliite u.tiereot plantings (bi table use ; those 

 dunged in the hill, appearing nearest maturity. 

 I began upon them first; I Ibund their ajipear- 

 ance diffei enl fiom those raised the year before, 

 more long ones — some part eaten by worms, 

 and others wilh small ones attached to them b^ 

 narrow necks. They were cooked, but instea^l 

 of being sound mealy potatoes, they were of bn; 

 an ordinary quality — some had hard balls in the 

 middle, and others hollow. 1 next dug some ol 

 those that were plastered, their apjiearance wa^ 

 better, less small ones, nn effects of worms, but 

 less in a hill — when ciniked they were some- 

 what better than the others, but very inferior 

 to the 2d year's crop. Here my scheipe tor the 



the market for 

 30 and 33 cents.) 1 also pi inled around a corn- 

 field two rows ; this field had been ploughed -1 

 years in succession — winter dung ploughed in, 



and fine mixed manure put to the hills ; these ]ii,e lower part" jusrabove the surface of the 

 pnlatoes yielded as well and perhaps some mr.re!gr„imd without a leaf or bud. and those I exam- 

 than those m the pa.sfuie, but they were mose I j|„.(] i,^-| „„, ;(,p least semlilance of a root. 



I am fully saiisfied (hat I'rnil trees to any ex- 

 lent, cannot be cultivated in this way. There 



the jiotatoes. I now believed that lo raise goo.i 

 potatoes and to preserve, undiminished, the 

 quality of the kind, that something more was 

 necessary to be observed, than the seleclion of 

 Ihe seed. Therefore, ior my-elt', 1 ado|)ted ;he 

 !iillowing melhod, from conclusions drawn lioi;^ 

 liie fcircgoiiig experiments, and from general 

 observation and inquiry upon Ihe subject. First, 

 lo select such potatoes, sh;ipe and size, as I wish 

 to raise. .Secondly, to plant tliem on new oi 

 green sward land, two, and not to exceed three 

 vears in succession. Thirdly, to u<e no oilier 

 ll^an winter dung (except tlif uddilion of [>i,!Sler 

 to the hills or vines) for manure dressing, to 

 sfiread this and mingle it with (he soil ; this 

 being generally free of worms, nnd its decompo- 

 sition will be about the time the roots of the 

 potatoes need its nourishment. And fourthly, 

 never to plant them on a wet or clayey soil. — 

 By observing these particulars 1 have always 

 had good potatoes ; my Hues I still keep, and 1 

 don't know that 1 can find better, notwilhstand- 

 ing some thought them run out more than fif 



may have been instances, (luit 1 think it a rare 

 occurrence) o! raising fiiiil trees by this pro- 

 cess, and I should recommend lo those who wish 

 to make the experiment lo <l() it in a limited 

 manner, as it will be labor in vain. 

 Wuh much respect, 



vuur very humble serv't, 



L. JENKINS. 



FOR THE NEW ENOLAND FARMKR. 



'•:der eabrf.ls. 



•.VJ,_'ai(;s:.i- Cou'i.'j', .'Jpril 18, IC-G. 

 A cheap w.iy I& keep cider barrels sweet is 

 as follows. Take the barrels soon after the 

 cider is out, and drain off the lees (if the cask 

 has been \ie\)\ full while the cider was working 

 there v.'ill be but a trifle;) bung them light, and 

 put them in some snilabie place. Previous lo 

 using them for cider the enduing season, rinse 

 them. 1 have practised the dbove method for 

 more than twenty years, and never had any cask 

 which did not keep perfectly sweet. Piinsinsr 



teen years ago. Whoever is disposed to adopt|casks with cold water, and not keeping them 



bunged light, 1 believe is the principal Cfmse of 

 so many cider casks' becoming foul and musly. 



the above melhod and perform it, will no more 

 be troubled with the disagreeable tang of rank 

 and watery potat.-.es — and for what they have lo 

 spare, the citizens of Boston, 1 jiresume, will 

 willingly pay them a good price. 1 am of the 

 '>plnion that good jiotatoes for table u*e, are 

 seldom produced from fields (hat have be? n long 

 and highly cultivated. Perhaps some of Ihe 

 agricnlturalisls near Boston may be induced to 

 iry Ihe experiment, if it has not been particu- 

 larly tried. I continue lo plough small pieces 

 lU my pasture, when I have no green sward ol 

 a number of years' standing that I u isli to turn 

 up, and find my pasture benefitted by it. I will 

 ^dd no more to the subject this lime, but submit 

 Ihe loregoing to the better judgement of expe- 

 rienced and practical farmers. D. S. 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



PLANTING SCIONS. 



Canandaigua, AW. Jipril IG, 1826. 



Sir — Some three or four 3 ears since I read a 



paragraph io some paper or magazioe, which 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ENGLAND FARIMER. 



THE BORER. 



Weston, April 19, 182G. 



Sm — I have read several communications 

 made bitely in your useful paper on Ihe subject 

 of ihe borer. Having been a sufferer by its des- 

 tructive work, 1 think it a duly lo offer you the 

 result of my observations on the ways of that 

 ravager, who, in my opinion, threatens Ihe very 

 existence of our orchards. 



By referring to Biiffbn I find that there are 

 nine species of the borer (ca/?ricorne Coiomiix). 

 The insect alter his last transformation is a bee- 

 tle o( a dark slate or brown colour, some of the 

 smaller species have figured stripes on their 

 wings; they fly about in the heat of July, quick 

 on the wing, and shy. They are little noticed, 

 and deposit, then, their seed in the bark of al- 

 most every kind of trees ; the oak bark is filled 

 with it, that of the yellow pine, sometimes the 



