340 



NEW ENGLAND FAEMER. 



May 19,- 1896. 



BOSTON. 



FurlJier ExiracUfratu ike PitmjMet iiiiely puh- 

 lishtd hi) (III Ksstx jigricuUural ifuciety ; with re- 

 marks hj Cut. PicxiiRiiNu. (Coalinuecl from p. 332.) 

 POTATOES. 



For the best uiid most valuable potatoes, taking 

 lliom tor all in all, rai.sed i'rom the seed of the ap- 

 ples or preen balls — saiiiples to be produced at the 

 Society's public exiiibition in lb"A), 



ten dollars. 



For the second best - seven dollars. 



For the third - - Jive dollars. 



The Trustees presume that some farmers have 

 already begun their e.^pcriinents; and, consequent- 

 \y, v.ill ha-ie samples oi' new potatoes to offer in 

 the present year. The same premiums will be con- 

 tinued to b a'varded, in 1827 and 1828, to merito- 

 rious claimants. 



REMARKS ON POTATOES. 



In Grtat Britcin and Ireland, their host sorts of 

 potatoes, after a few years, are found to degene- 

 rate ; and hence they have recourse to seeds in 

 apples or. green balls, to obtain new kinds. Seeds 

 from the same ball have produced a great variety 

 — some early, some late — some yielding a small, 

 some a large product — some watery, some mealy 

 and well flavcurcd — some moderately prolific, may 

 be of so superior qualities as to be well wortii cul- 

 tivating. The judicious planter will select, to be 

 offered for prennums, such sorts as upon the vvhole 

 he sJial! iliink worthy to be cultivated. 



In 1823, the Trustees offered premiums to en- 

 courage farmers in Essex to plant the seeds found 

 in the green balls, in the hope that some new sorts 

 of potatoes might be obtained, superior to those 

 generally cultivated : and at t!ie last public exhibi- 

 tion (in October, 18.J5) they were gratified with 

 the sight and taste of several new sorts, meriting 

 the premiums. But believing greater imurove- 

 3ients to be very practicable, they havo reiiewed 

 the premiums. And to prevent errors and mistakes 

 in prosecuting experiments, every intended claim- 

 a.'it is desired to take notice — 



i. That seeing the. seeds in the same ball will 

 produce various ports of potatoes, it will be indis- 

 uensably necessary that each young plant grows 

 at the distance of eight or ten inches from any 

 other. 



3. That in autumn, or as soon as the vines, or 

 ate ms of the plants die, and the young potatoes 

 are dug up. those of each plapt are to be saved by 

 themselves ; and it will bo easy to put each sort in 

 a separate paper bug. Those potatoes v/ill be very 

 email, perhaps from the si..e of a pigeon's down 

 to that of a sparrow's ogg. 



3. In the ensuing .spring, the potatoes of each 

 sort, that is, tlie potatoes in each bag, must be 

 phaited by themselves ; and if not in distinct rows, 

 then stakes, driven down into the ground, should 

 mark t'ne divisions of the several sorts in the game 

 row, leaving a space of about two feet betvvrecn 

 one sort and another, to guard against any mix- 

 ture. 



4. In t!ic time for harvesting them in the second 

 year, the jiotatoe:;, if grown in a good soil, will be 

 large enough to be boiled, to ascertain their quali- 

 ties. Each .-ort must be tried by itself. Such as are 

 watery, or ill-flavoured, may be at once thrown 

 aside, for tlic use of live stock. Every other sort, 

 so valuable as to be tliought worth cul1ivating,must 

 be kept unnii.vcd, by putting eacli kind in':; a si pa- 

 rate bttg, box or cask. And such of these as the 



I Lixpeiimenter thinks may fairly entitle him to a 

 I ])rem:um, ho wnl bring a sanple of — not less than 

 half a ijeck jf each sort — to the place of public 

 e.xhibition. 



(JJ^Soine farmers may think the exactness a- 

 bovo proposed and required to l--;; unnecessary. — 

 But let such recollect, that these experiments are 

 proposed, not to gra<i*y curiosity, but to obtain 

 several sorts of pot^^Loes of superior e.xcolleiice, to 

 i be imparted from farmer to farmer througliout the 

 Country ; of whom some may prefer one improved 

 sort, some another, for their own tables, and to 

 supply tlicir customers in the market towns, who^ 

 may have like preferences. Such exactness in 1 

 keeping the products from eacii original plant is | 

 the more necessary, because they may possess ve- ! 

 ry different <pialities fron^ the products of other | 

 plants, which may have the same appearance in 

 she, shape and colour. 



ADDITIONAL REMARKS ON POTATOES.! 



Formerly it was supposed, and the opinion re- ' 

 mains witli many, that to insure a crop of good [ 

 potatoes, it was only necessary to plant good kind.i; 

 such, for instance, as v/efe brought from England, 

 Ireland, Nova-Scotia, or, sometimes, tlie jnost eas- 

 tern part of Maine : but disappointment has aeen 

 the general result. Near si.\ty years ago, I re- 

 ceived a small parcel just brought from Pas^ama- 

 quoddy. At that time I had never tasted any so 

 good, and since then, never any better. They 

 were small, yet so mealy tliat it was difficult to boil 

 them witliout their falling to pieces. In the en- 

 suing Spring, I planted them on what would be 

 called a dry, sweet spot of ground, in an old til- 

 lage field. Thu manuring was moderate. They 

 were properly cultivated during tlie season. When 

 ripe, in autumn, the produce was of potatoes gen- 

 erally much larger than those I had planted, the 

 bigger ones hollow in the middle, and all watery 

 and not well flavoured. 



Within the last five-and-twenty years, I have 

 planted various kinds of potatoes, from England 

 and Ireland ; but without obtaining any valuable 

 products. 



Nov/-and-then, a good potatoe from Nova-Sco- 

 tia, has yielded potatoes resembling, thouirh not 

 equal to the originals. Such was fc small blue po- 

 tatoe from that country, whose product continued 

 of a good quality,)/' planted o?i newly broken up 

 grass-land : but tlio sort was only moderately 

 productive. 



It has seemed to me, that while potatoes from | 

 the more northern climes degenerated, those from 

 more southern regions gradually ir:jproved, in 

 quality. This, I believe, has been generally per- 

 ceived in the case of the long red potatoe now 

 almost universally cultivated, and the most produc- 

 tive of any sort at present known amongst us. It ] 

 is sometimes called the River Plate potato. Bnt , 

 while it has been improving m quality, it has, as j 

 far as my observatiof> extends, become less pro- ! 

 ductive. The best early potatoes I ever planted 

 sprung from a handful of small ones I brought 

 from Maryland, many yea.'s ago. They became 

 mealy and well flavoured. 



It was formerly tlie prevailing opinion, that dry, 

 warm lands such as sandy loams, were the best 

 for producing good potatoes. I have long been 

 satisfied tliat they were the wor.st ; at least wlieii 

 no farther north than Massachusetts, — Lancashire, 

 a western county in England, and Ireland, are 

 distinguished for producing fine potatoes. Ire- 

 iand is remarkable for ttxe moisture of its climate; 



and the westorn coast. of Eniland is more moist 

 than the ea.stejn. Both are many degrees iLrther 

 north than Massachusetts ; and are exempt from 



the droughts and burning heats .of our summers 



These circumstances suggest the propriety of our ' 

 planting potatoes on moist and cool grounds ; thuS' 

 in some measure assimilated to the soils of Ire- 

 laud and Lancashire ; and I may add, of Nova- 

 Scotia and Nev.--i!ransivick. — Tvvo or three years' 

 ago, early in May, dining with the late Governor 

 Brooks, at Medford, I mentioned the superior 

 goodness of his potatoes ; and asked him on what 



sort of ground they w ere raided. lie answered 



It is now under ivaUr — Tl,e late Di. James An- 

 derson of Great Britain, has wrilicn largely oa 

 Agricultural subjects. In the early purt ofliis life, ' 

 he was a practical faniier in Scotland. In some 

 of his u-orks, read long since, I recollect bis say- 

 ing, that in one season uncommonly dry, in Scot- 

 land or England, or in both, the crops of potatoes 

 were unusually small, and poor in quality. In the 

 ne.'it s.jason — a moi.-,t one — the crops were abun- 

 dant, and of excellent quality. 



From the preceding remarks, it seems just to 

 infer, — That in Massachusetts (and furtlier south 

 it must be more important) we may expect to raise 

 our best potatoes on moist and cool grounds ; and 

 better on newly broken up grass land than on 

 such as had been long in tillage, as the latter may 

 not be sutficiently productive without a irreater 

 portion of manure. — And further, that as no reli- 

 ance can be placed on fine potatoes raised in more 

 northom and cooler and rnoister climates than our 

 own, for producing potatoes equally good incur 

 own,— it is highly expedient to try the e.vperiinent 

 proposed by the Trustees, of raising new sorts, 

 from the se*;Js of tjie potato apple ; some of w hicli 

 thus originating in our own climate, may prove 

 superior to any imported ones ; especially if the 

 most proper soils be selected for their cultivation. 



MILLET. 

 This grain has been but little cultivated, or 

 even known, as yet, in tiie New-England States. 

 A few individuals in this vicinity have, however, 

 been induced to make trial of cultivating it, and 

 the results have proved highly satisfactory. We 

 have conversed with a gentleman of this town on 

 tlie subject, w ho has raised more or less of it for 

 several years, and is fully of tlie opinion tliat it is 

 one of the most useful and valuable product.s that 

 our farmers ci<n grow. He states that on land of 

 common fertility, with . ordinary cultivation, his 

 medium crop has been at least twenCy bushels of 

 grain, and a ton of fodder to the acre. He consi- 

 ders the seed of even more value, as food for do- 

 mestic animals, than an equal quantity of corn 



When ground with other kinds of grain, his c.itlle 

 and hogs eat it with more avidity, and their thrill 

 is ; I ^ater than when fed with a like quantity of 

 meal from his other kinds of grain without the 

 Millet. The flour is likewise valuable for many 

 culinary purposes. But besides the uses and val- 

 ue of Millet as a farinaceous product, it has others 

 that ought to recommend it to the atleutioii of 

 the New-Eniiland farmers, particularly the abun- 

 dant and nutritinus fodder it aflbrds. Perhaps there i 

 is no greater di'siilcratum among our farmers, than 

 the means of nblaining a cheap and copious supply 

 of winter food lor their cattle. This, it is believed, 

 cannot be more efl'ectu.ally accomiilishoil, tlian by 

 the culture of Millet to a certain extent. It is a 

 well-knov.'n fact, that almost all our small grains 



