44 



<JI)e jrarmcv'0 ittoiitl)lij Visitor. 



MB 



liiiiidsotricly lliiit sensoii, and in the dry season 

 of 1845, we noticed fiieh a (iict iiarlidilarly. 

 Tlieie is one important coiisidiTniion to he at- 

 tended to vvlien titnlici' is cut in ihiji inontii. It 

 slionid l>e divested of its liaiU as soon as possible 

 so as to give a fnll exposine of llie newly foitnetl 

 cainhitim to the influence of the son niid the al- 

 niostpheiH. When this i5 done, ihc! cainl)intn or 

 gap-wood acf|uires a firmness which will enalile 

 it to last, even if exposed to the weather (or 

 years. Indeed, in point of firnmr'ss, it will not 

 fail much if any liehind the henrt-wond of the 

 same tree. We know of no [impose for which 

 tiitdjer can lie applied liy the fanner, lor which 

 we can offer any ohjcclinn to its liHinjrcnt in this 

 month, if it seasons with the Imrl! off. There is one 

 consideration in onr niiiiil, which gives winter a 

 preference for choppini.'. That is, that it is a 

 season when the farmer is more released from 

 other lahors, and hence, in oim' clitnaie, it is a 

 season which seems admiruhly set apart liir the 

 operation. J?nt chop when yon h ill t(:)r tindier, 

 strip the hark as soon as possihie if you wonhl 

 arrest the progress of decay. 



Another consideration to he attended to, to fa- 

 cilitate reproihiction, is to cut (dose to the f;ronnd, 

 and economy in tiniher also indicates the same 

 thing. 



Yours truly, 



WM. BACON. 



Mount Osceola, Jan. 10, 1846. 



The Potato Sickness. 



Correspondence between J\lr. 1'eter, British Consul 

 at Philadelphia, and Mr. Govven, q/'.1/oi(ii( Airy, 

 on the subject of the Potato Pot. 



MR. gowen's reply. 

 Mount Airy, Pa., mh Dec. 184,5. 



Mv Dear Sir: — Your note on' the suhject of 

 "the Potato Kot," dated Saturday, did not reach 

 me at IMount Airy, Sunday intcrvcnin;.', till this 

 morning, .Monday. It woidd <;ive me pleasure 

 to oblige yon fully iti this matter, did lime permit 

 to go more into detail ; hut the hi ief space allot- 

 ted for n reply will compel mc to ho as concise 

 as possihie. 



1 hold that atmospheric influence is the sole 

 rnnse of the late pervading Kot in the Potato; 

 thai neither manures nor eondiiion of soils could 

 have produced the calamity ; ihiit animalcula; :ujil 

 ■fungi are as retnote from it — the latter may in a 

 partial maimer injure a potato plant, as they 

 woidd, under peculiar circumstances, he likely to 

 injure other plants ; that the Rot is not epideiuic; 

 am! have reason to hclicve that soimd oy pnrtial- 

 l;i sound potatoes, taken from a diseasi'd crop or 

 heap, will, if planted, produce heahhy, sonrjd 

 potatoes, in the absence of the cause which in- 

 jured them the previous season. 



1 would therel'ore encourage the farmers to cid- 

 livate their potatoes as forjuerly, i-hoosiug the 

 soils atul applying the manures which hiiherto 

 were foiuid best adapted to Ihcur culliue : forget- 

 ting or overlookitig the Rot ahogelhcr, .'nnl dis- 

 regarding the nostrums rccounneudcd lor its pre- 

 ventiiui ; the potato won't hear duciorjug. 



The weather which proiliiccs Rut is either a 

 eovere, C(Uilitiuous drought of some weeks' staml- 

 ing, thereby preveuliiig th(! natural growth and 

 maturity of the potato, for the want of inoi.itnre, 

 or very hot weather, bring the potato to a prema- 

 ture rificiiess, sin-ccciled by wet, sultry weather, 

 inuiiiturally .?/>n'ng-/i/iY, which provoki's the tubers 

 lo perform tin; functions of seed, thereby dissolv- 

 ing the romieclion betuecn them and their vims; 

 the vines die; the rooi.s underi-o an incipient 

 fermentation preparatory to decomposilicui : the 

 operation of budiliug or growing is checkcil by 

 the natural aiUuiiuial temperature that at leuglli 

 prevails, whiidi arrests the peilato ill its work of 

 producing, and hence its ileleiioralioii. Tlielal- 

 ter condition of the wenllier is the prevailing 

 cause of the Rot. 



As to a severe and couilnuous droui:hl,iny ow n 

 expcrieiicre points to that of Irtts. Tliat neason 

 1 had a five-acre patch in wiih potatoes, which 

 did not pay for the trouhlit of taking tle'in out of 

 the ground. They were small, ill-shapiMl, bad- 

 tasted, poisonous, spotted and black-hearted, and 

 rolled in cellar. Poiaioes that sc'iison sold as 

 high as $\.'ir> and i^L.TO per bushel— not a hush- 

 el of good potatoes at market except those ini- 

 ))orterl. Then as to dry, hot weather, succeedeil 

 by wet, close, over siiring-likc temperature, the 



season of 1843 is in point. 1 took more than 

 common pains tlnit year to inodnce n surpassing 

 vield, efpiiil at least to my famous crop of the 

 jireceding year, which was over 440 bushels lo 

 the acre — lielil culture. iMy seed was in part 

 from those fine potatoes, and in part from some 

 very large, KiMind potatoes itnported from the 

 State of Maine. On taking out the crop in Oc- 

 tober, the whole was fonnil to be very badly di- 

 seased. The weather from the latter part of June 

 till the beginning of September was mainly hot, 

 occasionally very hot, and <lry. Seplendier set 

 in with warm rain.s, thtmder-storms and gusts; 

 the moisture and closeness unprecedented ; fruit 

 trees blossomed, as well as many flowering trees 

 and shrubs; I recollect making a large cidlection 

 of flowers from the magnolias, some of which I 

 sent to the Kditor of ihe Pennsylvania liKjuirer. 

 My potato vines looke<l green and healthy, when 

 all of a sudden they changed color, drooped and 

 died. 1 think if I had taken out the potatoes at 

 that juncture, they would have proved compara- 

 tively gooil ; but they were pcrmitteil to remain 

 quite a month after, when they were found badly 

 rotted, tainted, and almost worthless. 



Now, then, as lo the epidemic. In 1844, 1 

 planted some four to five acres of potatoes, Ihe 

 seed of which was principalh/ culled from the diseas- 

 ed crop of 184:?. 1 planted.also, at thesame time, 

 in the same field, other seed of very j?ound pota- 

 toes brought from Maine ; they all did equally 

 well; I could discover no difference; the crop was 

 a very fair one, and the quality unexceptionable 

 in every respect. I do not mean by this to en- 

 courage the planting of diseased or doubtfiil po- 

 tatoes. It is safer to jilant sound and perfect ones; 

 hut 1 am strong in the opinion that there is no 

 diiiiger of a diseased or taiiiti'd potato producing 

 a diseased or tainted potato. It may, from its 

 want of vitality, he very unproductive, make fee- 

 ble shoots, the same as decayed potatoes from on 

 shipboard after a long voyage, the heat and mois- 

 ture of the vej-scl's hold having caused them to 

 send out enormous shoots, impairing their vigor, 

 and producing Rot. Such potatoes, when plant- 

 ed, never prodni'e well as to size and quality; 

 but I have )et to learn that they ever produced a 

 tliseased potato. 



IMiich has been said of potatoes becoming fee- 

 ble anil sickly from long and constant planting ; 

 there may be sonielhing in this; time will not 

 permit me to examine it now. I have, however, 

 niimeroiis sorts of .seedlings produced from the 

 apples of my very fine crop of I84'3. 1 shall lake 

 occasion to pi'-sent you with a few to .send to 

 soiiii! of your friends abroad. 



liy this you will see that I can olTcr no remedy 

 of preventive fiir the Rot. He that tempers the 

 winds lo the shorn lamb, can only control it. 

 Should it again visit us, we can only exercise our 

 best jiiflginent by taking out the potatoes early — 

 as soon as they exhibit signs of decay — hiMiig 

 them in thin layers in dry, cool siliiaiioiis, or oth- 

 erwise, as ciicuinslances may jiislify. Let the 

 farmers go on and plant in confidence, as their 

 best experience may teach, trusting for ihe abuii- 

 diiiit yield to that Proviclence who seiideth ihe 

 early and the latter rain. 



Very respeclfullv \"ur friend and ob'l scrv''t, 

 (Signed)" JAMICS (JOWF.N. 



Wii.i.iAM Peter, Ksq., Her 15rilaiinic Majes- 

 ty's CuliMil, Philadelphia. 



lircuking Steers. 



Now is a good lime to comnience breaking 

 steers. For this purpose, ho w.i and yokes of a 

 siiilahle size must be prepared, which should be 

 first put on them slandiiig together in the stable 

 after they have eaten their morning's (iidder. 

 When they have worn this an hour or so each 

 day f<ir sineral days, they may be taken into the 

 yard anil allowed to walk round a short time, 

 and then unyoked. When well accustomed to 

 their Mike, iliey should be placed between two 

 iillicr pair of cattle, and driven olV a short dis- 

 tance without any load. Then they may he at- 

 tached with the other team to a load, and depend 

 upon It lliey will learn what is wanted of them, 

 from siM'ing what other cattle do, faster and easi- 

 er tlinii ill any other way. Never whip them or 

 speak harshly. If they do not perform iiislaiitly 

 all tli.it is requirird, it is from ignorance t'l'ueral- 

 ly, and not, as it is too often supposed, from ob- 

 sliiiiiey or vicioiisiiess. Then all you have got to 

 do is, to teach them from the example of other 



well broke cattle. But when one has no othe 

 cattle to break them with, more attention will lie 

 nece.ssary, and they will require guiding in their 

 movements by a cfud attached to their horns. 

 The teamsters in New I^ngland excel in breaking 

 and driving cattle, and they frequently have theiii 

 so well taught, that they will perforin single or 

 together, in the yoke or out of it, by mere word 

 of command, any thing reasonable which can he 

 required of them. 



The finest breed of working cattle is the De- 

 von and its crosses. These are of a deep, bright 

 red color, with orange colored noses, an orange 

 rim round the eye, and a beautiful clean upturn - 

 eil horn of a clear yelhnvish white. Our fiiriners 

 ill this vicinity frequently send lo Connectinil 

 for such oxen. They are active, hardy, fine mads 

 animals, and capable of di"nving very heavy 

 loads. We have seen a (lair of fi>ur year old 

 steers start off at hill gallop with a load of GOOO 

 lbs. at the caitle shows in New England, and 

 then turn round and back Ihe load on level 

 ground with perfect ease. This, however, is n 

 large load for such young animals, and great care 

 should be used lest they ,':houl(l strain themselves 

 in their ambitious etfoits to move it. These o.x- 

 en will plough an acre of ground as quick as u 

 pair of horses ; indeed, they oftener heat than 

 get beaten nt the ploughing matches. We great- 

 ly admire such animals, and alway.s kept them 

 on our fai;m for work instead of horses. We 

 found them more servieable in the generality of 

 farm work, while their ge.iring and food did not 

 cost near ns much as those of horses; and then 

 if any accident happened to them they could be 

 killed for beef, as we always ke|it them in good 

 ord<;r. If an accident happens lo a horse he is a 

 de.ul loss, save bis shoes and hide. 



We do wish, hoys, you could persuade your 

 fathers to he more careful in their selections of 

 hulls and cows to breed from. The beautiful 

 pure Devons can be had at ijiiite reasonable pri- 

 ces now. But you will ii^{\ them at least, we 

 hope, when you get lo be grown men. Let the 

 eye once get accustomed to the beauty and good 

 points of this choice breed of callle, and you 

 would never forget them. How we wish your 

 schoolmasters were able lo instruct in such 

 things. W'e would engage to teach you more in 

 a few hours' conversation, with .•-oiiie good live 

 aniinalii before us to illustrate it, than you could 

 learn from books or by yourselves in half a life. 

 Thus taught, you could not be imposed upon by 

 those miserable cheating pedlers, with their 

 grade animals, which they are continually palm- 

 ing off u|ion an ignorant public at low [irices for 

 thorough breed.*. — Am. Ag., Baltimore. 



General Rules for Ploughing. 



The depth of ploughing, the width'of the fiir- 

 row-slice, the nnmiier of ploiighiiiL's which 

 should be given to land, and the season at which 

 it should be executed, depend on such a variety 

 of circinnstances, ihat it would be ilillicult to pre- 

 scribe' any univer.sal rules. 



The objictsof ploughing are, to loosen tlic soil 

 and to render it ]ieiiiie.ihle to tlie roots of plants, 

 that they may eMeiid llienisclves for noiirishiiieiit 

 and support; m make it accessible to the air and 

 rain, from which, according to modern iheories, 

 it gathers hoih oxygen ami ammonia, for the food 

 of plants ; and lastly, to give an opportunity of 

 incorporating manures with the soil, fiir their 

 support and growth. It has another object, of 

 course, where greensward is turned over, wliieli 

 is, to bury tlie'herbnge I'lin on the ground, and 

 snhstitnle other plants. 



The depth of ploughing varies in ditrereni .soils, 

 and for dilfcient purposes. The average depth 

 may be considered as five inches, but no direc- 

 tion on this snbjecl will be found imiversally ap- 

 plicable. Three of the most cmineiil practical 

 firmers wilh whom I am acqiiiiinled liere,ploii;;li 

 lint more than three inches; but the siirliice 

 mould, in these cas(!s is very thin, and the under 

 stratum is a cold, elaminy chalk. One farmer, 

 whose cnltivalion is snccessfiil, and who culti- 

 vates "a light, poor, thin, nioory soil, with a sub- 

 soil of cither blue or white clay, pi-at, or white 

 gravel," carefully avoids breaking up the cold 

 subsoil, and cuts up the sward with a breast- 

 plough, which is a kind of paring spade : and af- 

 t(M' burning the turf and spre.idiiig the ashes with 

 a due application of artificial manure, consisting 

 of equal quantities of lime, wood and turf ashes, 



