1835.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



121 



[A place is given to the following article because it 

 is in reply to one already printed in this No. (p. 79,) 

 and which was inserted principally on account of the 

 remarkably heavy products promised by the writer, 

 from his new mode of culture. We are enough in- 

 clined to distrust all such large promises — but the high 

 recommendations with which several of our editorial 

 brethern introduced the former article, gave it, appa- 

 rently, an additional claim to attention. It is however 

 treated with any thing but respect in the following re- 

 ply — and our readers may judge for themselves as to 

 the comparative weight of the opposing statements. 

 The tone and manner of the reply, will serve to show 

 with what "scant courtesy" some of the northern far- 

 mers are accustomed to treat each other, in the discus- 

 sion of agricultural subjects. 



From the Farmer and Gardener. 

 POTATOES. 



American Hotel, Baltimore, May 19th, 1835. 



Having an errand in the office of the editor of 

 the Farmer and Gardener, I had handed me, the 

 1st No. of the 2d vol., containing an essay of Mr. 

 A. K. Barnum, of Vermont, on the culture of po- 

 tatoes, which the editor recommended as being 

 worthy of my particular perusal: accordingly I 

 read it, with some attention. 



Perceiving the writer to be a theorist, one who 

 aimed at creating an excitement, and that he had 

 contradicted himself; and knowing from my own 

 experience, that his piddling mode, as he has been 

 pleased to call it, is deviating from known and 

 well established practice, and fearing that if per- 

 mitted to go without refutation from some one, it 

 would be liable to lead many an innocent farmer 

 astray from the true principles of the culture of 

 this valuable vegetable, to their damage, as well 

 as prove a loss to the community, after a more 

 careful perusal, I gave the editor my opinion in 

 full, that the author was not a practical farmer, 

 and that very many profitable remarks could be, 

 and ought to be, made, in order that people should 

 not be misguided. 



The editor insisting on my communicating my 

 objections in writing on the subject, I consented, 

 on the. ground that he should be connected in my 

 remarks with the author, he having given his 

 opinion strongly in favor of his principles of cul- 

 ture and still persisting therein. 



In the culture of the potato, it is necessary to 

 know the nature of it, with respect to its growth, 

 what, are its elements, and what its constitution; 

 that is, what it will bear without injury, it being a 

 most delicate root, and what mode of culture is 

 necessary to ensure the most desirable and abun- 

 dant crop. 



I have found by experience, that the potato is 

 not particular as to its choice of soils, or its usage 

 as to manure. It will thrive well on high and on 

 low grounds, in ordinary seasons, if there be no 

 extremity of wet or drought during their growing, 

 and will generally produce a reasonable and satis- 

 factory crop, entirely without manure, but are 

 sure always to repay for extra attention. 



The potato above any other vegetable is found 

 profitable to cultivate on new rough ground, 

 anions; stones and roots, where the ground cannot 

 be sufficiently worked for any other crop usually 



Vol. Ill— 16 



cultivated, until time and labor renders it more 

 pliable. Here the farmer is greatly benefited in 

 the culture of this crop, as the potato is more pe- 

 culiarly adapted to rough, half cultivated, grounds 

 than any other crop, and the cultivation, by the 

 more frequently working of the ground, tends to 

 the better subduing of it. The farmers to the 

 north, besides bringing their rough lands to, avail 

 themselves of the certainty of escaping from the 

 evil of the ravages of the worms that so often de- 

 stroy a crop of corn, by first planting their new 

 swarded ground with potatoes, and it is well to 

 observe, that this swarded ground is far the best 

 for a crop of potatoes. We generally plant to 

 the north ground newly broke up, once with pota- 

 toes, and once with corn, and then sow it down to 

 grass and grain. 



This mode of culture is of well known and uni- 

 form practice. As much ground as a farmer 

 wishes to till is taken up yearly, that is by two 

 years planting it, and managed in this way. Thus 

 it becomes necessary to plant as many acres of 

 potatoes at least as the farmer wishes to take up 

 yearly, lor the benefit of stirring his land, and 

 keeping it loose, by distributing his manure in pro- 

 portion to the land required to betaken up for the 

 benefit of his grass, as well as a proper system of 

 tillage. In this mode of husbandry he does not 

 use the line, clear out his walks, nor shovel over 

 his land into beds; but he has use for all his ma- 

 nure for the benefit of his three crops, and to fit 

 the ground for grass. On Mr. JBarnum's system, 

 it will take all the manure a very economical, in- 

 dustrious farmer can possibly procure on a consi- 

 derable farm, to manure one acre, for he recom- 

 mends spreading and manuring high, the first coat 

 to plough in, then to drill, 20 inches apart with a 

 plough, not less wide to be sure than 8 to 12 inch- 

 es, and four deep, and in those furrows two inches 

 thick, the first coat requires from 25 to 50 bushel 

 cartloads, the Latter will require 50, aggregate 75, 

 this will take all the manure of a good farm. He 

 says there is great benefit to be derived in thia 

 mode of using manure from the coming crop. 

 Well may his neighbors say let him piddle with 

 his line, &c. 



But above all his deviations from rational farm- 

 ing, is his providing heaps of different kinds of 

 earth, from different situations, near where he 

 plants, to hill his potatoes with; this it seems is not 

 intended as manure, but. merely for hilling, as 

 though there was not^earth enough: if this last 

 process was to benefit as manure, according to his 

 theory, all the worth of it would soon be evapo- 

 rated; again, there will be an abundance of weeds 

 and grass, and every foul kind of vegetation be- 

 fore the potatoes are as large as he hills them, 

 which would form a complete turf, and be almost 

 as high as the potatoes; how are these disposed 

 of I We hoe them as soon as they appear, when 

 the. potatoes are but a few inches high, or we are 

 punished for longer neglect: how does Mr. B. lay 

 his weeds'? they are by his plan sure to get quite 

 large, and very numerous, by the time potatoes 

 are budded. 



This doctrine is contrary to all usage, in all my 

 acquaintance in my own state, New Hampshire, 

 New York, and Pennsylvania, where I have lived 

 and farmed it. By the time potatoes are budded 

 for bloom, if nothing be done from planting to that 

 period, a Utile dirt or compost around the potatoes, 



