122 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 2. 



would avail nothing towards a crop, it would serve 

 to nurse and nurture the weeds only, and would 

 not benefit the potatoes at all. But ii" this compost 

 or dirt is used as manure, why not spread and har- 

 row it in, immediately, before the virtue escapes 

 by evaporation; for much of the virtue of manure 

 passes off in this way in a lew hours exposure to 

 sun. In his first manuring he is anxious to pre- 

 vent this effect; but I would ask what becomes of 

 his economy of his manure in the latter applica- 

 tion, it being exposed tor months to the influence 

 of sun and rain? I conclude, therefore, that Mr. 

 B. is inconsistent with himself. 



Notwithstanding the potato will bear poor and 

 indifferent treatment, and produce a crop on any 

 soil, rich or poor, high or low, and with but slight 

 care and attention, (I do not mean not to boe 

 them at all) it is nevertheless, the most delicate of 

 all plants cultivated. It suffers sorely from the 

 least changes of weather, that is from wet to dry, 

 or from heat to cold, and soon yields to frost. A 

 little too much wet when first planted will cause 

 them to rot in the ground, and if up, a slight in- 

 undation will cause them to wilt and die; and if a 

 change from cool and wet to warm and dry, they 

 are much affected, and from dry and warm, to 

 sudden wet, they are also much affected, especial- 

 ly at a time when near maturing, when they are 

 eure to give up; and this is the cause that potatoes 

 are so oiten not good, having failed to become 

 matured; and let me remind the farmer that all 

 vegetables, at this stage, are in their most delicate 

 state. This is the time too when we are in danger 

 of our grain blighting, and the time it is most fre- 

 quently blighted, if at all, from sudden heavy 

 rains; and from these causes we had not half a 

 crop of potatoes in New Hampshire the last sea- 

 eon, and those but half the usual size. The pota- 

 to is easily cultivated as I have shown; and they 

 will well repay lbr good usage, both in manure 

 and good hoeing. I would as soon slight my 

 corn as my potatoes. Mr. B. recommends plant- 

 ing potatoes four inches deep; my expe ience 

 teaches me the contrary. If I plant low around, 

 I plough my ground in beds, in a direction for the 

 water to drain off, then harrow lengthwise of the 

 furrows, and the small lands; having a number of 

 these, side and side, I take a light sharp horse 

 harrow, and harrow crosswise of the beds, which 

 pulverizes the ground, and fits it well for planting-, 

 leaving a small space between the rows, which 

 answers two purposes, one (or a guide for the rows 

 for dropping; this is done by dropping in the mid- 

 dle of the tracks of the harrow, which is easilv 

 and correctly performed, by any small boy. It 

 also serves completely to fill up all cracks or holes, 

 the seed lying fair and easy. I then drop my 

 manure directly over the seed potatoes, and when 

 covered up, the seed is safe from inundation, by 

 being some inches above the surrounding surface': 

 the seed lies warm under this manure, the rains 

 drain into the middle furrows. Thus I do not lose 

 a hill when those that hole four to six inches for 

 the hill even on common high ground, lose much 

 of their planting. 



Another great advantage is derived from this 

 mode of planting, above the great increase of 

 yield, it prepares the ground for a crop of grass. 



There are other great advantages from this 

 mode of culture: I plant about three feet distance, 

 it takes the most of the surface that is pulverized 



to cover the potatoes, and by the time they are 

 twice well hoed, my hills are as I want them to 

 be. They naturally rise high above the surface 

 in form of a sugar loaf; this hill is to turn off' hea- 

 vy rains, and it naturally keeps the potatoes irom 

 being too moist, as they are oiten injured thereby. 

 In harvesting, I find a great advantage in the ma- 

 nure being above the level; the hills being peak- 

 ed, render them very easy to harvest, and the ma- 

 nure is advantageously mixed with this loose sur- 

 face over all the ground, taking care to harvest 

 each row by itself) hauling the mixed loam and 

 manure in one direction. This mode gives a rich 

 surface over all the ground, and with a little har- 

 rowing, it becomes as smooth as an onion bed: by 

 improving this opportunity it availeth much. 

 This ground is sown in grass, if I choose, in the 

 fall, if early, and it is fitted to sow conveniently in 

 the spring, on the snow, if I choose, or other- 

 wise'. This mode of planting potatoes for the ben- 

 efit of grass, is I think preferable to Mr. B\s. mode. 



I have obtained what I call very large crops in 

 this way, say one of the most favorable dry sea- 

 sons, on some portions of the best of the piece, 

 from five to seven hundred bushels per acre, but 

 no average like this. But the influence that the 

 different seasons have on this kind of ground is 

 very great on the crop. Some cold wet seasons, 

 as above, the potatoes on the same kind of ground, 

 have hardly been worth harvesting. I have as- 

 certained in my latitude, 42^, when at home, that 

 potatoes yield best planted shallow, that is, if ma- 

 nured in the hole, to drop them on top of the ma- 

 nure, instead of under; they have thus in some 

 cases, produced double the quantity of those plant- 

 ed under it, in the same kind of holes, made side 

 and side. It is most sale to make the hills as 

 peaked as they can be, conveniently, to cast off the 

 water in heavy rains. It is certain, from expe- 

 rience and observation, that potatoes are more often 

 affected from the superabundance of wet than by 

 drought, and in an average of seasons, therefore, 

 it is wise to guard against, the greatest evils. It is 

 not generally known that potatoes hold out and 

 grow best if they lay dry in hills; on the con- 

 trary, if the hill be wet through, and continue 

 to be kept wet, it so affects them as to cause a 

 dropping of the leaves, which is called the rust, 

 and they will continue faltering without the possi- 

 bility of a remedy, in any subsequent stage what- 

 ever, if but half grown, as to the root. 



Mr. B. prescribes a rule for planting potatoes; I 

 cannot, myself, venture on so invidious a task as 

 to fix a definite rule in a case where its propriety 

 is to be determined by contingencies. The sea- 

 son and soil are so variable, that they render a 

 general rule somewhat imperfect. But I will say, 

 for strong moist ground, well manured, seed high 

 for a large crop: sometimes we may seed too high 

 on quick land, if it be a dry season. But the dis- 

 tance the hills are to be apart is a consideration. 

 I have found that three feet each way is the most 

 proper distance to ensure a good crop, and pota- 

 toes of a handsome size, for table use, &c. 



Taking this for the distance on the rich prepared 

 ground, as I have described, three common sized 

 potatoes to the hill will be more profitable than any 

 less quantity. It is no use to cut them on such 

 ground. If they should be cut small, the vines 

 come up small and weak, grow fast and fall down, 

 and on such ground the vines will run over tha. 



