154 Culture of Potatoes. [Sept., 



ON THE CULTURE OF POTATOES. 



It is well occasionally to recur to the past, and learn the views 

 of others, and what results their investigation taught them. We 

 may compare them with our own experience, or with what we 

 know to be the experience of our neighbors. We therefore pub- 

 lish the following letter of Noah Webster, written more than half 

 a century ago, and published in the first volume of the Transac- 

 tions of the old New York Agricultural Society. Noah Webster 

 was an eminent man in his day. He was devoted to literature, 

 and yet found time to experiment on the raising of potatoes. We 

 leave it to farmers to say whether his conclusions are not mea- 

 surably good, and may we not inquire how much has the business 

 of raising potatoes advanced since Noah Webster wrote out the 

 results of his experiments? We consider that the letter itself is 

 no dishonor to his name. 



Dear Sir: — You know my love of the first and best occupation 

 of man, agriculture, and how anxious I am to see this most use- 

 ful business improved among my fellow-citizens. In my present 

 situation, I have not an opportunity to make experiments on a 

 large scale; but some observations made the last year, on the 

 growth of potatoes, may possibly be worth the notice of the agri- 

 cultural society. From a single experiment, I am led to the Ibl- 

 lowing results: 



1. The seed-potatoes should be those of full growth. If small 

 potatoes are planted, they will produce perhaps nearly the same 

 weight, but the new potatoes will be mostly small. I judge that 

 full grown potatoes will produce double the number of those which 

 are large and fit for use. 



2. Cuttings produce more than whole potatoes. This has been 

 fully demonstrated by others. 



3. The English whites grow to perfection, in a shorter time, 

 and in a poorer soil, than the red. The difference is essential. 

 They are therefore best for early potatoes. 



4. Potatoes will not come to perfection without the sun. There- 

 fore nothing is so prejudicial as to plant them too thick, es{)ecially 

 on a rich soil. The white potatoes will answer tolerably well, 

 on light, thin soil, with hills or drills at three feet distance. But 

 if the soil is rich, the stalks of the potatoes will have a luxuriant 

 growth, and cover the whole surface with shade. This will in- 



