Vol. VII.— No. 0. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



67 



<rone, lie accejited an invitation to spend the night 

 there, and fuiiiid his host to lie an intelligrent and 

 careful farmer. In the course of the eonversa- 

 tion he \va.s informed that two years before, the 

 Quaker being on a visit to some of his friends on 

 North river, brouglit from thence some of the said 

 long red potatos, which were a new article among 

 them, and whicli he higiily praised to Mr Daven- 

 port, as being extraordinary great bearers, and 

 inucli liked l)y the caltic ; and he agreeil to let 

 liim liave a finall ipiantity for seed. On his re- 

 turn home, Mr Davenport, sent to that [dace, 

 one of his neighbors, Mr Ebenezer Fisher, a na- 

 tive of Sharon, and a very clever man, who bro't 

 to Milton a horse waggon load of them, which 

 was divided amongst a tew neighbors. They 

 gave a very great crop, but were unshaiiely, 

 branching out in numerous hmbs, and watery, yet 

 the cattle and hogs appeared exceedingly fond of I 

 them. Since that time their cultivation extended 

 ronnl to Dorchester, Dedham, and other iieigli- ! 

 boring towns, where before they were not knowu. 

 It is |)robable that in otiier districts of the com- 

 monwealth, distant from Rhode Island, they may 

 have been introduced from some other quarter ; ; 

 and it would be pleasant, and tending to useful- 

 ness, to have any facts stated, which might illus- j 

 trate the subject. 



Formerly every new introduction or improve- [ 

 inent, was the result of individual enterprise and 

 exertions, and circulated slowly, circuitousl)', and, 

 as it were, by chance. In these, our more favor- 

 ed days, the numerous agricultural associations 

 bring men and knowledge to one focus, hence the 

 rapid circulation of every fact tending to general 

 usefulness. i 



There is no root crop that has gained so iini- t 

 versal estimation, as the long red potato, although 

 they yield less at present than they did when first 

 introduced. But the quality has greatly improv- 1 

 ed, and their shajie has become more correct in ' 

 our New England soil. It is a fact which must j 

 have inet tlie observation of every farmer, that j 

 when'TOe first frost comes iiijrfall, it kills the green ' 

 leafy vines of the lon^' red ])Otino, whilst the other 

 sorts have generally decayed before that time ; hence 

 we must conclude that the long red requires a 

 longer period to grow, and come to that full ma- 

 turity, which is surely indicated by the decay of 

 the vines. If they are destroyed by the frost 

 ■\Vliilst green, it is evident that the ultimate growth 

 of the potato is stopped. It goes down to the 

 cellar to complete its maturity, which does not 

 take place until spring, and then verv imperfectly. 

 It deprives therefore the long red of the high re- 

 pute which it is due, and this injury might be pre- 

 vented, to the great benefit of the farmer, by plant- 

 ing them earlier. They should be planted as soon 

 as they would be safe against frost, which would 

 give them time to get jierfectly ripe. There would 

 be then no reason to complain that the ends eat wa- 

 tery, the whole potato would eat alike dry, meal)', 

 and mature, and be the finest potato for the table. 

 From fall until July, there is more substance and 

 body in the long red than in any other ])otato, 

 hence it goes further for food, and is more [irofit- 

 able whether for the table or for the use of the 

 liarn. If rightly boiled, there is none so mealy. 

 Although the shape of tlie long red is more regu- 

 lar now, than it was formerly, it has yet a tenden- 

 cy to branch out, but I conceive that this defect 

 will get entirely corrected in the course of a short 

 Ume, provided wc take care never to plant the branch- 



es, but only the main body of the potato, or such as 

 have no branches. 



It is a matter of surprise that many farmers 

 should deem it of little importance what potato 

 seed they plant. They are very particular for the 

 Indian corn seed, to select the finest ears, and 

 take the grain of the middle part of tho ear, as 

 being the most ripe and the best shaped. F'or 

 small grain they also choose the best and dress it 

 carefully so as to exclude all the light grain, but 

 for potatos, any thing but the smallest, is by many 

 used for seed, and it cannot be a matter of sur- 

 prise that under such management, the sorts 

 should run out ; and that it should become need- 

 ful, once in a while, to change see<l. The reason- 

 ableness of using the handsomest and best potatos for 

 seed, is as evident, as to choose the best corn for 

 planting. 



I have myself always thought it my interest to 

 plant no potatcs, bnt the best for size and shape ; 

 when very large, I have cut them in pieces with 

 no less than three eyes. I have blues, yellows, 

 an<l long reds, which I have planted for about ten 

 years, and which have much improved, especially 

 the blues and reds, of what they v/ere, when I 

 first had them. 



The introduction of the long red potato is not 

 the only beiiefit wlich agriculture has to acknowl- 

 edge from the late Mr. Davenport. Few men 

 understo'-d ^ ■ well the mnnagement of fruit trees, 

 aiid few Cirn:? in the neighborhood <if Boston are 

 so ahundai-.tly and profitably stocked as his, with 

 the best fruit, and with trees so healthy and well 

 trained. He disseminated freely the results of his 

 knowledge and experience in all his neighbor- 

 hood, and the farms near the Blue-hills in Milton 

 exhibit orchards and nurseries not to be excelled 

 ire any part of the country. All who had the 

 pleasure of Mr. Davenport's acquaintance, will 

 delight to honor his memory, for he was a good 

 citizen, a good friend, and an excellent farmer. 



H'cston, Sept. 17, 1828. J. M. G. 



MILK PAINT. 



Mr Fessenden - I think your correspondent, 

 in yours of Sept. 12, has taken a too favorable 

 view of milk paint. This is a revival of a subject 

 on which some Frep(di chemists indulged opin- 

 ions, which to say the least, were hardly realised. 



It is now nearly 20 years, since a small pamph- 

 let was published by a zealous friend to improv- 

 ment, giving the materials, viz. 



Rfisin, or Turpentine, 



W-.k r™.,ii ^..on.Hioo „f S Oil, Lime, &c. with skimmed milk, 

 th small quantil es of < . *» i. c , .^ i 



' i ivc. Ochre. &c. to give llie color. 



It was so urged and well set forth, that I en- 

 gaged in the process with more confidence than I 

 found a support for. Having used these materi- 

 als for several buildings, and carefully prepared it 

 too, under my own eye, I was, I must own, disap- 

 pointed. The effects were of too short duration 

 to encourage further experiment. 



The application of this then new principle, was 

 adopted in Connecticut (the pamphlet being circu- 

 lated there) as to some public buildings, and the 

 effect was not, I understand, to the satisfaction of 

 the parties. 



If so cheap a substitute for oil painting could 

 be had, it would be a great benefit, extending a 

 neatness of appearance through the country. But 

 I fear from some favorable appearances, too par- 

 tial views of its durability are entertained by your 

 ingenious correspondent. W. j 



PRESERVATION OF MELONS, &c. FROM 

 BUGS. 



Mr Fessenden — I have found it almost impos- 

 sible to raise melons on my grounds, and I was 

 much pleased to learn last week from a person in 

 Nortliainpton, that " melon seed soaked 24 houiv 

 in a decoction of tobacco, will be effectually jjro- 

 teeted from bugs." My informant has .so prepar- 

 ed seed for many years, and assured me that if 

 was a complete prevention. A. M. T. 



N. B. Don't forget the above next spring. 



CULTIVATION OF FRUIT TREES. 



When it is considered that a bushel of peaches 

 can be raised at less expense than a bushel of po- 

 tatos, and that* pears are as easily cultivated as 

 apples and are more certain to bear every year, it 

 is not a httle remarkable to see peaches selling at 

 the rate of two dollars a bushel, and pears at from 

 a dollar to a dollar and a half, as has been done 

 in this place for the week past, and they have 

 found a ready market at those rates. This being 

 the case, it is worth the inquiry why good fruit is 

 not more generally cultivated. We apprehend 

 the principal reason is the prevailing habit in the 

 country, of considering a man's right to his fruit 

 as less sacred than it is to his other property. — 

 Even among many who would revolt at the idea 

 of taking and carrying away fruit without leave, 

 a notion appears to prevail, that the man who has 

 good fruit is but little more than a steward over it, 

 to see that it is properly distributed among hit- 

 friends and neighbors, all of whou! are considered 

 as having a right to a share of it. We know a 

 farmer who had a considerable number of valua 

 ble fruit trees, who cut them down, because the ex- 

 pense of giving away the fruit, and entertaining 

 the company which it brought him, was greater 

 than his circumsiances would allow. 



We have also known instances, where those 

 who had good early fruit trees standing in expos- 

 ed situations, have cut off the tojis and grafted 

 them with winter fruit, because their products 

 were chiefly jiilfered and carried away, so that 

 the owner derived but Httle from them, except a 

 plentiful harvest of vexation and trouble. Such 

 a state of things ought to be corrected. The 

 farmer ought to be considered as much entitled to 

 the income derived from his friut as liis other crop.s 

 and tlie pilferer from an orchard, ought no more 

 to escape with impunity if detected, than he who 

 pilfers from a cornfield or a granary. When this 

 comes to be the case, and not till then, we may ex- 

 pect to see good fruit more general and abun- 

 dant. 



To bring about so desirable an object, those 

 who could afford to give atcay fruit if they chose, 

 should set the example of cultivating it for sale, 

 both in the market and on their own premises. — 

 Few would expect that to be given them which 

 was oflered for sale, and. if a«2/ should jiilfer what 

 they might buy at a fair price, a pubhc example 

 should be made of them. Tlien others would be 

 indttced to engage in the culture, as a source of 

 profit which might be depended u])on. Some 

 have already adopted this plan, and more we hope 

 will follow their example. — Mass. Spy. 



Mr. R. E. Hobait, of Pottstown, Montgoinerj 

 county. Pa. an ingenious mechanic, has taken out 

 a patent for the making of horse .shoes upon a 

 principle entirely new — by which it is said that 

 one ton weight of hor.se shoes may be made in 

 one day, by his machine. 



