520 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



point, 32 degrees above zero, before a panicle of 

 it will liquefy, liut if packed in the house on a 

 mild day, when in a thawing condition, it being 

 already heated up to its melting point, the first 

 degree of caloric that passes into it melts a por- 

 tion. It has been already stated that 140 degrees 

 are necessary to the liquelaction of ice, and it 

 will be seen, therelore, that 140 pounds of ice, 

 put up at the temperature of zero, is equivalent 

 to 172 pounds which is packed in a Oielting condi- 

 tion. 



The form of an ice house is by no means a 

 matter of indifl'erence. That which presents the 

 smallest external surface is theoretically the best; 

 therefore, other things being equal, a globular 

 form would be the most proper. This, however, 

 is not a convenient one to construct and hence the 

 truncated cone, or square, are those most fre- 

 quently adopted, and answer suthciently well. 

 The worst possible ibrm would be a long narrow 

 one. RoBT. Peteu. 



WHEAT STKAW FOR IRISH POTATOES. 



From the Kentuclcy Cultivator. 



The best use I have ever made of wheat straw, 

 and I think it the most profitable use that can 

 probably be made of it, is as follows: and al- 

 though this way of using it is not new, yet many 

 have not tried it. 



The ground being well broke up, run it off in 

 rows of the usual width, just sufficiently deep to 

 cover the Irish potatoes ; plant them as usual, and 

 cover them. Now cover the ground with straw 

 about three feet deep, and if the straw will not hold 

 out to cover them all this deep, the deficiency may 

 be made up with leaves. In this way the pota- 

 toes may be planted very early. It is known that 

 when potatoes are bitten by frost, they never do 

 well. In this way, however early they are plant- 

 ed, they will seldom come through the straw be- 

 fore the danger of the frost is over. If they 

 should, however, all that is necessary is to cover 

 them over as they come out with more straw or 

 leaves ; the ground being covered three feet with 

 straw, a kind of hot or forcing bed is produced, 

 and although the tops do not come through the 

 straw, yet they are growing finely a long time be- 

 fore they would grow if planted in the common 

 way. Once planted, they require no working or 

 Jiirther trouble; the produce is astonishing; those 

 who have not tried could not believe that such a 

 bountiful crop could be made with so little labor. 

 They can betaken away as required, there being 

 no danger of their remaining as they are till plant- 

 ing time, perfectly sound. I have noticed, in tak- 

 ing up a whole square of them to plant, that I did 

 not see one unsound potato. It is a common 

 opinion that potatoes will not do well unless the 

 planting potatoes, are brought from the north. 

 Seed potatoes planted in the common way I have 

 no experience of, but if planted and saved as di- 

 rected above, we can make and save as good po- 

 tatoes at home, either lor planting or eating, as 

 any part of the world can. Many believe that 

 whole potatoes do better when planted than cut 

 potatoes. I have tried this several limes, both 

 planted as usual and with straw. I have planted 

 one row with the largest whole ones I could find, 



and another row of potatoes cut very small ; the 

 tops of the whole potato will grow very large, 

 but I never could distinguish much if any differ- 

 ence in the produce. I have thought the rows of 

 cut potatoes best, but the difl^erence was so small 

 that I do not feel certain. It matters not how close 

 the tops of plants are, so (he roots have sufficient 

 distance. 



Now although we have, by thus employ- 

 ing our wheat straw, made the largest crop of 

 potatoes with the least labor, yet we have only 

 got part of the benefit to be derived from the 

 straw. When all the potatoes are removed, if all 

 the straw was also taken awa})^ the ground, from 

 being so long covered, will be found rich. The 

 quantity of straw on the ground , after taking up 

 the potatoes, is so great that it cannot be plough- 

 ed ; one half or more should be carted away, 

 this might be used to cover another crop of pota- 

 toes, or put in (he manure lot ; now sow some 

 corn on the ground and turn in the flock of hogs. 

 They will, in searching for the potatoes and corn 

 on the ground, root up the straw and earth and 

 mix thein together, so that the plough will go 

 through it without difficulty ; this planted in corn 

 will make such a crop as will fully pay for all the 

 labor. The best corn I have ever made was thus 

 produced. But, alas ! all the ground receives 

 from this management this one crop of corn takes 

 away ; the next year, when planted in corn, the 

 produce is little better than common. Eut how 

 shall we make a better disposition of our straw? 

 In the first place we get a most bountiful crop of 

 potatoes without the trouble of working them ; 

 we then take away sufficient straw to cover nearly 

 half as many potatoes for another crop, and then 

 the ground put in corn will make a splendid crop. 

 Robert R. Harden. 



Clarke, Ga. 



[When residing in the country, we raised oue 

 small crops of potatoes for the table on the gene- 

 ral principle of the plan above mentioned, that is, 

 by covering with straw, or pine leaves, and using 

 no tillage after the ground had been well broken 

 at first, and the potatoes planted. We preferred 

 pine leaves to straw, not only lor being cheaper, 

 but because being poorer and less putrescent, 

 they lasted longer unrotted, and therefore operated 

 better mechanically. But we never covered as 

 deeply as three feet, nor perhaps more than a foot 

 at one time, and therein we doubtless erred. 

 This plan was also described l>om practice, and 

 recommended by a correspondent at page 214, 

 vol. I. of Farmers' Register. Our own practice 

 was only for the (qw last years of our residence 

 in the country. The products were never ascer- 

 tained by actual measurement, being mostly con- 

 sumed at table while growing, or remaining in 

 the ground ; but no question existed of the su- 

 periority of both the quantity and quality of the 

 crop, and of the greater cheapness of the mode 

 of culture. 



For the first commencement, the seed potatoes 



