1856. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



301 



sense, such as have been rarely brought into so 

 small compass before. 



The volume closes with a carefully prepared In- 

 dex, and is a credit to the printer, to the Secretary, 

 who has moulded and brought it into shape, to the 

 Board of Agriculture, who has furnished materials 

 and general direction, and to the State, whose mu- 

 nificence and fostering care have produced such hap- 

 py results. 



It is handsomely illustrated with fine engra\'ings 

 of cattle, swine, poultry, machines and implements, 

 and we do not hesitate to say, is a model volume 

 for our sister States. 



7. In the first, he never makes a start : in the 

 second, starts easily ; in the third, iirith privations. 

 The reason of the last is that the necessaries of 

 life are high in price, and those who have wealth 

 are too lazy to hire much for the sake of increas- 

 ing it. 



MEN ON THE PACIFIC. 



An Englishman who has resided several years 

 in Wisconsin, and since in Washington Territory, 

 says in the Coimtry Gentleman, of England, the 

 Atlantic Coast and the Pacific Coast : — 



1. In the first, a man is of ruddy complexion and 

 full flesh ; in the second, sallow and spare ; in the 

 thu-d, about like the first. In the first, when in 

 health, labor never tires him, and food and rest can 

 be foregone for a while with considerable indiffer- 

 ence; in the second, labor tires, and food and rest 

 are found to be necessary at the usual times ; in 

 the third, it nearly resembles the first. In the 

 first, he desires substantial food ; in the second, 

 knick-knacks; in the third an equal number of 

 each. 



2. Feminine beauty, in the first, consists mostly 

 in a very soft and delicate skin and radiant color. 

 In the second, a finely formed countenance, and 

 finely proportioned, easy and graceful body. In 

 the third, a union of the two, and therefore excel- 

 Kng both the others ; and as Circassia is the apex 

 of beauty in the old world, so is this destined to 

 become in the new. 



3. In the first, the prevalent diseases are gene- 

 rally of the chronical or lingering class, and appear 

 to arise chiefly from the want of tenseness of fibre, 

 and inaction of the secretions and excretions and 

 secretions ; they ai-e mostly, scurvy, scrofula, swel- 

 lings, rheumatism, hypochondria, dropsy, flatulent 

 cholic, gravel, consumption, and putrid fever. In 

 the second, including the South so far as before 

 mentioned, bilious fever, dysentery, flux, diabetes, 

 dropsy, inflammations and congestions of the liver, 

 lungs, and brain, and the "tarnal" ague. In the 

 third, we claim almost an exemption from all the 

 above, and it is hard to say if any disease prevails. ' 

 In a locaHty or two, on the Williamette in Oregon | 

 and Columbia river bottoms, the ague has prevailed! 

 to some extent, but elsewhere there appears to I 

 to have been no prevailing sickness, with the ex-' 

 ception of now and then coughs and colds. In the 

 first, a man dies of slow and lingei'ing sickness ; in j 

 the second, of acute and \-iolent disorders ; in the j 

 third, by accident, violence, intemperance, or real 

 old age. 



5, In England, a working man is a, drudge, hut\ 

 his hours of labor are moderate ; in the States, he\ 

 toils through too many hours in a day ; in this 

 country, he merely does enough. 



6. In the first, a poor man contiues such of ne- 

 cessity ; in the second, through sickness ; in the 

 third, he cannot remain so. 



For the New England Farmer. 



LARGE AND SMALL POTATOES. 



Friend Brown: — As "planting time" is at 

 hand, allow me to revive the old theme which has 

 brought into your sheet statements from so many 

 good, practical farmers. 



Opinions, antagonistic, j'ou have published at 

 length. I have carefully read them up, and it is 

 clear to my mind that large potatoes should have 

 the preference over small ones for planting. Yet 

 to many, it is not a well settled fact or a well set- 

 tled principle, that small potatoes will not produce 

 as abundantly as large ones, but it is positively con- 

 trary to all farm practice in planting all kinds of 

 seed. 



What would induce the farmer to riddle out his 

 smallest grains, or shell off" the tops of his ears of 

 corn, for seed ? Are not the cases exactly parallel ? 

 If we believe "as a man soweth so shall he reap," 

 or, in the maxim of putting "good seed in good 

 ground," our anxious hope is strengthened in the 

 coming harvest. 



Now my farming friends, I propose a plan which 

 will add but little to your labor, and may do much 

 for posterity. 



1st. Of all long varieties of potatoes, cut off the 

 cluster of small eyes, called the seed end ; then cut 

 the potatoes in quarters, lengthwise, and plant two 

 feet apart ; three to five stalks in a hill will produce 

 more weight than a dozen or more. 



2d. For the next row, leave on the seed en.., 

 and cut in quarters ; plant two feet apart. 



3d. Try the same experiment with the medium 

 size in the third row. 



4th. The same, with sizes from a Seckel pear to 

 a hen's egg for the fourth row, or make two sizes 

 of what is called small ones and plant in separate 

 rows. 



5th. That each row shall be planted with the 

 same weight, which is the only fair test in seeding. 



I shall look for the first row to produce as many 

 pounds as the second, with less small ones ; and as 

 to the third and fourth row, I shall reckon on a 

 large decline of size and weight. 



Formerly it was said, "potatoes hardly pay for 

 raising," — but lately, a bag of money is needed to 

 supply one's family with them. Careless cultiva- 

 tion is now unprofitable, perhaps disreputable. Cer- 

 tainly the farmer has no cause of complaint as to 

 prices of his products. We look upon him as the 

 great almoner, distributing the work of his hands 

 to a hungry, starving, ungrateful people. We wish 

 him God speed, and while skill has marked the age 

 in the improvement of machinery and the arts, 

 every implement in husbandry has kept pace with 

 them ; sensil)ly have his burdens been lightened by 

 these ingenious and well timed discoveries. May 

 we look for a good list of potato reports next au- 

 tumn. H. Poor. 



mw York, May, 1856. 



Remarks. — V^e do not fully agree with friend 

 Poor. The potato is not the seed. We cut a 



