1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



173 



ures through a small company of select gentle- 

 men, and all for the benefit of agriculture ! 



All this may he of benefit to the new States, 

 •where a college has never yet been established, 

 though we must confess that we cannot clearly 

 see how. But in our judgment, there is not the 

 slightest probability that Massachusetts, through 

 any legislature she may convene for forty years 

 to come, will avail herself of the provisions of 

 this act, and place herself under its obligations. 

 We would publish the whole bill if we had room, 

 but beg the reader to read attentively those por- 

 tions of it that we now arive. 



For the New England Farmer. 



MATTEKS -WORTH CONSIDSKING 

 ABOUT POTATOES. 



Mk. Editoe, : — If your patience is not already 

 threadbare, I should like to be heard on the sub- 

 ject of the knotty and vexed question oithe cause 

 and remedy of the potato rot. And I promise to 

 adhere strictly to Caleb's rule of never offering 

 an argument that "did not stand to reason." 

 Neither would he believe one that did not have 

 this support to it — would that we all had the 

 gumption of simple Caleb. 



If history be true, the potato was brought from 

 Ireland by Sir Walter Raleigh, to Virginia, when 

 it was first colonized, which was about the year 

 1585 ; and subsequently it was carried to Eng- 

 land, where it met with no great favor for many 

 years, supposing it only fit for the poorer classes 

 of the Irish. 



In the "Body of Husbandry," printed in Lon- 

 don, in 1758, I find the following : — "The potato 

 may very properly be cultivated in fields. It is 

 better fitted for the great extent and plain fash- 

 ion of a field, than for the narrow compass and 

 divided beds of a garden. 'Tis but lately our 

 people have informed ourselves properly of its 

 culture ; and the more we know of that, the more 

 reason we see to banish it the garden. It is har- 

 dy enough to bear the exposure, and it requires 

 no great change in the culture ; why then should 

 we limit it to the garden ? every particular speaks 

 for its being given into the hands of the farmer, 

 especially when near In-ge towns, though every- 

 where there will be a great demand." 



"We had the plant originally from North 

 America. It is in a manner the food of the com- 

 mon people of Ireland, and is cultivated in Lan- 

 cashire and some other parts of England, in vast 

 quantities. Our interest is to make it more uni- 

 versal. Ten large potatoes is but a moderate 

 produce from each small root that was planted in 

 spring ; when the ground is more favorable, thir- 

 teen or fourteen handsome ones ; and in count- 

 ting with the best possible exactness, in a field 

 of Mr. Ryder's, near Thorpe, where every need- 

 ful caution had been taken, we computed this 

 year, 1746, that there were in general eighteen 

 large and fine potatoes for every small root that 

 was planted. This for a seven months' increase 

 is very great; but nature has in all things pro- 

 vided, that what is most useful, is most abun- 

 dant." 



In almost every subject that is discussed, we 



have the right and privilege, where self-evident 

 facts are not at hand, to resort to analogy. Now 

 I would ask with all humility, what farmer is 

 there, from Adam down to the present day, who 

 would be considered a sane man, who invai'iably 

 chose from his seed the very poorest and most 

 imperfect, to carry on his operations of raising 

 fruits, vegetables and grain, save and excepting 

 the potato ? 



In England, while the question was under dis- 

 cussion, whether the potato was a garden or field 

 vegetable, the directions for propagation were, 

 to choose for seed the very poorest and smallest 

 of the whole family, the smallest of the tubers. 

 This was the way our ancestors treated this veg- 

 etable, which was truly a great gift from God to 

 man. And the only saving item in the direction 

 was, that these little worthless tubers were to be 

 planted the last of February, and by the last of 

 September, they were as reported "on Mr. 

 Ryder's farm near Thope." An increase of "eigh- 

 teen large potatoes for every small one planted." 



And what was the first eff'ect of this damning 

 practice of poor seed ? the curly leaf of the stalk, 

 and an occasional diseased spot on the potato. 

 The only wonder is, that disease did not take 

 them sooner — seven months' growth is all that 

 has continued them to this day. 



Now let us look a little at the question in our 

 own country. 'V^'e have obtained seed from time 

 to time from England, Ireland and South Amer- 

 ica, but how have we treated it ? God knows we 

 have followed in the footsteps of our illustrious 

 ancestors, by generally selecting the very small- 

 est tubers for seed, but with this exception, in- 

 stead of seven months, they were allowed only 

 four or five months to give their increase. The 

 long, red potato was brought originally from the 

 La Plata, somewhere about the year 1795. I think 

 my father had that variety from the importers, 

 and it has always been a favorite potato among 

 farmers. But who ever saw them ripen ! It is 

 true, they never had a season long enough in this 

 country ; four or five months have been the time 

 allotted them to do all their work, but this has 

 been impossible ; they occasionally rot, and one 

 end is always watery. 



If this country is not always troubled with an 

 occasional disease of the potato, it would be 

 strange, as our seasons are so short ; but much 

 may be done to overcome this disease, if not to 

 entirely eradicate it. In the first place, select the 

 first growth of the potato, the large and fair ones, 

 for propagation, and plant as early as our climate 

 will admit, on a soil plowed not less than twelve 

 or fourteen inches deep, sixteen would be better, 

 and well manured. This practice, followed for 

 years, would, in some degree, restore the potato 

 to its oi-iginal growth and health. To eff'ect the 

 object of deepening the soil, the Canadian horse 

 must be put before a pair of oxen measuring six 

 feet, nine ; with a plow that will go deep enough, 

 and amongst the new varieties, there are some 

 that will turn the soil that depth. It is now but 

 a few years since I witnessed a plowing-match 

 of a county society, with all kinds of teams, one 

 horse, small, poor oxen, four year olds, and a 

 committee smaller yet, saying that if any man 

 plowed over six inches deep, he should lose his 

 chance for a premium ! Well, I walked over this 

 plowed ground with something of the feeling a 



