Vol. 6. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



59 



pensable article, has not yet reached the acme of 

 farming economy. 



With a fall conviction of the truth of this popi- 

 tion, I have beheld with regret, and sometimes con- 

 t;ternation, the large quantities of liquid manure run- 

 ning from my barn-yard, from year to year ; and at 

 length came to the determination it should do so no 

 more. Wherefore, with a little practical common 

 sense, I plowed and scraped the surface of the yard, 

 so that all the liquid in it would run to one corner, 

 in which I the last summer sunk a cistern, laid in 

 stone and mortar, which holds about 60 hogsheads ; 

 across the top of which, and even with the surface 

 of stone-work, were placed two durable pieces of 

 timber, to support the covering of 2-inch plank, that 

 it might be safe, and to give it the finishing-stroke. 

 I placed in it a pump, the spout of which is about 7 

 feet from the ground ; by which a hogshead can be 

 filled in ten minutes. So much for the cistern and 

 pump, the whole cost of which does not exceed S-5. 

 It had not been long finished before it was full of a 

 strong liquid, and running over. Now, (said I to 

 myself,) here is work enough ! Without delay, I 

 procured a strong molasses cask, and placed it on my 

 wagon, supported by two strong rails within the 

 stakes. An inch hole was bored in each side, just 

 below the rails that supported the cask, in such a 

 manner as to throw the liquor as far as possible ; 

 and also in the back end, just above the lower chime. 

 Thus rigged, I drove to the pump and filled my 

 cask — then to a field of wheat sown upon corn stub- 

 ble, the ground being frozen quite hard. Now, 

 " thinks I to myself," comes the butt end of the pro- 

 ject ! However, nothing daunted in the least, the 

 three pings were pulled in nn instant — the horses 

 moved on at a steady pace for about 25 rods, after 

 which I gradually slackened their pace until the 

 whole was discharged. At the end of SH rods, the 

 width of the field, the two side streams reached the 

 ground at an angle of 45 degrees, and the stream 

 from behind striking the hinder bolster of the wag- 

 on. The ground being frozen, the whole was very 

 evenly discharged, over a surface of about 10 feet in 

 diameter. I need scarcely say, that I returned to 

 re-load, as proud of the operation as if I had been 

 made a stockholder in the " Georgia Lumber Com- 

 pany," or a speculator in a Red Side Bank. 



Now, Mr. Editor, I agreed, at the outset that I 

 would not let all my experience run out upon one 

 sheet ; therefore conclude by saying, that should 

 any experiments of this sort be of use to the public, 

 I shall be happy to communicate them. 



Yours with respect, JACOB SUTPIIIN. 



Sweden, Feb. 7, 1845. 



We hope Mr. S. will give our readers the result 

 of his experiment ; as, from his well-established re- 

 putation as a practical tvorking farmer, it would 

 be highly instructive. — Ed. 



Agricultural Products. — The annual report of 

 the Commissioner of Patents, (the Hon. Henry L. 

 Ellsworth,) was a few days since laid on the desks 

 of the House of Representatives. Mr. Ellsworth 

 estimates the agricultural products of the country as 

 follows : 



■Wheat bu. in9,3I0,856|Hay, tons IC 410 807 



Corii, 494,618,396, Tobacco, lbs 'l«5 73i 554 



Oats, 145,929,<)C9|Cotton, 757 6fi8 090 



^y« 24,280,271 Rico, 89,869,145 



Barley 3,220,721 Silk, 



Buckwheat, 



7,959,4]0;Sugar, 

 Potatoes, 105,756,133' Wine, . 



315,965 

 . .. 66,400,310 

 gals. 139,240 



, DISEASE OF POTATOES. 



Messrs. Smith ij- Co. 



Gentlemkn, — As you have desired me to give you 

 my opinion on the disease which has proved so inju- 

 rious to this important crop, I comply with some re- 

 luctance, for var'ous reasons. First, because I was 

 so engaged the past season that I could not give that 

 attention to the subject which the importance of the 

 case demanded'; and secondly, have been so situated 

 that I have not perused the leading agricultural jour- 

 nals of the day, and of course am not able to jump 

 into their popular current, and swim easv, but must 

 confine myself entirely to my own observations, 

 which I think most of your readers will readily con- 

 clude have not been very extensive. 



During the early part of last summer, or until the 

 latter part of July, tiie crop of potatoes in this vi- 

 cinity looked uncommonly well ; after which, the 

 tops in places began to change, which was generally 

 considered as indicating early maturity, but which 

 proved to be the incipient stage of the disease. In 

 the month of September, some began to be alarmed, 

 and it was not until this tune that my inquiry was 

 dii'ected to the subject. 



The first that I examined had the appearance of 

 havin* been perforated in many places by the wire- 

 worm, which I had known to injure them when grow- 

 ing upon alluvial lands, or in the neighborhood of 

 stagnant waters, in which these " varmint"' breed ; 

 and as those looked at were from lands favoring the 

 opinion that that was the cause, I so gave it. I soon 

 found that the disease was not confined to any pecu- 

 liarity of soil ; which led rrie to be more careful in 

 my examination. I found the holes in the tubers 

 were of diflerent dimensions — some larger, some 

 smaller, some round, but otliers irregular, and more 

 resembling cracks than holes made by the worm ; 

 and all surrounded by dark, scurfy-looking spot';, of 

 greater or less extent. I found, also, many smaller 

 spots upon the skin, of the same appearance, but 

 which were not accompanied with any rottenness. 

 By cutting off those sricts very thin, witii a sharp 

 knife, a slight discoloring was perceivable, corres- 

 ponding with the size, and perhaps age, of the scurfy 

 appearance upon the skin. This discoloring I sup- 

 posed must have arisen from a disturbed circulation, 

 connected with the spot upon the skin. By rubbing 

 these spots, I thought I could detect the same smeJI 

 which is emitted when the dark spots upon apples 

 are rubbed ; and when the thin scurf was faken ofl^ 

 and put in the mouth, a similar taste was also ev- 

 ident. 



Knowing that dark spots upon apples were caused 

 by the growth of a parasitic plant of the Cryptof^a- 

 mian family, (in which is included the rust upon 

 wheat, and others of similar nature,) I came to the 

 conclusion that this disease was caused by a species 

 of those plants, which perhaps first vegetated upon 

 the stalks, and the seeds of which being infinitely 

 small, descended through the pores of the earth, and 

 took root upon the tubers as well as the stalks: and 

 as heat and moisture are favorable to their growth, 

 and light not being essential, their location beneath 

 the soil was no hindrance to their increase. 



By examining these spots with a magnifying glass, 

 the small projection from the surface, and a radiation 

 from the centre of the roots, (or, as they are some- 

 times called, "the spawns") may be detected. The 

 seeds of this class of plants are so small, that they 

 are capable of being carried by tlie atmosphere to a 

 great distance without being perceivable ; but when 



