NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



PUBLISHED BY GEO. C. BARRETT, NO. 52, NORTH MARKET STREET, (at the Agricultural Warehouse.)-T. G. FESSENDEN, EDITOR. 



VOL,. XII. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 16, 1833. 



NO. 14. 



From Loudon's Gardener's Magazine. 



USECESSNESS OF EARTHING IP GROWING 

 CROPS OP POTATOES. 



Sir, I would offer a few hints that may aid the 

 endeavors of those who advocate" the benefiting of 



the condition of the poor: they may contribute to 

 increase the objection which some have urged 

 against exhausting the powers of labor. Mr. 

 Knight's observations regarding the potato are 

 valuable ; but there is one laborious operation 

 commonly resorted to in cultivating this vegetable, 

 which I think has not been sufficiently considered ; 

 and which [ am convinced by more than ten years 

 experience, is superfluous. Observing that a far- 

 mer, in managing a field of potatoes alongside 

 one of mine, did not earth them up, but simply 

 flat-hoed the surface of the soil to clear iway the 

 weeds, while I had mine earthed op with great 

 care, I determined on noticing the difference on 

 taking up the crop; and, to my astonishment, he 

 had 14 tpns per acre, while I had not mere than 

 half the quantity, and his potatoes were of a more 

 marketable quality than mine ; being generally of 

 a good size, while mine were large and small. 

 The result induced me to question the farmer ; 

 and he told me it was a practice he had followed 

 for many years, as he thought the earthing up was 

 worse than labor thrown away ; that, a /ear or 

 two before, be had obtained 19 tons per a;re by 

 the same management. This statement pit me 

 upon considering the principles upon which such 

 a residt was founded ; and it appeared to me that, 

 by drawing up the earth over the potato, h slop- 

 ing ridges, it was deprived of its due supply of 

 moisture by the rains ; for, when they ell, the 

 water was cast into the ditches. Furthe - , in re- 

 gard to the idea that, by thus earthing up, the 

 number of tubers is increased : the effect is quite 

 the reverse ; for experience proves that a potato 

 placed an inch only under the surface of tie earth 

 will produce a greater number of tubers ban one 

 planted at the depth of a foot. From reasoning 

 thus, I determined to adopt the practice : lovvever, 

 such is the force of prejudice, that I hive been 

 able to make but kw proselytes. A yeir or two 

 since, 1 prevailed on a clergyman to try -he prac- 

 tice on a strip of half an acre, running through a 

 large field, treated in the common manner; and 

 lie told me that, on taking up the crop, he did not 

 rind much difference in the gross quantity ; but 

 that those which had not been earthed up ware, 

 more generally, of a good size ; not so many 1 rge 

 and small as the other part of the field. I lave 

 no doubt, if potatoes are planted shallow, and 

 placed wide enough apart to admit of the sems 

 being laid down after the young potatoes are 

 formed, and to have the earth between tern 

 thrown over five or six inches thick, so as to trm 

 a flat surface, that it would increase the crop. But 

 this is a very different operation from that I o'.ect 

 to. 



I am, Sir, yours, &c. Joseph Hatwar. 



with blossom buds, the blossoms often fail in their 

 impregnation, and fall oft'; and, when they are 

 impregnated aud set, they fall off at the stoning; 

 frequently, although they survive the stoning, they 

 become prematurely ripe and fall off, and very few, 

 if any of the fruit attain maturity ; while those 

 which do, become vapid aud without flavor. 

 These failures I have proved to be the effect of 

 unwholesome food ; and having found a remedy 

 in a simple preparation, I beg the favor of such of 

 your readers as have an opportunity, to make a 

 trial of it, and to state the result. Having selected 

 a tree that is in good condition, and well furnished 

 with blossom buds, just as the blossoms are be- 

 ginning to expand, take a potato fork, and with it 

 make holes all over the surface of the space occu- 

 pied by the roots (which extend as far from the 

 stem as the branches), at about 18 inches apart, 

 by forcing- in the fork to the full depth of its tines, 

 and giving it a gentle heave, by pressing on the 

 end of the handle ; then, having dissolved some 

 nitre' in water, (in the proportion of one ounce to 

 three gallons of water,) fill the holes with the 

 solution. No manure much be given ; hut if, 

 after the stoning of the fruit, the tree should ap- 

 pear to be unequal to sustaining its crop of fruit, 

 the following preparation may be given, it} the 

 same manner as the nitre : — To one gallon of 

 blood add one gallon of water and one ounce of 

 potash ; stir the mixture well, and let it stand for 

 a week or ten days ; then pour off the solution 

 from the clot, and, mixing one gallon of this liquid 

 with four gallons of water, give it to the trees as 

 above. The remaining clot may be dissolved by 

 adding to it one quart of slacked lime and one gal- 

 lon of water to one gallon of clot ; but this solu- 

 tion must not be given to fruit trees, as it will pro- 

 duce the effect which the nitre is intended to 

 remedy. It will, however, prove a good manure 

 for the cabbage tribe, as asparagus, celery, &c. 

 This discovery, which I consider to be of great 

 value, I made some years since ; and, as it is not 

 merely accidental, but the result of a regular course 

 of experiments, made with a view of ascertaining 

 the nature and effects of the food of plants, and is 

 founded on physiological and chemical principle 



in particular, a peach cultivated by Dr. Fiske to 



whose favorable opinion of our taste we are in- 

 debted for specimens — and called by him the 

 orange freestone, is very luscious, and comes up 

 to the beau ideal of a good late peach. With such 

 peaches, and the Seckel, St. Michael's and Brown 

 ISeurre pears, all of which arc now in eating, we 

 hardly know what more a man could wish for, in 

 the way of fruit. We are glad to find that the 

 Seckel pear — the finest in the world — succeeds re- 

 markably well in this vicinity, and that the culti- 

 vation of them is extending. — Worcester Spy. 



it will, ljhave no doubt, lead to the establishment of 

 a much more perfect system of manuring than is 

 at present practised. 



I am, Sir, yours, &c. Joseph Hayward. 



From Ijmdon's Gardener's Magazie. 



PREPARATIONS FOR WATERING PEAK 

 TREES, &.C 



Sir, It is well known, that although trees o the 

 peach, apricot, plum, apple, &c, are well furnihed 



From, the Observer (,• Reporter. 

 BYFIELD HOGS. 



Si.nce the establishment of Agricultural Socie- 

 ties in our country, great attention has been paid, 

 and large sums expended for the improvement of 

 stock of every description. Hence it is, we have 

 horses aud horned cattle equal to the English 

 breeds, and sheep that produce all grades of wool ; 

 the Merino and Saxon, not inferior to the Spanish 

 and Saxony wools. 



Our hogs have also been greatly improved by a 

 cross of the Chinese and Calcutta breeds. Other 

 descriptions of bogs lately brought to the western 

 country, promise a still greater improvement in the 

 stock of this most valuable animal. They are the 

 Btjfteld, the Swiss, and the Russian. Of the three, 

 the Russian is less preferable, being small and too 



''" wily to be prolific or profitable ; but when 



crossed with other stock, a desirable breed is pro- 

 duced, but not equal to the Byfield or Swiss ; of 

 these two, time has not yet developed which is 

 best. Mr. Robb of Indiana, gives the preference 

 to the Swiss, while Mr. Bird Smith of Woodford 

 county, who is raising the above named stock, 

 gives the preference to a cross produced through 

 the Byfield and Swiss. 



The Swiss hog is a dark brown, lengthy and 



FRUIT TREES. 



Is the cultivation of fruit trees, too little care is 

 exercised iu the selection. It should be constantly 

 borne in mind, that the trouble and expense of 

 raising the choice varieties is no greater than is 

 necessary for the most ordinary or inferior; and 

 while the latter are comparatively of little value, 

 the former will always command a ready sale and 

 a good price in the market, and for use are as 

 much to be preferred, as they are for the market. 

 There seems to be a very prevalent opinion, that 

 all late peaches must necessarily be of inferior 

 quality. Those who have paid attention to the 

 subject well know that this opinion is groundless. 

 We have, within a few days past, seen three or 

 four varieties of peaches, which would compare 

 favorably with the best of the early kinds. One, 



round bodied, big bone, hair thin and coarse, very 

 prolific and easily kept ; weighing from two to 

 three hundred pounds at a year old ; at two years 

 old he will weigh from four to five hundred 

 pounds. The Byfield is a beautiful white bog ; 

 his ears are small, pointing to the nose ; broad 

 back, deep chest, large jowls, short nose, dish 

 face, and thin hair, lie was brought from Massa- 

 chusetts (bred by G. Parsons, Esq.) to the state of 

 Ohio, where his blood is seen mixed through the . 

 great variety of breeds of that state, generally pro- 

 ducing a stock after his own kind, as well in 

 color as in beauty and size. He is three times as 

 profitable as the common hog, because he will 

 come to maturity in half the time, and will not 

 consume half the food. He is fat from a pig until 

 be is ready for the pickling tub, weighing from 

 200 to 250 at a year old. Grass being his natural 

 food (as it would seem) he is not so subject to the 

 sore throat, a disease produced by too much grac- 

 ing, particularly on clover. He is said to undergo 

 the fatigue of driving as well if not better than the 

 common hog. This at first view would appear 

 unreasonable from his bulky appearance ; but when 

 we consider that he is never poor, and habituated 

 from a pig to carry his fat, increasing in strength 

 as he increases in weight, he would not be so liable 

 to lag as a hog quickly fattened would be. But 



