148 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



IV' ARCH 



can be more apparent than that those who lis- 

 tened must be vastly wiser than they were before? 

 Every individual has communicated his spark 

 towards the formation of a permanent blaze of 

 scientific light. 



The object of our agricultural societies should 

 be to gather these facts, and reduce them to sys- 

 tem. By such a method, they would establish a 

 foundation for the enlightened practice of agri- 

 culture, on the true Baconian system of philoso- 

 phy. Nothing would be left to idle conjecture. 

 Every idea would be deduced from the actual 

 practice of men who have devoted their lives to 

 experience. He who collects this information is 

 not himself the instructor of the agricultural 

 community ; but the whole mass of farmers, 

 through him as a medium of communication, in- 

 struct each other. In this way science, sitting at 

 the foot-stool of common sense and enlightened 

 practice, aiTanges and systematizes what she ob- 

 tains from every man who has learned any new 

 fact. 



Gentlemen have been sent abroad to collect in- 

 formation from the expei'ience of foreign agricul- 

 turists ; and the knowledge thus obtained is of 

 high value. But the most important of all knowl- 

 edge to the farmer is that which is exactly appli- 

 cable to the agriculture of his own district. The 

 experience of the mass of farmers in New Eng- 

 land is more valuable to the New England far- 

 mer than that of the farmers in any foreign coun- 

 try or section. The practice of agriculture must 

 vary not only with every country, but with every 

 district. Even two districts lying contiguous to 

 one another may, in many respects, require a dif- 

 ferent practice, which is modified by climate ; by 

 the geological character of the place ; by the 

 length of time it has been under cultivation ; by 

 its moisture and dryness ; by its elevation, and by 

 the depth and native fertility of the soil. It must 

 be aflfected also by the nearness or distance of a 

 market, and by the extent and the demands of 

 that market. 



Hence the most valuable information for a far- 

 mer, in any county, is that which is derived from 

 the experience of the farmers in that particular 

 county. If a few individuals, without superior 

 advantages of capital or location, have been re- 

 markably successful in their farming, the experi- 

 ence of such men could not fail to be useful to 

 others in the same district. But it would not 

 necessarily follow, that the experience of a suc- 

 cessful farmer in Ohio or Michigan, or even in 

 the western part of Massachusetts, would be val- 

 uable to a farmer in Essex county. 



I have been led into this train of reasoning, by 

 the perusal of the ingenious and eloquent report 

 of Dr. Geo. B. Loring, "On Farms," in the Essex 

 Agricultural Transactions, for 1857. He recom- 

 mends "that the services of a competent person 

 be secured by the Society, to collect such infor- 

 mation from the farmers of this county as will 

 secure" certain educational purposes mentioned 

 in his report. His object is to combine all the 

 experience of the farmers of that county, from 

 which a manual might be compiled, for the use 

 of the pupils of an agricultural school, and for 

 the private instruction of all who are engaged in 

 agricultural pursuits. 



By carrying out this project of Dr. Loring's, 

 the county would be made, as it were, one grand 



experimental farm, in which a thousand diligent 

 hands and practical minds are constantly engaged 

 in learning new facts, testing the value of newly 

 discovered plants, newly invented implements, and 

 new ways and means of tilling and improving the 

 soil. The Society, through the instrumentality 

 of their agent employed for this purpose, collect 

 the results of all this experience, so that the wis- 

 dom of no man, however humble, shall perish 

 with him, and be lost to the world. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THE THINGS I RAISE— No. 7. 

 DAVIS SEEDLING POTATO. 



This is one of the very best potatoes grown, 

 taking everything into consideration, size, pro- 

 ductiveness, hardiness, &:c. I do not mean to 

 say it is of the best quality for eating when com- 

 pared with the State of Maine or Carter ; but I 

 do mean that it is a good eating potato, which 

 added to all its other good qualities, makes it a 

 very desirable variety. Its color is red outside 

 and white inside, slightly tinged with pink just 

 under the skin ; large size, and very free from 

 rot. This variety originated in Sterling, Mass., 

 and has been under cultivation some eight or ten 

 years. It is so far superior to Peach Blows, Ver- 

 mont Whites, Pink Eyes, and those common sorts 

 that are raised in the country, that I should ad- 

 vise all who grow potatoes for market in fall or 

 winter to raise this sort for one. It requires a 

 full season to mature. It yielded better than any 

 other out of the forty kinds I raised last year. 



STATE OF MAINE. 

 This is a fine eating potato, unsurpassed by 

 any in the whole list, not excepting the Riley or 

 Carter. It is not more than half as productive 

 as the Davis, but superior in quality for the ta- 

 ble. It is white outside and inside, and shaped 

 somewhat like the White Chenango. This vari- 

 ety is quite early, being not more than a week 

 later than the Chenango, to which it is superior. 

 Should not consider it so profitable a variety for 

 the market, except for early, as the above named 

 variety. 



JACKSON WHITE. 



A sort of recent introduction, and promises 

 well. I have grown it two years with fair suc- 

 cess, but have never had it dry and mealy as the 

 State of Maine. This is a white potato, nearly 

 round, medium size, eyes deeply sunk, fair as to 

 productiveness and hardiness, worthy of trial. 



ST. HELENA. 



This is an old and well known sort that was 

 formerly cultivated in this region, but for some 

 years has been neglected, but now comes out un- 

 der other names, such as Laplander, White Moun- 

 tain Seedling, &c. It is a very productive sort, 

 very handsome on account of its good size and 

 whiteness. Quite free from^ the rot. This potato 

 is apt to be soggy, and for that reason is not so 

 highly esteemed. James F. C. Htde. 



Newton Centre, Jan. 18, 1858. 



A Silly Report, which has gained circula- 

 tion and believers, that the seed of the Chinese 

 sugar cane was poisonous has been put down by 



