236 



NEW ENC4LAND FARMER. 



For the New Enijhind Farmer. 



STONE-RAKES -A NEW POTATO DISEASE 



-GUM FROM PEACH-TREES. 



Mil. Cole : Permit mc to acldiess you a very mis- 

 cellaneous letter, though ui^on topics distinct in their 

 character, and which -would admit of much more lull 

 consiileratinn. My object is to elicit intbrmation I'rom 

 those qualified to give it, trusting it would be prized 

 iy others as -well as myself. 



Stoxe-Rakes. — For about two years I have be- 

 stowed no small labor to clear a garden, of about a 

 quarter of an acre, of stones. The greatest portion 

 of the ground consists of what arc usually called 

 cobble stones, of all sizes, from those of fifty or sixty 

 pouifds, to those no larger than a pea. Indeed, close 

 examination shows that stones constitute the mass of 

 the earth. Every ploughing brings to view a new 

 crop. One of my oldest neighbors insists that since 

 commencing the cultivation of his garden, he has 

 lowered the ground about two feet, simply by re- 

 moving stones. Now, I inquire if there is, or, if not, 

 whether there should not be constructed, a strong 

 stone -rake, with teeth projecting forwards, to be 

 drawn by oxen, which would both loosen and draw 

 together the stones, upon land of this description. 

 Let there be different sets of teeth racks, with teeth 

 at different distances, according to the size of the 

 stones to be loosened up and collected, and means 

 provided for inserting them as they shall be needed. 

 A loaded common harrow, to follow a subsoil plough, 

 (provided such a plough could be made to penetrate 

 sufficiently dee]^ in such soil,) might throw up many 

 of the stones ; but I ask for the means of not merely 

 loosening, but of gathering them. But what shall 

 we do with the stones ? I venture to say, draw 

 them off upon stone-boats, and make them into dobie 

 fences, as they make dobie houses at the Avest, or 

 build houses with them, if you please. 



A New Potato Disease. — Last year some bulbs 

 of my potatoes, called Sand Lakes, at an early stacje 

 of their growth, showed disease in the stalk. The 

 lower leaves turned brown, and decayed and died 

 first, and then the other leaves successively did the 

 same, and the tops of the stalks, though green, re- 

 fused to expand naturally, and grow ojily in a curled, 

 dwarfish form, and all the stalks, after a sickly, 

 stunted growth, prematurely died, while the hills 

 adjoining flourished, and continued growing with a 

 healthy appearance, generally, through the season. 

 I found the dwarf and diseased hills, when I dug. 

 them, yielded a very few and small potatoes, but free 

 from rot. I had manirred well with stable manure. 

 This season a far larger number of tlie hills are 

 struck with the same disease, and are going the same 

 way. I have just pulled up and examined one of 

 them, but can detect nothing peculiar in the seed 

 planted, and find no CAndence that the effect is pro- 

 duced by insects. My Mercers and other kinds do 

 not yet show signs of this disease. If any explana- 

 tion of it can be given, I would be glad to obtain it. 

 It .should be remarked that, lacking stable manure, I 

 have manured with the best deposit I could get from 

 the i-oad, and put a half pint, perliaps, of unleached 

 ashes, mixed together with the soil, in each hill. Has 

 any trace of this disease, unattended by rot, hitherto 

 attracted attention r It is sure very much to dimin- 

 ish my little crop. I would know if planting, year 

 after year, the same ground with potatoes, has any 

 thing to do with the effect in this case. I doubt 

 it, because, in a newly-turned piece of turf land, I 

 find one or more hills similarly affected. 



Gum from the Peacu-Tkee. — "Wounds of insects 

 I know let out gum ; but it seems certaiii to mc that 

 there niust be another cause. I have a young tree, a 

 blood peach from Long Island, and it has a wonder- 



ful propensity to gumming, where I can find no trace 

 of any insect. In the fork of the two principal 

 branches, it exuded largely last summer, and the bark 

 adjoining died. I cut out the dead bark, and found 

 gummy juice lying between it and the wood. The 

 edges of living bark healed over, but they are pro- 

 pcnse to send out gum. The tree has set with a few 

 peaches, and vigorotis new shoots are growing, but 

 gumming is going on at the parting of the branches, 

 and here and there gum ajipears upon the body, and 

 just around, the bark is sure to be loosened from the 

 wood, and dead or dying. The cause and cure I 

 would gladly learn. Had I your Fruit-Book, Mr. 

 Editor, I might, perhaps, not need to ask. 



Truly yours, J. LEE. 



Salisbury, Coxx., July 2. 



PiEMARKS. — Stojic- Rakes. — In removing small 

 stones from the soil, caution is necessary, as in many 

 cases the soil is greatly injured by their removal. 

 This is shown by numerous experiments. In one 

 case, all the stones on a piece of land down to a 

 small dimension, and to a certain depth from the sur- 

 face, were sold for the purpose of making a road ; and 

 the consequence was, that land which was before 

 productive became poor. Small stones are con- 

 stantly decaying from exposure to the air, from the 

 action of the soil, as, by deep ploughing or subsoiling, 

 fresh and new elements are brought in contact with 

 them ; and by the application of manures, particu- 

 larly such as ashes or potash, the stones become cor- 

 roded, and furnish fertilizing ingredients as food for 

 plants. 



In tillage, stones arc a great inconvenience ; but in 

 mowing, small ones, if not extremely thick, may be 

 pressed into the earth by the use of the roller. It is 

 difficult to determine how far small stones should bo 

 removed from tillage lands. AVhcre there is a plenty 

 of gravel or sand, small stones are less useful than 

 they are in soils where clay, marl, or mud abounds. 



Nexc Potato Disease. — Wc have Peach Blow pota- 

 toes that have been affected in the s^me manner as 

 named by our correspondent. The Sand Lake po- 

 tato resembles the Peach Blow, and what he calls 

 the former may be the latter. The first year we 

 planted the Peach Blow, they were on new land, 

 and they were healthy. The next year they were on 

 old land, but which was not in potatoes the previous 

 year, and they were much affected by disease. The 

 next year we planted them in several places, mostly 

 where potatoes had been raised the previous season, 

 and of the early-planted on dry land, nearly half of 

 the hills failed, while by the side of them other hills, 

 of the same variety, were perfectly healthy and pro- 

 ductive. We planted some late on wet land, and 

 about one tenth part failed. 



We examined carefully for insects, but could dis- 

 cover no cause of the disease. The tops grew very 

 slowly soon after they came up, the leaves curled up, 

 and the most of them died ; yet they lingered along, 

 and produced a few potatoes about the size of robins' 

 eggs. We found this effect from planting large and 

 small seed, cut and whole. 



We planted about fifty kinds of standard potatoes, 

 and one hundred and fifty seedling varieties; and 

 none were affected with this disease but the Peach 



