326 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



APRII, 84, 1833. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, APRIL2i. 1R33. 



FARMER'S AND G^VRDENER'S WORK. 



Change of Seeds. We have heretofore piibHshed 

 opinions ou the subject of changing seeds which 

 have been deemed erroneous, and to have been 

 contradicted by the exj>crience of Mr. Cooper, of 

 New Jersey, and others. The paragraph said to 

 be incorrect was taken from one of a series of 

 <' Agricultural Essays" written by the late Rev. 

 Nathaniel Fishek, of Salem, and republished in 

 the N. E. Fanner, and was as follows: — "Seeds 

 not natural to the climate degenerate — should be 

 changed, annually, if only from one field to 

 another. A considerable distance better. Flax, 

 and most early seeds, carried one hundred miles 

 north do well, late ones carried as far south do well 

 also. Corn, barley, oats and seeds of all kinds 

 sliould be changed every year ; it will pay the 

 fanner four-fold for his trouble in doing it."* 



These remarks, it is said in substance, are con- 

 tradicted by the experiments of Mr. Benjamiji 

 Cooper, of Camden, (N. J.)t and it would, no 

 doubt, have been better to have accompanied the 

 extract with explanatory observations. I believe, 

 however, the theories of the gentlemen quoted and 

 referred to, are not in direct opposition to each 

 other. The one directs farmers to improve their 

 own sorts of vegetables by propagating from the 

 best seeds, produced from the best ])lants, and the 

 other to make frequent changes of seeds, (kc. Per- 

 haps both rules may be essentially combined. 



We believe that the celebrated Bakewell's prac- 

 tice, relative to the improving of breeds of cattle, 

 will a]>ply equally well to all sorts of cultivated 

 vegetables. " JStevtr quit one good breed till you 

 can select from a letter." And another by Dr- 

 Cooper, is not less important. " Choose those ani- 

 mals and vegetables to propagate from that possess 

 the qualities you ivish to pi opagate in the greatest per- 

 yection." By this process we may improve our 

 stock, whether that of horses, horned cattle, sheep, 

 or potatoes, Indian corn, strawberries, &c. &c. 



The HorL J. Lowell, in an article on " Change 

 of Seeds," written for the last edition of Deane^s 

 JYerv- England Farmer, observes — " While some 

 pretend that changes of seeds are necessary, and 

 l)roeeed to assign certain philosophical reasons, 

 which are much less satisfactory than a few ex- 

 amples would be ; others, among whom might be 

 mentioned the deservedly-celebrated Mr. Cooper, 

 of New-Jersey, maintain that no such changes are 

 either necessary or expedient ; that seed may not 

 only be sown on the same land indefiuitely as to 

 time, and without any deterioration of the quan- 

 tity or quality of the crops, but that they will im- 

 prove, provided a careful selection is made of the 

 plants reserved for seed, and provided the earliest 



ripe, and fairest, and in all particulars the best, 

 are uniformly selected. It is probable that both 

 these parties are partially right." 



" We would observe, as the residt of 20 years' 

 experience, that it is highly inexpedient to trans- 

 plant seeds or plants from a high northern to a 

 southern climate, and the reverse. The potatoes 

 of Great Britain and Ireland, and even of Nova- 

 Scotia do uotsucceed with us. Some exceptions 

 may be made to the rule, but they are rare. The 

 potato taken from the south appears to do better 

 transplanted to the north. The River Plate or 

 long potato has done admirably well, though the 

 fact that it originally came from South America, 

 is by no means settled on good evidence. This, 

 if it be settled, which we believe it to be, that the 

 potato is not improved by transportation from a 

 colder and more moist climate to a more southern 

 and drier one, and, on the other hand, is im- 

 proved by transplantation from a southern one to 

 a more northern climate, may be accounted for 

 from the fact, that its natin-al indigenous location, 

 the one in which it was first found, and has re- 

 cently been discovered in a natural state, is in the 

 elevated lands of South America, at the foot of 

 their highest mountains, and but little below the 

 region of perpetual snows. It is certain that the 

 potato loves moisture, and is rapidly checked by 

 extreme heat and drought. 



" On the other hand, the Indian corn will not 

 bear transplantation from a southern to a northern 

 climate. It is familiar to us all that the flat corn 

 of Carolina, though it will grow to a great size 

 with lis, will never ripen its seed hut with great 

 precaution, and then but imperfectly. The flint 

 corn of Cuba will not even foriir its ears in our 

 climate. The same remark applies to wheat. It 

 has been proved by experiments so numerous as 

 to put the question at rest, that wheat from south- 

 ern climates, though it will grow vigorously at 

 first, will not come to perfection. The only ex- 

 ception we have yet heard of, is that of the wheat 

 of Leghorn, used by (he Italians in the manufac- 

 ture of straw bonnets. This has suceeded in one 

 or two instances, but these are not suflicient to 

 enable us to pronounce it to be an exception from 

 a general rule. 



" It is confidently affirmed that flax-seed con- 

 stitutes an exception, and that it uniformly is im- 

 proved by change. It may be so ; it is important 

 that this should be tested by frequent trials — but 

 we believe the best general rule is to select our 

 best seeds and roots, or to buy them of our suc- 

 cessful neighbors rather than to rely on foreign 

 productions." 



and are much pleased with the result of what wc 

 conceive to be one of the most important and well- 

 conducted agricultural experiments, which has 

 come within the reach of our observation. We 

 have seen his samples, and finer and fairer pota- 

 toes we presume are not to be found. They are 

 selected from no less than 1500 varieties, all ob- 

 tained from seed. A detailed account of the pro- 

 cesses, by which this improvement was affected, 

 would be useful, and we hope Mr. Tidd will add 

 to his favors by giving us further sketches of his 

 proceedings in the premises. 



* N. E. Fanner, vol. ix. p. 249. t N. E. Fanner, vol. x\. p. 273, 



Mr. Tidd's new Varieties of Potatoes. — We beg 

 leave to direct the attention of our readers to an 

 article on the first page of this day's paper, on 

 Mr. Tidd's new varieties of potatoes. We thmk 

 Mr. T. has deserved well of the farming interest. 



For the New England FariMr. 

 SWrEET POTATOES. 



Mr. Editor. Sir, — In my Farmer, of the 17th, 

 I was glad to see an article headed " Direction for 

 the culture of sweet potatoes." After reading it, 

 I must say that I felt disappointment in not find- 

 ing more definite direction. There are many, sir, 

 like myself, who have but recently commenced 

 the life of an agriculturist, and to whom the de- 

 tails would be very acceptable. I have just im- 

 mersed a peck of slips in a hot-bed, and should 

 be glad to know if water is to be given them ? — 

 How long the sprouts should lie before transplant- 

 ing? If the slips ought to be divided before go- 

 iug into the hot-bed, or at the time of transplant- 

 ing ? — or not divided at all ? If great care is requi- 

 site in removing them from the hot-bed .' &c. &c. 

 Yours, F. 



Groton, April 19, 1833. 



The following directions for the culture of the 

 sweet potatoe are from the pen of the Hon. John 

 Lowell : 



" Those who wish to be perfectly assured of 

 tlicir success, will raise a small hot-bed, with or 

 without glass, about the tenth of April, on the 

 south side of a fence, wall, or building. On this, 

 they will lay the slips or roots so close as to 

 touch each other, so that a bed of six feet square 

 will be suflicient for a bushel of them. They 

 should then be covered with about an inch of 

 earth. If the cultivator has no hot-bed frames, 

 the bed at night may be covered with a mat or 

 with straw. 



" In 10 or 14 days some of the shoots will ap- 

 pear above ground : when about one half or even 

 a third so appear, they arc all to be taken up to 

 lie planted. The lightest soils are best adapted to 

 to them. As their roots almost universally strike 

 downwards, like those of the carrot : they are 

 always placed ou hills raised about nine inches, or 

 about the height of a potato hill, after its last faith- 

 ful hoeing. These hills should be four feet and a 

 half apart in every direction. The slips, two in 

 each hill, one foot apart, are then put in, either 

 with the fingers or a stick, or any instrument ca- 

 llable of making a suflicient hole — and the crown 

 or top should be within an inch, or half an inch, 

 of the surface. When thus started, or sprouted, 

 it will be easy to distinguish the end which sends 

 out roots from that which puts forth shoots for the 

 open air. The slips should be put in perpendicu- 

 larly, or nearly so, the root end downwards — 

 They would grow without the precaution, but 

 would be delayed and injured in their growth." 



If the hot-bed is under cover it will occasionally 

 need watering, for the sake of obtaining heat as 



