432 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Sept. 



he be dogmatical in liis own views. Books and pa- 

 pers are like crutches and spring carriages to the 

 mind. He who suffers himself continually to be 

 carried about by them, may always be lame and 

 weakly, but never the hearty robust, strong man, 

 like him who walks. The proper ground for the 

 former, as well as all others, to stand upon, is a di"^- 

 nijied independence, that accords to others the right 

 of thinking for themselves, and claiming and using 

 the same right in return. There is too much dog- 

 maticism on the one hand, and credulity on the 

 other. It may be difficult to steer clear of breakers 

 but it is worth the while trying;. 



If the former w'ould keep his eyes and ears wide 

 open — cultivate and discipline his powers of obser- 

 vation, and learn to think for himself, as well as to 

 malve just discriminations respecting the thoughts 

 of others ; he might save himself much time and 

 trouble, and be the happier for it. J. T. w. 



Marlboro', JV. H., 1855. 



For the New England Farmer. 



SMALL POTATOES FOR SEED. 



Friend Bro\at^ : — Feeling deeply interested in 

 the subject of agriculture and its kindred pursuits, I 

 propose, through the columns of your widely-read 

 journal, to furnish a fact or offer an opinion, now 

 and then, upon matters therewith connected. Should 

 this meet your approval, it .may be as well to com- 

 mence while the resolve is upon me. 



And first — are small potatoes equal to targe ones 

 for the purpose of reproduction ? I can, by no 

 means, agree with your correspondent, S. P., in his 

 course of reasoning on this subject — to my mind, 

 much of it is not only fallacious, but pernicious in 

 the extreme. 



The wise axiom, " that there is but one right 

 way to do a thing," will hardly be found, as he con- 

 tends, contradicted by the workings of nature. 

 Nay, I fancy it can be there verified to a demonstra- 

 tion. It is quite true, that at times, she performs 

 her offices in different ways — as instanced in the 

 reproduction of the potato. But can we infer from 

 this that the way pursued is not in each instance 

 " the one right way," since the means employed are 

 ever the liest adapted to the end in Aiew ? Or shall 

 we conclude that, since Nature is not limited in her 

 operations to a single waj', any Avay by which man 

 can accomplish his purposes is equally as "right" as 

 any other P It would hardly be thouglit much out 

 of the proper course for nature to produce potatoes 

 from the seed, since it would answer her ends as well. 

 But it might be viewed in a very different light in 

 the farmer, as it could hardly serve his purpose at 

 all. Possibly it will require no very great power of 

 argument to convince even the most obtuse, that in 

 this particular case, at least, there is a " one right 

 way." That there is in every case, is equally certain, 

 and constitutes, no less in farming than in every other 

 pursuit of hfe, a great truth seldom lost sight of but 

 with mischievous results. I am far from certain 

 that S. P., alter all, is not equally sensible of its im- 

 portance, since he lays it down as a " great prin- 

 ciple," " that the farmer depends upon facts wholly." 

 Now ficts are only useful to those who hold to a 

 " one right way," and are seeking it by the light of 

 experience. 



As to the em])Ioyment of small potatoes for seed : 

 We should in this, as in all other things, conform to 

 the laws of nature. Now, it is clearly a law of 



nature, " that the larger and more fully developed 

 the seed, the more thrifty and vigorous the plant, 

 all other things being equal." Who shall say, then, 

 that the same law does not govern plants that are 

 pro])agated by tubers ? Nay, is not the reason for 

 this result much more obvious in the one case than 

 in the other ? But, says S. P., we want facts, not 

 speculations ! True, and yet the knowledge of facts 

 is, in a very great degree, the fruit of speculation. 

 The science of agriculture, like that of chemistry, is 

 eminently experimental, and experiments are wholly 

 the results of speculation. But to the point. Thei'e 

 is one fact which he insists upon, that, to my mind, 

 is quite essential to a right understanding of this 

 matter, and conclusive against him. Namely, " that 

 large tubers are of artificial growth." This is un- 

 questionable as to potatoes, their present size being 

 the result of a gradual development under culti- 

 vation, — which cultivation consisted in part of a 

 constant selection of the larger tubers to seed from. 

 The seed of the potato produces tubers perfectly 

 matured and of full, natural size, the first year, but 

 it requires several years of careful culture, and a 

 constant selection of the larger and more fully 

 develo]3ed tubers for reproduction, to bring them to 

 perfection. And then, as he very justly observes, 

 there is a constant tendency to revert to their origi- 

 nal type. Now, it must be ob\ious from these 

 facts alone — the artificial growth of the large tuber, 

 and its tendency to revert to its natural state, — that 

 the immediate product of small potatoes can never 

 equal that of large ones,imth similar culture. This 

 may be all a matter of speculation, but it is so legi- 

 timate and logical a deduction from his own facts, 

 that I have faith to beUeve that even S. P. will con- 

 sider it conclusive. 



This " small potato doctrine " has not even the 

 poor merit of novelty. It originated very possibly 

 with the first " planter," and, appealing to the cupi- 

 dity of man, has out-lived a host of fallacies, far less 

 prejjosterous or pernicious. For years it has shed 

 its blight over our agricultural interest. For years 

 paralyzed to a great extent the best exertions of the 

 true friend of the husbandman. The " old fashioned 

 farmer" as he delights to style himself, clings most 

 tenaciously to his belief in " small potato" seed, 

 and indeed in small potato stock, " as no less per- 

 fect in respect to vitality and the specific character of 

 its several species," and consequently, equally as 

 good for the immediate purpose of reproduction. 

 A fatal mistake, let who may entertain it. A dan- 

 gerous heresy that must be rooted from men's minds 

 ere wo can look for any marked improvement in 

 agricultural pursuits. Let this be a great purpose 

 with your journal. Teach only the " one right " 

 doctrine — that the never varying essentials to good 

 crops and success in husbandry, are good soil, 

 natural or artificial — good seeds, good tools and 

 good culture. Let the ])recept be worked out in 

 the practice, and the time will come when in our 

 less favored clime, and upon our sterile soil, shall 

 grow up a system of agriculture such as the world 

 has never seen. L. P. 



EaM JFoburn, Aug. 3, 1855. 



Grasshoppers. — The ecUtor of the California 

 Farmer, in his journal of July 13, states that grass- 

 hoppers are exceedingly numerous and destructive. 

 He had seen one that measured from three and a 

 half to four inches in lenjrth ! 



