118 



Preservation of Potatoes — Fall Ploughing. 



Vol. 11. 



Preservation of Potatoes. 



The experience of the present year proves 

 that it would be very desirable to preserve 

 potatoes, not only from the effects of the frost, 

 but from the deterioration they are sure to 

 undergo from sprouting and drying up, when 

 exposed to the increased temperature of spring 

 and summer. Potatoes ripe and fit for use, 

 cannot be expected before the first of August, 

 though some of the early varieties may be 

 had for cookmg before that time, if proper 

 precautions are taken, and under usual cir- 

 cumstances, old potatoes ere that time of the 

 year will be mostly worthless. 



The laws which regulate vegetation are 

 such, that if a seed or plant is kept at a state 

 but little above the freezing point, growth 

 cannot ensue; and hence experience shows 

 that roots placed in the ground, as they 

 have been sometimes by accident, at such a 

 depth that the general influence of the sun 

 can produce little or no effect on them, — can 

 be preserved sound for indefinite periods of 

 time. Profiting by the suggestions these 

 facts afforded, Sir. De Lancy buried some 

 potatoes of the preceding year's growth in his 

 court yard, in a hole two and a half feet deep, 

 under the protection of a south wall, where 

 the sun shone but a little part of the day. 

 The potatoes were buried in March, and 

 about eleven months afterwards, the hole was 

 opened, and to his surprise and pleasure, he 

 found that, two or three of the roots excepted, 

 which were perforated by worms, though 

 sound, all were perfectly hard and firm with- 

 out having the least symptom of vegetation, 

 and in every respect as fit for planting or the 

 table as new potatoes. 



We wish that some of our farmers the 

 coming autumn, would repeat tiiis experi 

 ment; since if it should succeed here, one 

 very great means of securing health and com- 

 fort, by substituting firm mealy jrotatoes for 

 the wjlted leaden roots inflicted upon us for 

 two or three months every year, would be 

 obtained. Perhaps a soil naturally dry, so 

 that the roots should not be too much ex- 

 posed to accumulated moisture, would be 

 preferable ; and as in the above experiment 

 of De Lancy's, a spot with a northern ex- 

 posure, or one as little subjected to the influ- 

 ence of the sun as possible should be select- 

 ed.— -Genesee Farmer. 



A Cure for tlie Scowriiig in Calves. 



Take a table-spoonful of finely powdered 

 chalk and a like quantity of ground ginger, 

 put it in a bowl, pour boiling new milk on it, 

 say half a pint, stir it well and then give this 

 dose about milk-warm, night and morning, to 

 the calf, and in nine cases out of ten two 

 doses will be sufficient to stop the disease. — 

 Farmer and Gardener. 



From the Maine Farmer. 



Advantages of Fall Ploughing. 



Mr. Holmes. — I believe that the advan- 

 tages of fall ploughing land intended for 

 spring crops, cannot be too strongly urged 

 upon the attention of practical farmers. By 

 the practice of fall ploughing, the farmer is 

 enabled to take advantage of the most favora- 

 ble season to get in his crops. In this north- 

 ern region, this is truly a great advantage. 

 The diffieulty of procuring labor and the un- ^ 

 certainty of the weather, often makes it ex- | 

 tremely difficult to perform this necessary I 

 operation so early tliat the crop may be got \ 

 in, and receive the full advantage of the sea- 

 son, when our dependence is placed entirely 

 on spring ploughing; in consequence of this 

 delay many crops are injured or destroyed. 

 This point is sufficiently obvious to every 

 farmer. 



The weather isquite asfavorable for plough- 

 ing in the fall, as at any other season of the 

 year-^and the team is in good condition ; and 

 while the ground is open, every opportunity 

 should be improved in thus forwarding the 

 spring'' s work. 



Another advantage in fall ploughing is in 

 the destruction of insects, and preventing 

 their ravages. A piece of wheat was pointed 

 out to me, last spring, on ground occupied the 

 year before by corn, and in equally good con- 

 dition. The seed wheat received the same 

 preparation — was sown at the same time, and 

 by the same person ; yet there was a marked 

 difference in the appearance of the grain : 

 one strip of which was quite thin, while the 

 rest was the reverse. I inquired the cause, 

 and was told that owing to the lateness of 

 the season, and the freezing of the ground, 

 one "land" was not ploughed in the fall; the 

 other part of the field was fall ploughed. 

 This fact accounts for the difference in the 

 grain ; for on the spring ploughed land was 

 tlie thin, inferior grain. The injury was 

 probably done by worms.* 



Among the many remedies and preventives 

 which have been proposed to destroy the 

 Grain Wor7n, or lessen its ravages, the 

 Plough seems to be almost entirely over- 

 looked ; yet if the judicious use of that in- 

 strument will not prevent the increase of the j 

 worm, I cannot tell what will. 



The worm was observed by many farmers 

 leaving the grain while in the field ; and by , 

 examining the straw and harvest grain very i 



* A vviiter in the Farmers' Cahinet says— "Fall or 

 vfiry early spring plouffhinsr does.in srime way, prevent 

 Ihe'cnt ir'orm fiom iujunng our corn crops." If so, tliere 

 is no necessity fnt the general complaint that corn 

 crops are injured by this worm. Very early sprinj: 

 ploiiphin^ in Maine, however, does not seem earlij 

 enot/g/i to elfectiially destroy the worm, whatever it may 

 do in Pennsylvania; and we therefore give the prei'er- 

 ence io fall ploughing and innter fallowing. 



