528 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



PIIOSPECTS OF WOOL GROWING. 



I would like to have you inform me through the 

 Farmek as to the prospects of wool growing. Is 

 not the present a cood time to start a flock ? and 

 are not the grazing lands of Texas preferal)le to 

 our Northern States, in respect to the quality and 

 cheapness of the land, mildness of climate, and 

 consequent case with which wool can he grown ? 

 Are grtenhacks current in Texas ? Also, please 

 inform me which is 'le h.. it wor'i published on 

 wool growing. !• c. 



Caiidia, X. H., Sept. 28, 1868. 



Remarks.— Wool is low ; sheep are low ; weak- 

 kneed farmers are anxious to sell and go into cat- 

 tle, hortes, or something else, and we believe the 

 present is just the time "to start a flock." But a 

 change from New Hampshire to Texas, is, in our 

 opinion, too great both for one's health and one's 

 habits, and we are disposed to favor emigration on 

 parallels of latitude rather than of longitude. 

 Still we have no doubt that the right man in the 

 .right part of Texas may do well with sheep, after he 

 learns hoic to manage them there. We should advise 

 you to spend at least one season with some wool 

 grower in Texas, as an apprentice, before going in 

 for yourself. As to greenbacks, take a pocketful 

 downwith you, and ourwordforityou will soon find 

 out that they pass currently enough. The Practi- 

 cal Shepherd, by Dr. Randall, is not only unques- 

 tionably the be^t work on wool growing generally, 

 but you will find therein much information upon 

 the climate, &c., of Texas, with special reference 

 to the production of wool. At pages 431-2 you 

 will find a record of the season and crops in Fay- 

 ette County, for four years, from which we are 

 tempted to copy entire the remarks for the year 



1857: 



January. — No rain. 



FebriiHfj 6 — Frairifs getting green.— 10th. Corn, 

 peas, Ifttuce, and radihes ccming up. Rain occ iccb 



March ".—Corn 8 X inches I igh; prairies one month 

 forward. 12ih. Ttrrihie Iroet; tills everything— fruit 

 and croi 8. Kain oie inch. 



Apiil 5 h.— Allur-i n a«ain; new crops up and vigor- 

 ous. 6Lh. Nonhrr, h.iil, and freeze; all crops, fruit, 

 and ma-t, ki.led. 11-12 h Kieet, suow, and freeze, 

 again. 24ih. Kroet in v illcys. Kain, ;j inch. 



May 30.h.— H.iiu two ipclies— not 12 Inchee in a year. 



June llib.— Wheal reaped; good crop; manandbeabt 

 suffering for water. 20ih. UraBs all d^ad. 



July.— No rain I 



August.— Ni) r ill I 



Septemlier 7 h — laVs drying from drought, except 

 live oak. Firrt good rain this year, two inches. 



Octobir — Ititin, 3J iiiehts. The pruiries green. 



Nnvember.— tjr s-honp* r«. we-t. Reasonable rains; 

 good fall girdeUH. 26-;7ih.-Il ird storms very exten 

 sive; Neoruslja wre-Kid aKiulveston. Rain 2^ inches. 



December. — Lowett temperature, 30*. 



HISTORY OP THE EARLY ROSE POTATO. 



Messrs. Editors: — In your issue of the 29th 

 of Augu>t last. I read a communication entitled, 

 "History of ihu E.irly Rose Potato," signed "M 

 P.," Orwell, V't. As both my reputation and char- 

 acter arc assaded by this anonymous contributor 

 to the Faumek, I respectfully ask of you the 

 privilege of presenting to the public a complete 

 refutation <f said statements through the same 

 journal which gave publicity to "M. P.'s" com- 

 municatiiin. 



To do this, I give you the facts known to myself 



with my own experience and observation, testified 

 to and confirmed by the aflSdavits of several well 

 known gentlemen, among whom is Mr. Chas. 

 Blackmer, of Hadlcy, Mich., whom "M. P." claims 

 to be the originator of the Early Rose Potato, and 

 therefore justly entitled to the credit bestowed 

 upon me. 



In 18(50, Chas. Blackmer worked for me, and wc 

 occasionally talked about growing seedling pota- 

 toes, and were agreed that the choicest kind for 

 that purpose was the Garnet Chili. Accordingly 

 both of us saved seed from that variety. In the 

 spring of 1861, I planted the seed I saved, which 

 failed to vecetate. I informed Mr. Blaekmcr of 

 this, and he told me that he still had his seed, and 

 as he should not plant it, he would bring it down 

 to me, remarking, "You may plant it if you 

 choose." This I did, the same spring, and pro- 

 duced the potato now called the Ejrly Rose, and 

 also my seedling. No 2. 



Besides these, I have other seedlinffs from the 

 Garnet Chili, but not from the seed whi; h Mr. 

 Blackmer gave me*, which I prizy very highly; 

 among which, the mo>t pronii>ing is No. 4 , the 

 one probably to whi h "M. P." alludes, instead of 

 No. 2, when he speaks of my preparing to bring 

 forward No. 2, of Mr. Blai kmer's seedlings, as a 

 variety of my own originating. 



This statement of facts confirmed by the fol- 

 lowing aflidavits, will enable the public to decide 

 to whom credit is due in re^pect to originating the 

 "Early Ruse" potato. 



It is in justice to myself, not less than in regard 

 to my relation to the pulilic with ref rence to the 

 originating of the Early Rose potato, that I re- 

 quest you, Mr. Editor, to puiilish my refutation of 

 "M. P.'s" statements, which were published in the 

 NiiW England Farmer of August 29. h, of the 

 pre-ent volume; also to give me the name and 

 residence of "M. P.," all of which is submitted. 

 UespecifuUy yours, . Albert Bresee. 



Remarks. — As stilted above by Mr. Bresee we 

 did publish in the Farmer, on the 29th of August 

 last, a communication entitled, "History of the 

 Early Rose Potato,'" of which the following is a 

 copy :— 



history of the early rose potato. 



Messrs. Editors:- The cridt of originating the 

 "hiurly Rose fotato" havii g been claimed i.y aid given 

 to tl,e "wrong party," and tbinkiug ti.e "right man" 

 should have the honor to which he is justly eulilled, I 

 will uive you the irue f lots of the case 



Iiri80-J, I tijink, Mr. Chas. Bl .ckmcr, of Hadley, 

 Michigan, th n living i:i U.iobardtou, Vt., planted a 

 ba I ot ihe •Chli" pota o, from which he raised two 

 v.irieties of peeUlmgs, which he ca lid So. 1 and No. 2. 

 15. fore he had brought tiiesc tj maturity, i e enlisted 

 anil ''weiit to the war;" but bffore he lefi "lor the "tent- 

 ed til Id," he gave Ihe^-e seed iiig* to Mr 13re-'ee, at the 

 <arn<st request of ihe lal r, under the c insideration 

 that he shoild be handsuraely recompensed, provided 

 they "amountud to anything " 



Mr. bresee, a neigtibur V> Mr. B'ackmer, hronght the 

 potatoes to ma uriiy, aid No. J, was f lund to bJ very 

 earlv, aid was qutie commo'i as a garden p itato for 

 t«o years in the viciti.y and ha'l it not b^M-n for Mr. 

 ilctlVun, I f Uiica, aiij i>ome Oihers, who christened it 

 the "Harly R 8< ,'' and tirougtit it so piomi lently beftire 

 iho public Uft ^prlng, ll prob biy w.iuld not i ave been 

 known at n It doie uutciae the immediate section where 

 it uas raised. 



Mr. Bre-ee Is now preparing to bring forward No. 2 

 of Mr. blackmer's seedlii gs as a variety ( f bis own 

 (>rt|{inatiiig. .\-> all ihe-e i.icts are well known in tbts 

 vicinity, and <ran be readily subBtaiiliated, it is but Just 

 that the iiU' lie -h ul I ku>i>v t!iein. M. P. 



Orwell, Addison Co., Vt , Aug 17, 1868. 



This communication was received and published, 

 as other communications are, in good faith. The 

 parties mentioned ia the article were all unknown 



