1857. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



447 



are indebted to such places for a greatly improved 

 breed of horses ; and further, were these races done 

 away with, how few of our ingenious mechanics, 

 and others, would be attracted to these fairs, where 

 their genious and emulation are stimulated by see- 

 ing what others have produced ? I endorse all your 

 correspondents say against the public exhibition of 

 women as amateur horse jockeys. 



So much for a rainy day. And now for a few 

 questions, which if you can answer, you will much 

 oblij^e me. 



Where can I procure the Brighton Pine Straw- 

 berry ? 



Do you know anything of the machine for gath- 

 ering potatoes? Would you recommend my buy- 

 ing one ? If so, where is it to be bought ? I pro- 

 pose planting a field every year. 



After an experience of over a quarter of a cen- 

 tury, in various branches of business, I would rec- 

 ommend your agricultural friends, old and young, 

 to stick to the farm. 



Our crops in this State, as far as I have seen, and 

 learn from our neighbors, are, with the exception 

 of wheat, very abundant. Wheat is a failure in two 

 out of three fields, and probably in grf ater propor- 

 tion ; what there is of it is good, but in many cases 

 •will not pay for the seed. 



Night before last, 28th, we had a terrific rain 

 storm, wind southwest. 30th, exceedingly heavy 

 rain for the last twelve hours. Oats all down, and 

 likely to be injured, David Chillas, 



Roseville, Newark, Del., July 30, 1857, 



Remarks, — The Brighton Pine Strawberry may 

 be procured of Mr, J. C. Scott, of Brighton, Mass., 

 or of Hovey & Co., No, 7 Merchants Row, Boston. 



We have not seen the Potato Digger, and know 

 nothing of it. 



For the New England Farmer. 



POTATO— THE ORIGINAL ROOT. 



Mk. Editor: — I have perused your valuable 

 paper for a number of months, and I find a great 

 deal said about the culfure of the potato. One 

 will recommend one way of planting, another will 

 have a ditierent way, and a third will kick every 

 other method overboard, and insert one of his own, 

 and finally the rot has a way of destroying all 

 their plans and a large part of their crops, in spite 

 of all the arts of man, and we are as much in the 

 dark as when the rot first made its appearance. 



That there can be potatoes raised free from rot, 

 for a number of years or even generations, I have 

 not the least dcubt. By obtaining the original 

 root, as our forefathers did, and cultivating them 

 till they become potatoes, and keeping them sepa- 

 rate from all others, I think that in a very few 

 years our country would abound in a new and flour- 

 ishing generation of that vegetable. Why is it 

 that this method has never been tried, or even rec- 

 ommended by our agiiculturists? Is it because 

 people have forgotten where the root grows, or be- 

 cause they never knew ? 



Whilst our government are sending to all parts 

 of the world to select plants and roots of every va- 

 riety that belongs to the vegetable kingdom, let 

 them call at Chili, where I understand the root was 

 first found, and where it still grows wild, or at least 



it did thirty years ago, and there select a small, hitter 

 root, as I understand it to be ; but I do not expect 

 that the root resembles the potato in the least, exr 

 cept the long roots or tubers, running from the 

 stalk in every direction for the new crop. And per- 

 haps the leaf may bear some resemblance to that 

 of the potato, 



I should like to hear the opinion of some of 

 vour correspondents on this subject, as I feel 

 anxious to have the experiment tried. It would be 

 worth millions of dollars to the United States if it 

 proved effectual. m. W. 



Vershire, Vt., June 16, 1857. 



For the New England Farmer 



PEARS AND GRAPES. 



Friend Nourse : — The happiest state is one of 

 usefulness, I am cultivating pear trees for benefit 

 ana amusement. The Bonne de Jersey, Jargonelle, 

 Napoleon, Duchess d'Angouleme, are strong and 

 thrifty, the fourth year from the bud on the Or- 

 ange Quince stocks, and are now bearing nice look- 

 ing pears. The Bartlett, Golden Beurre, Seckel, 

 Glout Morceau, St. Michael, Passe Colmar, Easter 

 Beurre, and some others, have failed after one and 

 two years' growth. I have one kind I call the 

 Minister pear, now the fourth year from the scions; 

 strong and thrifty on the thorn stock, and in fruit. 

 The Bartlett, Easter Beurre and Passe Colmar 

 grow finely one or two years on the thorn, and then 

 fail. One Passe Colmar on the thorn grew well 

 two or three years, blossomed and had some small 

 pears on it last year ; last spring it got broken by 

 the wind ; it having little roots from the scion, I 

 took it up, removed the thorn root and then set 

 the scion down, and it is now growing finely. I 

 have the Glout Morceau on the Sugar Plum, one 

 and four years growth from the bud and scion, 

 beautiful and thrifty, which do not grow anywhere 

 else that I have tried. I have the Flemish Beau- 

 ty, the Dix and Seckel double worked on the thorn, 

 thrifty and beautiful, I feel confident that the Bonne 

 de Jersey may be profitably cultivated on the Or- 

 ange Quince ; I obtained 100 Auger Quinces from 

 J. W. Manning, of Reading, Mass., and they are 

 every one growing well, 



I obtained two Concord grape-vines from E, W. 

 Bull, Concord, Mass., last spring; one has eleven 

 and the other five or six large bunches of fine look- 

 ing fruit on them now. The Diana, from J. \V". 

 Manning, and the Early Northern Muscadine, from 

 D. J. Hawkins, New Lebanon, N, Y.,set hst spring, 

 both in fruit, Oliver Butterfield. 



Francestown, JV. H, 



Salt Barrels for Preserving Apples. — A 

 correspondent of the Scientific American says "he 

 purchased five barrels of choice apples taken from 

 one pile, last autumn, and put them into his cellar. 

 On the 1st of April last, when he came to examine 

 them, those in four of the barrels were mostly all 

 damaged, while those placed in the other barrel 

 were sound — fresh and good." What was the cause 

 of the preservation of the apj)les in this barrel ? 

 Our correspondent saj s it was a Syracuse salt bar- 

 rel, and he believes this was the cause of their im- 

 munity from rot. He, at least, can give no other 

 reason. Neither can we. — Country Gentleman. 



