524 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



the discoloration and dying of the bark. The only 

 remedy advised is the knife and saw, to cut out 

 every part affected, and enough more to get beyond 

 the influence of the disease upon contiguous parts. 

 Whether this will take the saw to the crown of the 

 roots or not, pear-growers must judge. We have 

 twice this season cut out every diseased branch, and 

 still the remaining ones show black leaves. Have 

 our readers experience or knowledge of facts that 

 differs from ours ? — Homestead. 



For the tJew England Farmer. 



EEMEDY FOR THE POTATO ROT. . 



Raise potatoes from the balls, and keep them 

 . fter the]' are dug from the air and light. Having 

 pursued this course for seven years, and suffered 

 nothing in the meantime from the rot, I conclude 

 myself fairly entitled to the reward offered by the 

 State. I had been experimenting two years when 

 I first learned the Commonwealth had offered the 

 liberal bounty for the discovery of a sure and prac- 

 tical remedy for the Potato Rot. 



Whether the Committee shall consider me enti- 

 tled to the reward offered or not, I have the satis- 

 faction of having discovered a sure and practical 

 remedy, which I have thoroughly tested and con- 

 firmed. Whatever the Committee may do, I feel 

 myself entitled to the honor of being a benefactor 

 to the farmers- of the State not only, but of all else- 

 where, who cultivate the potato. 



It now being the season for digging potatoes, it 

 seems a favorable opportunity for making known 

 my remedy for the prevention of the potato rot. 

 It is as follows : 



Bury your potatoes as soon as possible after dig- 

 ging them, avoiding as much as you can their ex- 

 posure to the air and light. They may be put into 

 an old-fashioned potato hole, or covered on the sur- 

 face of the earth, so as to protect them from the 

 frost, — I prefer the latter method, — and keep them 

 thus until the day you want them to plant, — and 

 then be careful to use none for seed but what are 

 perfectly sound and healthful — cut or uncut as you 

 prefer, — and you will be sure of sound potatoes 

 next season, and just as long after as my directions 

 are strictly followed. Seven years' trial has con- 

 firmed this remedy. Hence the reason for my 

 complete confidence in it. 



They may be well kept, also, by putting them in- 

 to barrels in the cellar, and sifting on dry sand un- 

 til all the space unoccupied by the potatoes is filled 

 with sand. Potatoes put up this way, retain their 

 good eating qualities much better than when put 

 into a bin, as is the usual method. Wives and 

 daughters have observed and remarked, that pota- 

 toes taken from the bin to cook, are better, when 

 taken from that part of it where the dirt is most 

 abundant, in consequence of "dumping" them from 

 a cart through a spout to the bin. This fact goes 

 to confirm the use of barrels with sand, for the bet- 

 ter preservation of potatoes for winter use, and un- 

 til new potatoes are produced. Every farmer knows 

 that light, air, and the heat of the sun, each and 

 all, tend to impair the eating qualities of potatoes 

 and it would seem a fair deduction, also, that these 

 same influences should impair and weaken the vital 

 power of the tubers, thus rendering them liable to 

 disease. 



In olden times, most of the farmers' cellars were 



dark — rendering it necessary to take a li^ht in or- 

 der to see, and guide the cidnr tap at noonciny. In 

 these days, cellars were gentrally small — nv.king it 

 necessary for farmers to winter many ut "hti- po- 

 tatoes, oftentimes, in holes. I remember veil how 

 much better the potatoes were when taK^n irom 

 the hole opened in the spring, than from the cellar. 



Now it is very different. Cellars are generally 

 much larger, more airy, and so well lightt-d, that 

 no artificial light is necessary when visiting ihem by 

 day. There can be no doubt that the quality and 

 vitality of potatoes are both seriously injured when 

 stored in such cellars as last described, for those 

 first alluded to did not keep them as well as the 

 potato-hole, as observation amply shows and con- 

 firms. 



These are some of the reasons why I consider my 

 remedy, now made known, a sure preventive, if du- 

 ly observed and practised, of the Potato Rot. 

 Asa G. Sheldon. 



Wilmingion, Oct. 6th, 1857. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



THE INDIAN CORN CROP. 



Never, to my knowledge, has it been so luxuri- 

 ant as the present season. How shall it be se- 

 cured ? Shall it be left standing in the field, until 

 frozen and lost, or nearly so ? or shall it be cut up 

 near the ground, and carefully placed, so as to ri- 

 pen most speedily, and in the best manner ? More 

 than tweniyjlve per cent, of the benefits that may 

 accrue from the growing of this crop, can even now 

 be saved, by the application of diligence and good 

 sense, in the harvesting — to say nothing of the im- 

 proved condition of the fodder, which, when prop- 

 erly chopped and moistened by steam, is the very 

 best food for stock and one they will be sure to 

 eat up the cleanest. Essex. 



September 25thf 1857. 



APPLES AND GRAPES. 



In the enclosed box I have sent you a sample of 

 a native grape, which I took up and transplanted; 

 it is a thrifty vine, fruit ripening from the first to 

 the middle of September. I have also sent you a 

 sample of an apple which grows in a garden ad- 

 joining mine — it is natural fruit, I think, as I have 

 never seen any like it. Will you please pass your 

 judgment upon them. AUGUSTUS Knight. 



Mendon, Sept. 16th, 1857. 



Remarks. — We tasted the fruit sent, and hand- 

 ed portions of them to others, but no one pro- 

 nounced either apples or grapes such fruit as they 

 should be willing to recommend for general culti- 

 vation. If one has no fruit, and such as these flour- 

 ish well in his locality, it is well enough to let them 

 stand until he can obtain something better ; but 

 it should be the established rule to plant nothing 

 of the fruit kind but the best. There are well-es- 

 tablished varieties of apples, pears, peaches, and 

 plums always at command, at low prices, and it 

 costs no more to cultivate such, than it does fruits 

 of the most common character. We are obliged to 

 judge of the finer varieties of fruits by contrasting 

 them, and one reason why so much poor fruit is 

 grown, is, that there is little or none of first qualitv 



