28 



Extracts from a pamphUI containing Procttdings of 



the Essex .Ij^'ricultural Societ;/. 



(Continue it from page 21.) 



DANIF.K IJLK.MIAM'S STATEMENT. 



To the Committer on Potatoes — 



Gentlkmk.'*— NuH>»''''i|">''i'K "" ulK-Tutmii lu 

 the coiiditioii», tor llie piiiiiiuiiis on |)i.ial»" -^ fVoiii 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Aug. 14, 1S29. 





ouirlil to 1.0 kci.t clastic ? I Uasv no hesilatioi. in i A specimen of encli of the kinds is l.ere% 

 beli.-vii..' ll.at whoever shall uiuii.l with accura- e.xl.ihited— the quantity raised from seed Nt r 

 cy ami "ju-lgiiieiu to these cxperiiMents, will iiiva- j in the second year only, apiicars to me .juite 

 riobiy find, ihnt all tliow; sorts, that it is well to j traorJiiiary 

 preserve, will hear some distinct mark of excel- 

 lence, and that all others should, with an unbend- 

 uti'iii, be tiirowii aside, to prevcni the 



ing 



scattering' of any other than first rule sorts. 



Respectfully submitted liv 



UA.NIEL I'LTXAM 

 Danvers, Sepltmbtr 25, 1828. 



Ifl 



the wjcd of the hidls, 1 did not, the last antuinn, i j,,|g ,,^.,1,0,1 ,„ay be strictly adhered to, will it not 



COL. MOSELEV'S STATEMENT. 



hen I took inine from the ground, reserve lor | „,j„v,i ,i,e |,opc and expectation, that in a few ^ MostXey, of Xewbunjport, exhibits a luo year 



future planting, hut five of the most I'ro"""'-"' | years there will he such a variety of good seed, j 

 Borts, from over an himdrcd sele.-.ted vigorjus | ^^,■,^^.^[ („ this region, that there will he no necessi- j 



tv for wishing for that which is forei/j 



plants; for I thought myself assurcil, iVoin previ- 

 ous experiment.-:, that it was useless to plant those 

 whose promise was not good the first season, if 

 they hail received a careful cultivation. I could 

 with ease have reserved sorts to the number, and 

 those that would have yielded the ipianlity that 

 would have fully met the reipiiNitioii ; but the 

 terms not being known until March, 1 felt myself 

 Dtricken from the list of competitors. Vet as the 

 object of the Society is improvement, 1 will pass 

 tho result Id" my ellort to your notice. As 1 found 

 no reason for altering the process in the cultiva- 

 tion, it has been the sanr^ as 1 staled it, the last 



year wliich 1 will now recapitulate. 



The seed was sown in gardeniug-time, tlie same 

 as any seed of the size should be sown. When 

 Iho plants had risen, three or four inches, tlie best 

 were chosen and transjilantcd into well inilver- 

 iiCil ground, about fi.nr'.een indies «part. In a 

 nearer distance than this, 1 found that the most 

 prolific plants were liable to mingle their fruit. — 

 When taken up at ha.-vest time, each sort reserved 

 for planting, was carefully kept by itself. In the 

 ■priiig of the year, the fore part of Jlay, they 

 were \ilante(l, four cuts in a hill, about ten inches 

 from each other, under a nioderalo «iuaiility of 



.\lthoiigli there is a great variety of sorts, from 

 the seed of the balls— yet with me tliey incline to 

 assume the shape and the color of those, from 

 which the balls arc taken ; and as a round white 

 potato is estimated most highly, perlia|)S it is best 

 to seek the balls from the largest of those kinds, 



Heifer and htr Offspring. 

 This hert'er was two years old in .Vpril or I 

 last. Her sire was the Essex on the Fatherl 

 Farm. -Her mother was a calf from Young I 

 derness, and was owned on the Fatherland Fi 

 when she had this cnlf This heifer was 

 when about four weeks old, from the above fi 

 and came into the possession of Nathaniel Pear 

 then tenant on the Indian Hill Farm. She 



pix 



I will further observe, that though I think 'hataU, ^^^^_^^^j ^^ j,^^ ^^^^^^^^^ ^^.^^^^ ;„ j,,,^.^ j 

 the sorts that are worth preserving, may well be | ^|^^_^ ^ j.^^,^. ^^^^ ,,^^^1 ^ ^.^^^ ^|j g^g ^,,„^ 



designated the first season — yet I believfe that 

 some kinds do not give their full character until 

 the third year. 



From all the sorts that I shew the Committee 

 the last year, 1 planted only three — and one of 

 those I have now cast aside— the other two are 

 good — one of which is considered excellent — a 

 few of them arc at hand, and may he seen if there 

 is a desire for it. 



If I may not be in order, in addressing these 

 observations to you, please to let the full convic- 

 tion of their correctness, from my own experience, 

 apologize for me. 



I am, gentlemen, with respect, 



Your humble servant, 



DANIEL nURNlIAM. 



Xeicbunjpoti, Sept. 24, 182S 



long manuie, in a good soil. Enclosed yon ""'1 ,j^„,j,,„„rf,„„ „j- ji,, ^orts of Potatoes, the second \ 



see an account ol each kiiui. 1 •' - . i 



Ifl may not be ilioiight indi;corou.s, nor actu- 



ated by a pervcr.-o humor, at lieing cast from the 

 list of compelitors, 1 will take the liberty of oQer- 

 ing my dissent from the number of kinds reijuir- 

 eil witii my reasons liir it. It will at once be 

 ■aid, that the object of these expcriinents is to the 

 advantage of the coniiiiunity, by obtaining first 

 rate sorts of polatfies. Now in .so large a number 

 as is re<|uired, it may well be piesiuned, that there 

 will be quite a mimher, that would range with 

 tho.e of midilling promise. These kinds of seed 

 being somewhat novel, they would be received 

 and planterl with chccrlulnes.--, by very many not 

 acquainlcil with this iiieth(;d of gaining seeil, from 

 the expectation, that it would greatly improve — 

 diBBppoiiitment will surely be their reward, if they 

 shall fare no better than 1 have, for a nunilier of 

 years, by planling any other, than those sorts that 

 excel, cither for earliness, quality, or as abimdaiit 

 bearers. It appears to me quite plain, that the 

 most jiiilir.ion3 conducted experiment, (on which 

 tkio empliasis si'oins to rest,) enilvacing the whole 

 number required, may not have a single sort that 

 ought to havo another planting, and yet obtain the 

 boon ; while in another eflort of fewer kinds, 

 there might be one or niori' that would be a valu- 

 able ac ipiisition. Would not smli a result lead 

 with force against tho object ipf tho Society ? 

 Would it not be giving its favorn to numbers rath- 

 er than to worth ? Besides, would it not impress 

 a value on those, that it woiilil bo well to put 

 a.si'le, and depress the value of ihone that ought 

 U) ho retained ? Would not such an issue, tend 

 W) paralyze that apirit for these oxporimcntii, which 



season, from the seed cf the balls 

 Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4, appear in full growth. — 

 The stalks and leaves are full of sap. No. o was 

 at maturity about the middle of August. The 

 weight of tlaso average hills, of each kind, is put 

 against the numbers, viz : 



No. 1, - - 25 lbs. 



No. 2, - - 37 ' 



No. 3, - - 23 ' 



No. 4, - - 24 ' 



No. 5, - - 12 ' 



Although the product of some of the Nos. is 



heavy, yet from the iinwithered stale cf the stalks 



and leaves, 1 have no doubt, (if a frost shall not 



take them within two weeks) the weight will iniirli 



increase. From their greenness 1 presume their 



(|uality cannot be ascertained, except of No. 5. 



DANIEL 15LUNIIAM. 



DANIEL PUTNAM'S STATEMENT. 



To the Commiltie appointed by the Trustees of the 



Essex .igricuttural Socteli/, to examine claims for 



prtmitimsfur Potatoes raised from the Seed. 



(jENTLEME.n — In IH27, I planted the seeds of 



some potatoes so distinct, that I preserved the 



proilnce of each seed by itself. In the sprins of 



1828, I planted the dilferent kinds separate from 



each other in hills, about 4 feet apart, and ihu 



f(dlowing is the result of the experiment : — 



quart. 



the first of July, 1827, and calved with her p 

 ent calf the 7tli of .April last. She has had 

 other pasture bat the Commoti Pasture, this s 

 iner and autumn to the present time. She 

 had occasionally sorr^; corn stalks, soni"ti 

 some grass cut, and often a small qiuintit 

 shorts or wheat bran, with a little meal. She 

 not had any care or keeping with a view to 

 hibit her at the Cattle Show — and no ace 

 has been kept through the summer of the qui 

 ty of her milk. The determination to exhibit 

 did not occur till Friday last. I then gave d 

 tions that her milk should be measiirc'l, ni-lit 

 mornnig, anil her keeping the .same as bclor 

 Tlic result is as follows, in beer measure : — 

 September 19, Friday evening, 3 ipiari 



20, Saturday morning, 3J ' 

 ' evening, 3.^ • 



21, Sunday morning, 3i ■ 

 ' evening, 3 ' 



22, Monday morning, 3 

 ' evening, 3^ 



23, Tuesday morning, 3 

 ' evening, 3i • 



24, Wednesday morn. ZS ' 



' evening, 3A ' 



2-5, Thursday niorniiip, 3 ' 

 \Ve Iiavc kept an accurate account of the 

 tcr made from her milk, merely for private ■ 

 osily. I -would observe, that my family has 

 staiitly consisted of myself, wife, three chili 

 and ihj-ee domestics — a portion of the liino 

 family has been larger. This heifer has give 

 the milk used in the family, unil her cream 

 been daily useil for cofl'ee, and occa^ionally 

 domestic purposes. Wo have churned every 

 day, and the butter made is as follows : — 

 lbs. ozs. 

 May 23, 

 ' 30, 

 June 6, 

 ' L-J. 

 ' 20, 

 ■ 27 

 July 4. 

 • 11. 

 ' 18, 

 ' 25, 

 1, 

 8, 

 15 



Aug 



