4i 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Aug. 28, 1829. 



Further erlrarttfrom tlit PamphlH n/ the EtMX^AgrieiiJtural 



poT.\'r(M\S. 



1. For lli« bcsl i-umlucleil expcriniciil in tlic 

 rftisini,' of |)oljitoe5i, on not li'ss lliuii lialt' un iicro 

 of Iniiil, having rcguril lo quHiitity ami (|iiality ; 

 a (lutuilL'tl Hlulenibut of wliirli is to he furni^hcil 

 iht; Coniniitteo in writing, - fifteen dollars. 



For the next best do. do. - ten dollars. 



2. For the hcst condiirled experiment in the 

 raising' ol" I'olatoe:*, from the seed of the a|i|iles 

 or green halls — samples of not less than four 

 <]uarts from each seed, of tlie second year's 

 growth, and the produce of not less than twelve 

 seeds, to be produced at the Society's exhibition 

 in 1829, .... ten dollars. 



For tho next do. do. - five dollars. 



Remarks on raising Potatoes from the Seed, by Col. 



Pickering. 



To prevent errors and mistakes in prosecuting 

 experiments, every intended claimant is desired 

 to take notice — 



1. That seeing the seeds in the same ball will 

 produce various sorts of potatoes, it will be indi.s- 

 pen ably necessary that each yoiin^' plant grows 

 at the distance of eight or ten inches from any 

 other. 



2. That in auturnn, or as soon as the vines, or 

 stems of the planis die, and the young potatoes 

 are dug up, those of each plant are to bo saved 

 by themselves ; and it will be easy to put each 

 sort in a separate paper bag. These potatoes will 

 be very small, perhaps from the size of a pigeon's 

 down to that of a sparrow's egg. 



3. In the ensuing spring, the potatoes of each 

 sort, that is, the potatoes in each bag, must be 

 planted by themselves; and if not in distinct rows, 

 then stakes, driven into the ground, should mark 

 the divisions of the several sorts in the same row, 

 leaving a space of about two (eet between one 

 sort and another, to guard against any mixture. 



4. In the time for harvesting them in the 

 second year, the potatoes, if grown in a good soil, 

 will be large enough to be boiled, to ascertain 

 their qualities. Each sort may be tried by itself 

 Such as are watery, or ill-flavored, must be at 

 once thrown aside, for the use of live stock. 

 Every other .sort, so valuable as to be thought 

 worth cultivating, must bo kept unmixed, by put- 

 ting each kind into a separate bag, box, or cask. 

 And such of these as the experimenter thinks' 

 Diay fairly entitle him to a premium, he will bring 

 a sample of — not less than half a ])cck of each 

 sort — to the place of public exhibition. 



Perhaps it may be thought that the exactness 

 above proposed and required is unnecessary. But 

 let it be recollected, that tliise experiments are 

 proposed, not to gratify curiosity, but to obtain 

 several sorts of potatoes, of superior excellence, 

 to be imparted from farmer to fanner, throughout 

 the county ; of whom some may prefer one im- 

 proved sort, soirie another, for their own tables, 

 and to supply their customers in the market towns, 

 who itiay have like preferences. Snc-h exactness 

 in ki'C|<ing the products from each original plant 

 is tin nion; necessary, because they may possess 

 very ditferent fpnilitics from the proihn'ts of other 

 pl.inis, which may have the same uppearancc in 

 si/.c, shape and color. 



It hasscenii-il to me, that while potatoes from 

 the more northern climes degenerated, those from 

 inori! southern regiofis gradually improved, in 

 quality. This, I believe, has bceti generally per- 



ceived in the case of the long red potato, now 

 .almost universally cultivated, and the most pro- 

 ductive of any sort at present known amongst us. 

 It is somi'times called the Kiver Plate potato. But 

 while it has been improving in (piality, it has, as 

 far as my observation extends, become less pro- 

 ductive. The best early potatoes 1 ever planted 

 sprung from a handful of small ones I brought 

 from Maryland, many years ago. They became 

 mealy and well flavored. 



It was formerly the prevailing opinion, that dry, 

 warm lands, such as sandy loams, were the best 

 for producing good potatoes. 1 have long been 

 satislied that they were the worst ; at least when 

 no farther north than Massachusetts. — Lanca- 

 shire, a western county in England, and Ireland, 

 are distinguished for producing fine potatoes. Ire- 

 land is remarkable for the moisture of its climate; 

 and the western coast of England is more moist 

 than the eastern. Both are many degrees farther 

 north than .Massachusetts, and are exempt from 

 the droughts and burning heats of our summers. 

 These circumstances suggest the propriety of 

 our planting potatoes on moist and cool grounds ; 

 thus in some measure assimilated to the soils of 

 Ireland and Lancashire ; and I may add, of Nova- 

 Scotia and New Brunswick. 



FOR IMPROVING OUR NATIVE BREED 

 OF CATTLE. 



To the person who shall produce at the pub- 

 lic exhibition of the Society, in either of the 

 years 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1833, or 1834, 

 — any number of milch cows, not less than four, 

 of our native breeds, showing manifest improve- 

 ment therein, by an important increase in the 

 quantity, and maintaining, at least, if not im- 

 proving, the good quality of milk ; the latter to 

 be tested by the quantities of butter made in the 

 five months next preceding the e.xliibition — 



For the best, ... thirty dollars. 



For the next best, - twenty-five dollars. 



For the third, ... twenty dollars. 



To the person who shall produce as aforesaid, 



the best pair of working oxen, or well grown and 



well trained steers, raised in the County, and 



improved on the principles hereinafter mentioned, 



twenty dollars. 



For the second best, - - fifteen dollars. 



For the third, ... ten dollars. 



To the person who shall produce as aforesaid, 

 the best hull of our native breed, raised in the 

 County, and improved ou the same principles, 



twenty dollars. 



For the second best, - - fifteen dollars. 



For the third, .... ten dollars. 

 Remarks on improving our native breed of neat cat- 

 tle, by Col. Picktring. 



The first most celebrated breeder of live stock, 

 in England, was the late Robert Bakewell ; to 

 whom, Mr .\rthur Young says, that country is in- 

 debted for just principles of breeding. And a later 

 eniinent brfeder says, that "before Mr Bakcwcll's 

 ilays, we had no criterion hut size ; nothing woidd 

 please but «'le]ihants and giants." And he ile- 

 clarcs " that Itakewcll enabled those who fiillowed 

 his ideas to produce two pounds of nmtlon, where 

 only on(! was produced before." The following 

 were the points to which Hakewell s]iecinlly at- 

 tended : — " fine forms, small bones, and a true 

 disposition to make ready fat : which indeed is 

 inseparable from snudi bones, or rather fine bones 

 and fine forms, or true bj nunotry of the parts." 



But Bake well's prime object, in improving cat f0ii> 

 tie and sheep, was to render his animals mo* ^i 

 profitable in beef and mutton. .\iu\ he succeedei .itKti 

 in obtaining foreiis indicating strength ofconstitutiot ii0 

 — a disposition to fatten, ami at an early age — ictighi ^ i 

 iness in the most valuable parts — tcith lightness O ^ il 

 offals. If there was u deficiency in any point, hi k 

 would cross his animal with one that was ampi; ^<liiij 

 supplied in that part ; and if any point of hisani .f^pn 

 mal was too heavy, by an opposite cross he wouk Ugi 

 reduce the superfluity. By such inanagemem f^it 

 diligently pursued, he at length gave to his stoat ^■ 

 the shape and qualities he desired. ^^^ 



So far as we breed domestic animals in thi £«;: 

 county — and the observation will apply to ou 

 whole stare, and generally to all .New Englanc 

 we must extend our views beyond beef and mul , 

 ton ; ami with the former combine milk, butlei . . 

 and cheese, and a fitness for labor ; and togethe 

 with mutton, aim at the greatest quantity of tb< 

 most useful tpool. 



If Bakewell could alter the shape of his cattle . 

 and lay flesh and fat on the most valuable joints— v 

 as was the fact — can it be doubted that, by simi . 

 lar attention, the quantity and (piality of the mill 

 of our cows may be increased anil enriched ? Bu 

 to obtain this improvement, calves should be raise* i. - 

 from such cows only as excel in these two pan i Cii 

 ticulars. j; s 



It .-eems to be the best opinion, that of the dif 

 ferent breeds of live stock, those of the larL'es 

 size are not the most profitable. The breed o j^. 

 cattle, however, should be such as to produc* Jll/ 

 o.xen, a single pair of which, at their full growth t : 

 should have strength sutVicient, on proper tillagi 

 land, with well formed ploughs, to open a furrow 

 to the depth of five, or even of six inches. .\. 

 to the form of the ditferent kinds of live stock, ai 

 eminent naturalist and farmer in Englainl liai 

 thus expressed his opinion : — " The more dcel 

 and capacious the chest, anil the shorter and low . 

 er an animal is, relative to its weight, the bcite 

 adapted it will be lo live and fatten on little lood 

 the more labor it will go through ; and I havi , 

 always found the most short legged oxen to bi 

 the best laborers." 



The foregoing rules of breeding, and ilescriptioi 

 of good live stock, being the result of tlie experin st>'. 

 ence of eminent English farmers and breederw *-" 

 merit the particular attention of all who shall at- 

 t<Mni)t to improve upon our present races i 

 niestic animals ; and arc here introduced to fur- 

 nish thetn with useful infornuition. And in th« 

 hope anil expectation that such improvement! 

 will be undertaken, the foregoing premiimis arel 

 ollVred. I 



It will reailily be admitted that our live strickj 

 itemand great improvements; and no oni' «il|k 

 question whether such improvements are practica-t 

 blc. They ought then to he attempted. It willt 

 avail little to bestow premiums merely fiirtlie l^est- 

 that shall be produced ; for such premiiuns mi:,'liti 

 be given fiir a century, without effecting any real, 

 improvements ; and thus, as to live stock, defeat 

 the object fiir which the Society was fi>rnied. ■ 

 The known excellency of some oxen and cows, of 

 our notive breed, give assurance to judicious and' 

 enterprising farmers, that their nimibers may hm '■■ 

 multiplied by ohsi^rving the well-tried rules oil ' 

 breedioft. ) i' 



The best hulls and cows do not always pr 

 (luce a progeny eipnil to the parents ; hut cxj: 

 rienco has shown, that from such only the highe 

 iinprovoinouts may be expected. The saml 



