FOR THK NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



. together ; wliich,! think, must have been observed, 

 and tliat seeding heavily, and manuring largely, 

 I and planting far a])art, potatoes did not do as well, 

 — I which has been attributed to their not shading the 



CULTURE OF POTATOES. i ground to retain moisture. I have observed also, 



la Fesse.vdf.x— I have been a constant reader j that in places where manure was plentifully used 

 your valuable paper for many years, and oc- in the hills and it became quite dry bordering on 

 ioually have thought 1 could add a little from a drought, that on digging the potatoes the man- 

 stock of observjitions that would be useful; urc was found dry and" mouldy, and in some in- 

 'tlidence has hitherto prevented my contribu- 1, stances changed to a hard cake ; in others I have 

 s ; a diffidence growing out of conscious want ' (ouud it moist, and little roots in it ; such, j)crhaps, 

 1 tiiorough knowledge of the subjects which :is came from the neighboring hills ; and seldom 

 e claimed my attention. But when I consider | ever any large ones, or potatoes imbedded in the 

 r readers somewhat like the classes in a moni-j manure. It is apparent to everyone of much re- 



M 





PuUished by Jobn B. Russell, at jV». 52 JYorth Market Hired, (at the Jlgricullural Warehouse). — Thomas G. Fessenden Editor. 



VOL. VIII. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1829. 



No. 20. 



AGRICUL,TURE. 



al school, and that I may consider myself as a, 

 iiitor to some of the lower classes, I am induced 

 /vrite a lesson, which you will use your discre- 



whether to present to the school or not. 

 Juch has been said on the culture of Potatoes, 



flection, that manure must be dissolved and pre- 

 paroil by dilution before plants can take it uj) 

 as food for their growth ; when it is spread, we 

 nBver find it in digging the potatoes ; it has been 

 (.'issolvcd and taken up by the plants, or transfused 

 ir quality, manner of rearing new varieties, fcc'int" t'le earth. I have found in all cases that my 

 no one has recommended what I conceive to. potatoes planted on manure, or in manure, or un- 

 the best method of planting and manuring! der it, in hills less in number, and less in size, and 

 m ; my method has been for some years thefol-jof a poorer quality than those planted as above 

 ing, after trying most of the plans of preparing described, where the manure was spread I have 



i and planting, treated of in the New England 

 ;?, and deciding upon this as the best. I 

 ;ad all my manure on the ground after once 

 igUing it, then cross plough lightly to cover the 

 lure, then furrow it three feet apart. In these 

 ows I place whole potatoes of full growth, 

 n IS to 20 inches apart, and cover them from 

 to 2 inches deep, regardless of there being 

 's both ways. These furrows I draw horizon- 

 on side hills, where the land is subject c„ 

 ugbt, that they may catch and hold the occasion- 

 howers, till the water is absorbed by the earth, 

 when I hill potatoes, as it is called, I continue 



hill the whole length of the row, in order to 

 e advantage of the rains ; if furrowed in an 

 posite manner the water runs off, and much is 



to the crop. On wet laud, where water is li- 

 e to stand to the damage of the crop, I row up 

 1 down the hill or declivity, to facilitate the 

 ining. 



[ ani convinced that spreading the manure dou- 

 5 the advantage of it ; that is, one-half of the 

 mliiy, and of the same quality Will produce as 

 ch benefit as double the quantity put into the 

 s with the seed, as is the usual method. 

 i would not proceed to give any reason for this, 

 [ thought my method would be tried, but from 



obstinate adherence of some of my acquaint- 

 es to their old customs, who woukl regard my 

 nions on some subjects, but cannot think of any 

 irovemeut in planting or manuring potatoes 

 be discovered by the present generation ; 

 ich would imply that their fathers had not all 

 jwledge on the simple subject of planting and 

 nuring potatoes. 

 [ have observed the roots on which potatoes 



w, spread from two to four feet in every dircc- 

 1 from the top or main stalk, consequently drew 

 «i|triment from the soil of a surface from 4 to 8 

 t diameter, and in the old way of planting, the 

 its may be traced from hill to hill, or the advan- 



trie(l the experiment in the same field, with the 

 same kind of seed, and the same quantity of ma- 

 nme, and seen the parallel as near as I could. 

 Wl ether potatoes layiug so near, or in contact 

 wii 1 ths manure, gives them a strong taste, I leave 

 for the higher clas.ses of the school to decide. 

 Moisture is necessary to dilute and prepare ma- 

 nure for food to plants, which, if put into the 

 ground in shovels full, often dries uj), and resists 

 ._ic moisture through t'.ie summer, and is wasted 

 by evaporation, &c. I am therefore particular, 

 when 1 spread mine, to cover it as soon as I can, 

 to prevent evaporation. 



I have compelled two exiierienced farmers, who 

 learned of their fathers, and had planted potatoes 

 before 1 was born, and are considered good farm- 

 ers, to spread the manure on lands they took of 

 me, as one of the conditions of the lease ; both of 

 whom reluctantly agreed to this condition, and 

 both were convinced after trial, that spreading the 

 manure saved much labor in planting, and made 

 larger and better cro])s. These two farmers now 

 preach and practice my doctrine, on planting pota- 

 toes, and as local preachers, have got some pro- 

 selytes. Respectfully, yours, &c. II. L. S. 



JVov. 28, 1829. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



NATIVE GRAPES, &c. 



Mr Fessenden — We have the pleasure to in- 

 form the Members of the Massachusetts Horticul- 

 tural Society, that by the arrival of the packet 

 ship Boston, Capt. Mackay, the President has re- 

 ceived from our patriotic and venerable Honorary 

 associate, James Maury, Esq. late Consul of the 

 United States, residing at Liverpool, England, a 

 package of flower seeds, composing many valuablip 

 varieties, which will be distributed at the stated 

 meeting of the Society, on Saturday, the 5th 

 instant. 



A letter has also been received from John An- 

 te of manure would be still smaller than it has] ldm, Esq. Proprietor of the Vineyard near Georga- 

 n. And this, I think, accounts for potatoes town, D. C, advising that he had forwarded to the 

 (wing better when they were planted nearer! President of the Society, specimens of his Tokay, 



Champaign, Catawba, Adlum's Madeira, the latter 

 from the Bland's grape, and another, which he 

 denominates " Domestic Wine," made from the 

 Schu;ilki!l Mitscadii*, and other grapes. Some 

 specimens of the Golden Sioux Corn. A few 

 Cral) Apples, indigenous — "none of which," he 

 remarks, " I ever .saw growing north of this neigh- 

 borhood. The trccsarenot so large as the common 

 wild crab, and arc very great bearers." Also, a 

 few Apples of the second, and third crop, from the 

 same tree.. " These apples are not sent you as be- 

 ing of any value, but merely to shew one of 

 the unaccountable sports of nature." Also, " two 

 Treatises on the Cultivation of the Vineyard, and 

 making wine, with a jjamphlet to each ; oae for ' 

 the President, the other for the Library of the So- 

 ciety." 



Maj. Adhtm further remarks, that, "this haa 

 been the worst year for ripening fruit since 1816. 

 My Bland's Madeira grapes did not rijien this sea- 

 son, and are now hanging on the vines unripe, 

 thougli we had no frost until the 12th inst. (No- 

 vember,) and more than three-fourths of our 

 peaches rotted, and dried on the trees, about the 

 time they had their full growth. Even threo- 

 fonrths of the Hickory nuts are void of kernels 

 this year, although they otherwise appear to have 

 come to maturity." 



The writer has been favored with a comraiiDi- 

 cation from Mr Robert Carr, the proprietor of 

 Bartram's Garden, near Philadelphia. Mr Carb 

 is one of our most intelligent, liberal and patriotic 

 cultivators. He says, " the Orwigsburg is not a 

 native gra-i.' ; .'. is p''obably a seedling from the 

 Green Yehow Provoiico, (which I have now sent 

 you.) I had the latter from Zerbst, in Prussia. It 

 is an excellent, and early white table grape, 

 branches long, berries round, and is hardy here, 

 and an excellent bearer. I do not think that the 

 Bland's grape will ripen well north of Philadelphia; 

 it did not ripen here this year, better than our 

 foreign vines. It is a hybrid grape, raised by Mr 

 Mazzei, in Virginia, prevjous to the revolutionary 

 war. Colonel Blanu of Virginia, brought the 

 cuttings to IMr William Bartram, during, or 

 soon after the Revolution, (we have the roots yet 

 growing.) I was attending the Court as a juror, 

 when your plants were put up, or I would have 

 sent you some cuttings of the true Bland's. You 

 shall have tliem by some other opportunity, as I 

 have many large vines. 



" The Hausteretto is the very best red graf.e 

 that I know yet, it is better than the Blaek Ham- 

 burg." 



From the information derived from these com- 

 munications, it would seem that our climate is 

 better suited to the culture and maturity of the 

 grajjc, than those of the vicinity of Washington 

 and Philadelphia, or else that the variety known 

 here, and supposed to be the "Bland's," is not 

 the same variety cultivated under that denomina- 

 tion there. We are not inclined, however, to the 

 latter opinion, for we think the description given 

 by the southern cultivators of this fruit, compares 

 so well with that produced by Mr Seaver of 



"Alexander's, Spring Mill Conslanlia, Cape of Good Hope. 

 This grape is known by these several synonymcs. 



