218 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Jan. 29, 1S30 



Essex, ss. .Vol'. 28, 1829. — Pfi-soiially ai)penrcil 

 ihc before imiiicd Trislrani Little, lUiiry Little, 

 and Pike Noycs, ami made oath to tlio al'oregoing 

 statements by lliem .severally subscribed before 

 me. S1L.\S MOODY, Justice of Peace. 



Mr Joii.N r. U'l-.iiBER of Beverly, has made ex- 

 jicrimenls wliicli iiiiist liave (.-aiiscd him some 

 care, rclalinj,' to the r|iiestion so fruiiriil of cxperi- 

 mctits, but not yot decided, whttlieril i.^ most pro- 

 fitable to idant large of .'^niall potalor.-c, whole or 

 in parts. The Committee advise that his state- 

 ment be printed, as affording results which may 

 lead to further trials. It is really very desirable 

 to ascertain whether this valuable ailiclc of food 

 can be had in equal qtiantity from a much smaller 

 amount of seed, by culling, — since we usually 

 plant about 2') bushels of good whole potatoes to 

 an acre. No premium has been olVercd for expe- 

 riments of this kind. 



Dec. 1829. 



E.\periments tried by John P. Webbkr of Beverly, 

 Mass. in the cultivation of Potatoes, in 1829. 

 The land on which the potatoes were raisedi 



was manured alike, and the land of one quality) 



and newly broken up. 



1. I planted four hills with one large potato in 



each hill, and dug from the same, potatoes 



weighing 12,^ lbs. 



Took potatoes of the same size, anil cut them 



in six pieces, and made the following experimfiiits, 



in four hills, viz : — 



2. Put Cuur pieces in each hill, and dug therefrom 



potatoes weighing 12 lbs. 



3. Put three pieces in each hill, and dug 



therefrom jiotatoes weighing 13 ' 



4. Put two pieces in each hill and dug 14.^ ' 



5. Put one piece in each hill, and dug 9 ' 



6. Planted four hills with one small potato, 



and dug 9^ ' 



7. Planted four hills with eyes of the po- 



tato, and dug 4jf ' 



Six experiments were with small potatoes, about 

 the size of hens' eggs. JOHN P. WEBBER. 

 Beverly, {Mass.) Oct. 12, 1829. 



Jou.N H. CoBn, Esq. of Dcilliam has presented 

 an interesting account of his While Mulberry trees, 

 of his Silk, and of his Silk Worms. The pren.ium 

 proposed liy the Trustees, on Mullicrry Trees can- 

 not be awarded till 1832 ; — and the quantity of 

 silk offered by Mr Cobb is not suflicient to I'lilitle 

 liim to that premium. In the hope that this gen- 

 tleman'.s example will be followed by others, in a 

 pursuit that seems so likely to succeed well in 

 Massachusetts, the Committee subjoin the follow, 

 ing abstract of his statement. 



Mr CoBii's plantations of Mulberry trees, in 

 Dedham, arc in fom- inclosures, contaiinng in the 

 whole about twenty acres; the trees, 641 in mim- 

 bcr, are set about thirty feet apart, are from one to 

 five feet in height, and inteinliMl as standard trees. 

 The young plants, in drills, from one to five inches 

 high, are supposcil to amount to ten thousand. — 

 Mr Cobb exhibited before the llc.rticidtural Soci- 

 ety, in August last, six pounrls of raw silk. Me 

 had at work, in July last, about eight thousand in- 

 sects. 



Dec. 1829. 



Mr Jacob I)KA.irK,of Mansfield, in the County 

 of Bristol, claiinH the premium of S.'iO, " for the 



best A])ple Orchard," and it is the only claim of 

 the kind made thisyear. Ilisstatemcnt is, that, since 

 1820, he has set out, ami now has on his farm, 226 

 apple trees. Sixtynine of ihein were set in 1828 ' 

 and 1829. Thirty of them have not bi-cn grafted 

 — and were set out in 1827. llis trees are not 

 in a set orchard, being placed along the walls, and 

 not all in one inclosurc. This circumstance ought 

 not, perhajis, to form an objection, though no ap- 

 plicatioti ofa similar kind has ever been iircsenled. 

 The management of Mr Ueamk's trees, while 

 there is nothing new or uncommon in it, seems 

 judicious and deserving of jiraise. On an atten- 

 tive examination of Mr Deane's statement, how- 

 ever, it does not appear to the Cottimittea that 

 his orcharding is so well entitled to the j)remiuni 

 as some others which were seen by the Trustees 

 in 1827. In that year, four fine orchards were 

 visited by the Trustees, Mr IIardv's, Mr Bald- 

 win's Mr Davis', and Mr Piii.nnev's. One pre- 

 mium only was oflfere<l, and that was awarded to 

 Mr Hardy, not so imich from its being better or 

 more judiciously managed than the others, as for 

 its having a nmch greater nund)er of trees. To 

 the other competitors the Trustees gave gratuities, 

 one of S20, and two of $10 each. A rule of the 

 Trustees is, that " vvlienever, merely from want of 

 competition, any of the claimants may be consid- 

 .ered entitled to the |iremiuin, under a literal con- 

 struction, — yet if, in the opinion of the judges, 

 the object so offered, is not de-serving ofa reward, 

 they have a right to reject such claims." Uiide.' 

 these circumstances, not feeling justified in recoii- 

 mending the payment of the $50 to Mr Deane, 

 they pro|)ose to allow him a gratuity of $15- 

 Dec. 1829. 



Mr William Clark, Jr. of Northampton, en- 

 tered a claim for the premium for 1832, for at) 

 acre of Locust Trees. 



Dec. 1829. 



FOR THK NEU ENGI.AKl' FAKMIiR. 



ON POTATOES. 

 Mr Editor — Several communications on the 

 culture of potatoes have lately enriched the co- 

 lumns of the New England Farmer, and, truly, 

 {\-\v subjects could be of more interest to the ge- 

 nerality of your readers, this root having become 

 an article of great im])ortancc both to the grower, 

 aixl to the eonsimier, and, as it appears to ine, will 

 increase yet greatly in estimation and iiscfidncss, 

 by its aptitude, when of a good quality, and un- 

 der proper nninagiMuent, to be worked with wheat- 

 en flour into excellent bread. The attention of the 

 farmer should be particidarly directed, in the 

 raising of potatoes, to that choice of soil, of ma- 

 nure, and manner of cultivation, which arc moKt 

 likely to procure excellence ; because as it relates 

 more particularly to the table, nothing is more de- 

 sirable than a fine potato, and nothing so intolera- 

 ble as a poor one. Long experience has convinceil 

 me, that a coot bottom is indispensable toraisea 

 line potato ; lience, deep loams, which even in 

 times of drought will continue to hold moisture 

 eiiciugh below, to send up a cool steam to thesur- 

 Cicc, will in general answer very well ; but of all 

 soils, the first, and tht; best, is the snil of a re- 

 claimed meadow, [a Jiog] drained and lani out in 

 that en'octiial way, that the water should be nndiM- 

 cominand, anil that the surface should, if pussibit, 

 never bo wet nor miry in the season when tie 

 crop is on ; such soil is sure to give a good crop 



if mealy potatoes, and of a mild pleasant fla\ 

 The cool eflluvia whieli continually keep,^ asce 

 ing from below, increases in proportion as 

 surface is heated ; the never failing dew of 

 nights, will defy the severest droughts, and i 

 all abundant crop there, when the best upli 

 loams may fail. 



I have of late years brought to cultivation, j 

 of a nil .idow, which, before, was covered v 

 bushes, and very unproductive ; the depth of 

 mud is from six to twelve feet ; the top is g 

 peat, and by means of drains and of bankin 

 have now secured it against licing annoyed 

 water. Last season I raised there some blue 

 latoes, (the seed ten years since from Nova Sco 

 and having sent a saiii|dc of them to a respet 

 friend of mine, who owns lands of the same 

 ; nomination, and conteinplaleit to reclaim them 

 j he expres.sed himself as follows, in a letter I 

 Iceived from him ; — "lean, from the proof 

 I lived from the eating, ])ronounce the cro|> ofv 

 meadow to be of the first quality." The seas 

 Ion the meadows are shorter than on the uplai 

 the soil there is not in fit situation for planting 

 jfore the beginning of June, and in fall the w 

 frost comes on earlier. 1 planted the llili of Ji 

 and harvested on the 22d of September; the s 

 I adapted for planting or. meadow ground, are tl 

 of a quick growth, the blues and the wliites, 

 in fact, from the great aptitude of that soil fc 

 potato croj), the same kinds will come to per 

 tion and maturity there, quicker than they wc 

 upon the upland. 



However excellent I hold a well drained n 

 (low soil fur the culture of potatoes, yet tl 

 is no doubt that in very wet seasons, when he 

 rains come on in succession, the spongy soil . 

 meadow, if it is ever so well drained, may ev 

 iially get drenched, in which case the crop is I 

 ly to be injured ; in such seasons, thin upli 

 with gravelly bottom may do well, which at o 

 limes would give but scanty crops of an iiifi 

 quality. A soil just reclaimed from nature 

 give |)otatoes of the best quality. Grass 

 just broke up, will prove, in general, very fa\ 

 ble, both for quantity and quality ; the furr 

 should be well turned, and then harrowed the > 

 way, lightly, taking care not to disturb the s\\ 

 which will ferment, and be the best dressiii:: 

 that crop. Grounds which arc situated near I 

 cities, and have been long an(|| heavily em i 

 with dung, will yield great crops, but leldoni 

 good (pialily. 



litspecting the most proper lime for plantins: ' 

 neral crop intended fur the trinter consumptiv 

 conceive that it is the first days of June, in .- 

 manner that it may cnme to ripeness about 

 time in the fidi when the first frosts take pi 

 and not sooner. If potatoes ripen sooner. I 

 have to lay in the hot ground, or if dug, they I 

 to go down warm, into a warm cellar, which 

 variably will injure their quality, and occasion 

 may set them to fcrineiit and decay. 1 tliii. 

 favorable fur the quality of lliat root to liaM- 

 frost pass over the ground, before they are la 

 out, that they may get perfecily cooled before t 

 are cellared ; from this general rule for the t 

 of planting, the Imui; /fri/ should be excepted 

 its gri svih IS much slower than any othci 

 requires the whole length of our .leasons to at 

 a full ripeness, without which the quality will 

 acquire its wonted excellence, anil the ends 

 remain watery. They 'should bo planleil na s 



