1836.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



425 



to my ohservation. If" a variety be planted on a 

 soil tlitiereiii f'roiri that in which it has succeeded, 

 it may tail, and I have known this to happen. 



On the whole, I conceive ihat ihe object of the 

 Society can be best attained by the recommenda- 

 tion to every one interested in tlie cuhure of po- 

 tatoes, to raise new varities li'oni seeds. Seed- 

 lings rejected, 1 mean the second year's produce, 

 need not be thrown awaj', but given to cuttle or 

 pigs, so that the space occupied by the plants can- 

 not be said to have been misappHed. 



Since the above notices were written, extensive 

 and accurate experiments have been made in the 

 garden of the London Horticultural Society, in 

 relerence to the question, wheth'jr it is best to plant 

 sets or whole potatoes. I had long since found 

 that sets were best. The first experiment made, 

 seemed, however, in favor of whole potatoes; 

 but I pressed a repetition, and also repeated the 

 experiments myself, and the question has now 

 been finally decided in favor of sets. It might 

 perhaps be of use that a well prepared abstract of 

 the papers in the horticultural transactions should 

 be drawn out fur the Quarterly Journal. A great 

 deal of nonsense has been published about the 

 remarkable failures of the potato crop in different 

 places. The thing is still a mystery, which may 

 not be cleared up for some time. It appears that 

 early planting gives heavier crops than late jjlant- 

 ing. 



TO PREPARE ORCHARD GRASS SEED FOR 

 SOW^^G. 



The best seed is liable to Hiil, and this is the 

 only difficulty, of any consequence experienced 

 in the cultivation of this desirable and productive 

 grass. 



It is recommended to prepare the seed for sov/- 

 ingj so that it will come up, and grow as well as 

 any other grass seed, to moisten ttie seed before 

 sowing by spreading it, not very thin, on a floor, 

 and with a watering pot sprinkle the seed pretty 

 well, then mix all well together with a rake ; i( 

 it does not appear damp enough next day, add 

 more water, the seed being light it will absorb 

 a good deal ; and immediately before sowing, 

 spread as much plaster of paris as will bring it lo 

 a crood state. — Yankee Far. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH MIXTURES OF ASHES, 

 GYPSUM, LIME, &C. APPLIED TO CORN, 

 WHEN PLANTED. 



To the Editor of the Fanners' Register. 



October 9th, 1836. 



Should the following statement of experiments, 

 made in jjlanting this season's crop of corn, 

 (though presenting negative results,) be thought 

 of any importance to the readers of your valuable 

 Register, it is at your service. 



Experiment 1st. — 2 bushels of leached ashes, 

 and 1 bushel of gypsum. 



Experiment 2d. — 2 bushels of unleached ashes, 

 and 1 bushel of gypsum. 



ExperimentSd. — 1| bushels ofunleached ashes, 

 1 bushel of gypsum, and 1 gallon of salt. 



Experiment 4th. — 1^ bushels of unleached n^h- 



VoL. IV— 54 



es, 1 bushel of gypsum, and ^ bushel of caustic 

 hme. 



The above four compounds were separately ap- 

 plied on a marked length of five rows, at the rate 

 of a full handful to each hill of corn, previous to 

 covering, with six rows intervening between each 

 experiment without any application — the soil of 

 the whole being of good quality, and presenting a 

 favorable opportunity for judging of the results. 



Experiment oih. — 17?^- bushels of leached ashes, 

 55 bushels of gypsum, and two bushels of caustic 

 lime: this mixture vvas also applied at the rate of 

 a fijil handful to each hill of corn, with intervening 

 rows without any application. 



Experiment 6th. — 16 Bushels of unleached 

 ashes, 5k bushels of gypsum, and 2 bushels of 

 caustic lime, applied in the same proportion to 

 each hill, as in the preceeding experiments, and 

 also with intervening rows without any applica- 

 tion. 



Experiment 7lh. — 20 bushels of gypsum, 2 

 bushels of caustic lime, and 2 pounds of sul|)hur: 

 this mixture was applied in various proportions, 

 from a handful to 2 hills of corn, to the same 

 quantify on 4. Connected with and forming a 

 part of this experiment, were 5 bushels of gypsum 

 deprived of its water by heating, and a[;p!ied at 

 the rate of a handful to two hills of corn. A few 

 days ago when cutting down this corn, I found 

 that the gypsum, though artificially deprived of its 

 constituent proportion of water, had on coming in 

 contact with the water in the soil, re-absorbed it, 

 and formed into a hard cake, very slightly mixed 

 with particles of the soil: from this I infer that 

 nrypsum thut prepared, cannot properly or benefi- 

 ciallv be applied in such quantities as in the above 

 experiment. None of the gypsum used in this 

 experiment without being deprived of its water, 

 thouErh applied in the samequatitities to each hill, 

 can now be seen. 



These experiments cover a space of ground al- 

 together, of nearly 40 acres, on soils presenting 

 considerable difference, and so arranced as plain- 

 ly to exhibit any benefit which might have been 

 derived from them, and every care was used in the 

 due application of the ditlerent mixtures, and not 

 without hope of considerable benefit: in this, 

 however, I am disappointed, as not the slightest 

 apparent benefit has been derived fiom any of 

 these experiments. 



Similar experiments made with ashes and gyp- 

 sum by others, as reported in the Retrister, and 

 other agricultural periodicals, present highly be- 

 neficial results, not only in the increased growth 

 of the corn, but in protecting it from the ravages 

 of insects and crows. In this latter supposed be- 

 nefit, I derived as little apparent good as in the 

 growth of corn. What causes may have opera- 

 ted to produce this difference in results, in experi- 

 ments so nearly alike, cannot probably be accu- 

 rately known. All of the soil on which the above 

 experiments were made, had been rendered calca- 

 reous by the fiee use of marl, which may so far 

 account for the want of benefit from tlie applica- 

 tion of the ashes and lime. That no benefit vvas de- 

 rived from this liberal use of gypsum, I attribute 

 to the soil already containing a sufficient proportion 

 of that combination of lime for fertilizing purpo- 

 ses. In this belief, I am strengthened by having 

 applied it to clover sown amongst the corn in the 

 same field, and adjoining these experimenip : a 



