182 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



DEC. 7, 1st 3 



AND HORTICULTURAL RKGI3TER. 



Boston, WKDHEsnAv, December 7, 18'12. 



POTATOF.S— SHOULD THE SEKD BE CUT OR 

 UNCUT?— SHOULD THE CUT SEKl) BE ROLL- 

 KD IN PLASTER?— A TRIAL. 



Last spring, we designed to add another to the experi- 

 ments that liave been made to determine whether it is 

 best to cut the potatoes ihtit we ime for Becd, or to pnt 

 them into the ground whole. We made the trial, hut it 

 is not to be regarded as of great value; for though wn 

 did our part faithfully, circumstances beyond our con- 

 trol, diminished the value of the experrmrnt. 



In December last, the land on which the potatoes grow, 

 was, much of it, covered with a thick growth of alders. 

 It had not been plowed within the memory of any one 

 now living near it, and perhaps wag never before plow- 

 ed. The soil was various— some of it a clayey loam, 

 some black or very dark vegetable mould mixed with 



loam and some nearly swamp mud or muck. But 



these different kinds were so distributed, that each row 

 or drill passed over each variety of soil, and the soil of 

 each row, as a whole, was of about the same fertility. 

 The alder roots, and the many brake roots, made the 

 field difficult to work : it was a rough piece, and one 

 great object in planting being to subdue and pulverize 

 the ground, very little manure was applied. As near as 

 we remember, four loads of barn-cellar compost, which 

 was more than half meadow mud and straw, mixed with 

 seven loads of meadow mud, al.so 200 pounds of soap- 

 boilers' scraps mixed with four loads of meadow nuid — 

 in all 15 loads of this cheap compost— was put in the 

 drills on an acre or more. Each row had an equal share 

 ol the different composts, and each compost did about 

 equally well. 



The soil was prevailingly wet and heavy. The great 

 rains of June very seriously injured the plants. The 

 tops generally turned yellow, and the seed rotted prema- 

 turely. Also the rains of August and September were 

 too great for this land. These are the circumstances al- 

 luded to above, which make the trial less valuable than 

 we hoped it would be. The crop was very light— vary- 

 ing but little from 120 bushels per acre. But since the 

 adverse influences acted pretty equally upon the ditie- 

 ront rows, we think it best to make public the results. 



This land after having been plowed and harrowed as 

 well as its rooty and tough condition permitted, was 

 marked olT with a large plow into drills four feet apart ; 

 each drill was thirteen or fourteen rods long. 



Two kiuds of potatoes were used in the trials. Onn 

 trial was to ascertain which of the two kinds was most 

 productive— another, to learn the eflecls of cutting seed 

 — another, to find the difference in productiveness be- 

 tween large and small seed — and a fourth, to ascertain 

 the effect of rolling cut seed in plaster. The kinds were, 

 one the " Merino," obtained from Pittsfield, Berkshire 

 county — the other. Long Reds, grown on a neighboring 

 farm to ours in Essex county. The two kinds are simi- 

 lar in appearance, hut are doubtless distinct varieties. 

 We took four barrels of the Merino, and selected out a 

 bushel and an half of the smallest, and likewise two 

 bushels of large ones, bul not the largest. The very lar- 

 gest were cut into six pieces each — the middling sized 

 ones, generally into four pieces. Two thirdii of the cut 

 ones, while the cut surfaces were moist, we sprinkled 

 well with plaster, and shoveled them over until thoir 

 surfaces were well coated wiih the plaster. In plant- 

 ing, we put the small whole 'potatoes and the cut pieces 

 about a foot opart in the drills ; the b'rge potatoes about 



three feet. The following statement gives the kind and 

 quantity of seed : 



3 rows. Merino, 



4 " 



8 " " 



3 " 



3 " Long 

 3 " 

 The small and the cut seed was one half a bushel per 



row : the large and whole seed a little inure than that. 

 The reMlls wore as follows : 



Large.. Small. 



3 rows Merinos, seed small, uncut, gave f) bush. 2 7-8 



4 " " seed small, cut, " 7 1-4 2 3-4 

 8 " " seed do. cut, plastered, " 20 5 

 3 " ' " seed large, uncut, " 7 1-2 2 3-4 

 ?, " Long Rnds, seed laige uncut, " G 1-4 2 

 3 " " seed small, uncut, " 5 1 



Eighteen rows of Merinos gave 53 1-8 bushels, or 

 about 3 bushels per row. Six of Long Reds gave 14 1-4 

 bushels, or a little less than 2 1-2 bushels per row. The 

 Merinos did better than the Long Reds by near 20 per 

 cent. How much of this excess is to be ascribed lo the 

 fact that the Merinos were brought from a distance, 

 while the Long Red? were obtained in the neighborhood, 

 we cannot tell. 



The effect of rolling the cut seed in plaster, was ap- 

 parently good ; for four unplastered rows gave only 10 

 bushels, while eight plastered ones gave 25. Here the 

 plaster seems to have given an increase of 25 per cent., 

 and that too near the seaboard, fur our lands are not 

 more than five or six miles from the ocean on one side 

 and the bay on the other. 



'I'he wjAo/« seed of the Merinos— two bushels in three 

 rows — gave 10 1-2 bushels, while the two bushels cu( 

 and not plastered, gave only 10 bushels in /o!/r rows. 

 It is here that the trial is fairest between the cut and the 

 uncut seed. The experiment speaks against cutting, for 

 the same quantity of land gives more than 33 1 3 per 

 cent, more where two bushels of whole seed was used, 

 than where one and an half bushel of the cut seed was 



planted. 



The whole, but small seed, yields a small fraction 

 belter than the cut. 



• The large seed, taking both kinds into the account, 

 yields better than the small, in the ratio of 18 1-2 to 

 13 7-8, on the same quantity of land. The quantity ol 

 hirire seed used was 3 3-4 bushels, and of the small, 3 

 busbeli. 



The large whole seed did best — the cut and plastered 

 next best. 



A few bushels more are required to seed an acre if the 

 sets are large and are used whole, than if small or if cut. 

 But this is not of very great consequence— for the ex- 

 pense of plowing, manuring, planting, hoeing, and har- 

 vcstin", is as great with small or cut seed, as with the 

 other. The whole increase of the crop may go to pay 

 foi the extra seed. When farmers undertake to see 

 how many potatoes they can get from a small quantity 

 iif seed, they are generally losers; they do better when 

 they try to see how many they can get from a small 

 ijuiintity of land. 



Had our acre of 42 rows, been planted with large seed 

 whole, we must have used two bushels to three rows, or 

 28 bushels With cut seed, 21 bushels would have been 



required; but, yielding as above, the lari.re seed would 



have given 143 1-2 bushels; the cut and small, 119 

 hiishels — that is, for 7 extra bushels of seed in spring 

 we should have received 24 1-2 more of produce. 



AUGUST TOO EARLY FOR SOWING GR.\,-; 

 SEED. 



Mr Editor — Much has been said and written of la 

 about the new system of agriculture — that is, plow, 

 grass land in summer, by turning the sod over sinfK 

 and even, giving a coat of compost manure, and iiiin 

 dialely sowing grass seed and harrowing in the .«:iij 

 and finish by passing a good heavy roller over the uIm. 



This new system I have practiced for more than > 

 years. I have found from experience that some writt 

 advise loo early sowing. The seed doc^ not d-i w» 

 when sown in the svmmer : it should he sown from 1 

 10th of September to the 1st of October, when tli. s 

 runs low and the mornings and evenings are cool : iln 

 is then no danger of the young and tender grass bii 

 scorched by the intense rays of the noon-day sun as 

 July and August. 



Last year I sowed about two acres on the 1st of Oci 

 her and cut a large crop of herds grass in July. Tl 

 year 1 sowed some on the 19th of September and soi. 

 the 1st of October. Both now look well, and I hai 

 no doubt will succeed much better than a piece I w 

 looking at a few days ago, that a neighbor of mine sow 

 two months earlier. 



Having been a constant reader of your paper for .sei 

 ral years, and received much valuable instruction a 

 many useful hints, I thought it time for me to cndeav 

 to contribute something to the common stock. Shot 

 you think the foregoing worth publishing, you may hf 

 again from A NORFOLK FARMER. 



J^ov. 2G, 1842. 

 ( We are thankful to " A Norfolk Farmer," for the abo 

 statement, and shall be very happy to hear from him 

 relation to any other matters. The opinion he gives 

 regard lo the best time for sowing grass seed, is of mu 

 value, if it be correct ; for it will suit the convenience 

 most farmers better to sow in the latter part of Septe 

 her than in August. For in August the farmers get 

 rally are busy in securing wet meadow and marsh h, 

 removing weeds from their tilled lands, liireshing Ih 

 grain, &c. &c. Besides this, the weatlier is usua 

 more favorable lo the team for plowing and harrowii 

 as the days become cooler and thorter. If it shall 

 shown clearly that the last of September is as gooi 

 time, and even better, than August for turning o\ 

 sward land and seeding down immediately, much mi 

 of this desirable kind of work can be done, than if t 

 operation must be limited to August. 



He who receives a good turn should never forget it 

 le who does one should never remember it 



DISTEMPER AMONG CATTLE. 



We have heard ihat an ox in Biainlree, that work 

 well through the day, was found dead in the barn t 

 next morning. One of the rnen who assisted in ski 

 ning the ox, had at the lime a small sore on one har 

 and he has since died, and his dealh is imputed to p 

 son from the ox. The carcase was sold to a soapmak 

 who after having boiled it, gave the meat to his hoj 

 and nine of them have died. Such is the report. 



Also, two cows in the same town have dipd,b«i 

 affected first with weakness or stillness in llie limbs, a 

 expiring after two or three days of suffering. 



Can any one tell us what the disease is, and what I 

 cure ? 



How to drive off Trouble — Set about doing good 

 somebody — put on your hat, and go visit the sick a 

 poor — inquire into their wants, and minister to the: 

 Seek out the desolate and oppressed, and tell them 

 the consolations of religion. I have oflen tried tt 

 method, and have always found it the beat medicine f 

 a heavy heart. — John Howard. 



