PRACTICAL FARMER. 



143 



potato. This operation is performed as follows : 

 The largest as well as earliest potato balls or ber- 

 ries are gathered when thoroughly ripened, from 

 several of the choicest varieties ; these are kept in 

 dry sand until spring, or else when gathered, the 

 seeds are immediately sei)arated from the pulp 

 and dried, and then kept in paper until wanted. 

 As soon as the season will admit, the seed is sown 

 in a light, clean soil, in drills half an inch deep, a 

 foot apart, and in the drills at the distance of six 

 inches. When" the plants come up, they are pro- 

 perly thinned, kept clean of weeds, and earthed 

 up as may be necessary, generally not more than 

 twice. When the top turns brown and decays, 

 the tubers or roots are taken up and careftdly pre- 

 served through the winter from frosts. The tubers 

 will be of various sizes according to circumstances 

 — generally of the size of a walnut, or [)erhaps 

 larger. These planted in the sjn-ing will produce 

 roots of sufficient size to determine the kinds and 

 qualities of the produce, which may be ascertained 

 by cooking in different ways, and thus their rela- 

 tive value for the table, &c. fixed. The thrd 

 year the tubers wdl have attained their ordinary 

 full size and excell nice, which they will maintain 

 for a number of years, when they again require a 

 renewal. Hitherto there has been no difficulty 

 among us of procuring new varieties from abroad, 

 or renewing our old kinds of the potato ; but it 

 might be well for our gardeners, and even our 

 farmers, occasionally to adopt the English mode 

 of preserving this valuable pJant in perfection, or 

 even furnishing sjjecimens superior to any now 

 cultivated, since it is well known that the most 

 valuable of our varieties are not like the original 

 stock, but are the results of careful cultivation. 



W. G. 



(From Goodsell's Genesee Tarnier.) 



ON THE CULTIVATION OF VINES, (Cuciirbt- 

 taciae.) 



Many people find much difficulty in raising 

 vines, owing to the de))i-edation of the black flea 

 or the striped bug. As soon as vegetation becomes 

 visible, thousands of these insects will gather on 

 the tender plants, and often cut them down as 

 soon as they appear above the surface of the hills. 



By following the subsequent rules, you may 

 easily cultivate melons, cucumbers, &c. without 

 much difficulty. Soon after warm weather has 

 commenced, select a rich, warm, dry place in 5'our 

 garden or field ; plough or spade it deep, at the 

 same time incorjiorating the soil with well decayed 

 manure ; sheep manure is tlie best. 



Lay out your ground in hills four and a half 

 feet asunder, each way, raising them considerably 

 above the natural surface of the groimd, with the 

 hills inclined towards the south. Having pre- 

 pared your hills you are ready to commence 



planting. Distribute no less than ten or fifteen 

 seeds in a hill, covering them one quarter of an 

 inch in dejth. As soon as the plants have made 

 their appearance, take of ashes or soot two parts, 

 plaster one part, ])ulverized charcoal one part, 

 mix these ingredients together, until the mixture 

 is well incorporated. With this composition 

 enter your garden or field in the morning, while 

 the dew is on, and with a quantity in your hand 

 throw it over the plants, dusting them as much as 

 possible, in order to suffocate the insects, taking 

 particular care to dust the under ])art of the leaves. 



By following these directions you will have the 

 pleasure of seeing your plants in a thriving con- 

 dition, and in a few days entirely out of the way 

 of these troublesome insects. 



As soon as the plants begin to interfere with 

 one another, commence thinning them out. Pull 

 out all but two or three in a hill, leaving those 

 that look the most pron)ising. 1 here are many 

 persons, who leave no less than half a dozen in a 

 hill — this is a mistaken notion; for I am confi- 

 dent, that could you rest assured that no worms 

 would molest the roots, it would be better to pull 

 all out but one ; and I am fully persuaded, too, 

 that you would gather more fruit from the vines 

 where there was but one or two |)lants in a liil', 

 than you would, were you to leave half a dozen. 



Were you to leave too many, the vines will 

 becomes so thick that wlxm they set for bearing, 

 most of the fruit will decay before it comes to 

 any maturity. Miles Beach, 



JVtiv London, March 20, 1834. 



Great Heifer. — 31r Oliver Shaw of Heath, 

 slaughtered a two years old Heifer lately, weighing 

 as follows. 



Quarters 589 lbs. 



Tallow 52 



Hide 75 



Total 716 



The Vermont Phoenix tells of a two year old 

 heifer slaughtered in Brattleboro' by Mr Elias W. 

 Fisher, but it comes a good deal behind Mr 

 Shaw's. The quarters of the Brattleboro' heifer 

 weighed 527 ll)s. hide 60, tallow 32 — total 619. — 

 Greenfield Mercury. 



Rail Roads in Cities. — The Philad. U. S, 

 Gazette states that on Thursday evening the Com- 

 mon Council of that city, by a large majority, 

 passed a bill authorizing the construction of a 

 Rail Road down Market street. A Rail Road 

 runs directly through Schenectady, steam and all. 

 A Rail Road also passes through Baltimore. Yet 

 we should not think well of a Rail Road passing 

 so crowded a thoroughfare as Broadway or Chat- 

 Ijam street. 



