AND H O R T I C U L T U R A I. R E G [ S 'I' E R , 



293 



From llio Allnny Culiiriiior. 



IK cu:/ruRK op thk potato. 



• Gaylord &. TicKKii — Ohsorvinj an 

 ;n your paper, written by n porsnn on llie 

 1 of llio IliuNiin, on ihc snbjcct orrai.->ing tliot 

 bio cn>p, the Potato, I am induceil from my 

 rii'iu-e in the potnto way, with due deference 

 vcr. in all probability to his belter jiKl;;msnt, 

 pi'rliaps to Uia more practical knowledge, In 

 ymi a low remarks. 



in^' of the opinion that a sward plowed in the 

 •r, say the Inst of April, ia all important to the 

 rv \tion of the crop, during a severe drought, I 

 xlreinely careful Ihnt the swnrd should be 

 d iind harrowed so as to excludfe the air, and 

 cp as it may be done, in order that it may 

 ly decay, to aflbrd not only nutriment to thn 

 of iha vines while growing, but add by its 

 n decay to the moisture of the gruund, so es- 

 lly necessary in case of a drought, that being 

 •ally ruinous to the potato crop, and against 

 1 we should endeavor to guard. My premises 

 ue wrong as to tlie use of the swnrd plowed ' 

 ; spring. To test which, 1st. I will inquire ' 

 icr a sod would decay so soon end well in 

 w£atlier as warm ? 2d. Whether, if as well, 

 bjcct Ihu3 obiaintd can be of equal benefit to 

 ■op, as the consumption of the soil would be, 

 iig on during the growth of the vine and root 

 ," plant .' 3d. Will not a stitf sward, well 

 ■d under, (as deep as miy be,j and harrowed 

 in such way that every part of the soil shall 

 ily be excluded from the eye, but the ground 

 jlely closed and smooth, if plowed just be- 

 ilanling, and not disturbed by furrowing, be 

 •'ans of retaining moisture not only from rains 

 ;w3 to fall thereon, but by prohibiting evapo- 

 ihrougli the sod from the ground thus cover- 

 d under the lod, which in the spring of the 

 must be necessarily moist ? 4th. I am also 

 [uire whether the ground will be equally 

 ;, plowed in the month of September, after 

 exposed to the evaporation of the sun and 

 from that month, beside the freezing and 

 ng of the winter, as the same ground would 

 a summer crop, turned up just before plant- 

 siting aside the difficulty of my friend's cross 

 ng of the sward in the spring.' .Oth. 1 am 

 uire whether your lot will be equally well fit- 

 plow in the spring, (the sward having been 

 1 up in tiie fall.j taking into consideration that 

 ur fall plowing you have most probably stop- 

 r closed up the necessary small furrows, 

 were made to lead offtlie water found on all 

 lani^s ? If laid down by a good and pracli- 

 nner, I contend the sicard thus laid down will 

 a much belter condition to plow i;i a icet 

 ;, than if it had been previously plowed in 

 .11. 



addition, I would further inquire whether 

 is not a loss of time, labor, interest of land, 

 acrifice of manure, in promoting the culture 

 ur crop by plowing your sward in the month 

 )tember, as stated by our friend on the banks 

 ' Hudson — 1st. I save time hy one plowing : 

 3 bo performed immediately before planting. 

 The labor of my team, as I not only make one 

 ng answer, but the land will be in belter or- 

 and my team will have done the work with 

 more ease, in consequence of the sward 

 ng easier in the spring than in the inonlh of 

 iiiber, or fall of the year, as nine times out o( 



ten, your swnrd is too dry to plow with onse to 

 your team in the fall of the year. lid. Rv plow, 

 ing your sward in .Sopli-mber for a summer crop, 

 'you lose the interest of the Innd by sncrificing the 

 natural growth of your grass, during the fnll, 

 ] which if left to grow and plowed under in the 

 [spring or fed ofl' in the last of the preceding fnll, 

 j Icnving the manure thereon, would uiiqiicstionnbly 

 : in either case, odd to the culture and value of the 

 I spring crop. 4lh. If my premises, in preparing the 

 ground by spring plowing, are corrt'ct, I appro 

 hend the application of manure and mode of culti. 

 vation I havo adopted in raising this valuable crop, 

 will by some be considered not altogether improper. 

 In using llie manure, (which I contend should nev- 

 er be put under the sod,) I ha\o no hesitation in 

 snying, it should be applied in such way as to iin- 

 modintely and ndvantigeously operate on the present 

 crop of potatoes — to effect which I plow my sward 

 at such time in tlio spring as to finish the piece 

 just before plnnling — to be plowed and hariowrd 

 as stated, to plant in hills about two and a half 

 feet apart, hy furrows made without disturbing the 

 sod thus plowed. This can be done by harrowing 

 your sod with a hinge hnrrow, first and second time 

 ill the same way it was plowed ; that is hy begin, 

 ning US you began to plow, then to cross harrow so 

 soon as the potatoes start, then apply the manure 

 by top dressing each hill — the same to be immeili- 

 ately plowed by horse and small plow, coitimencing 

 hy turning the furrow from the hill, going as close 

 as possible, not only to loosen the ground, but to 

 cut up weeds, (if any,) which are scarcely found on 

 sward land thus managed ; this to be immediately 

 followed by the second plow, turning the furrow to 

 the hill, from the centre (between furrows) so as 

 not only to cover the potatoes, but the manure thus 

 put on the hill, protecting the sauio from the rays 

 of the sun — this to be done both ways of the rows 

 of lulls. At the end of eight or ten days, plow 

 them again, turning the furrow towards the hill, 

 and as deep as you can, both ways, leaving the 

 greater part of the sod undisturbed, through which 

 the roots will find their way — you then havo your 

 hill left in the shape of a hollow square to receive 

 the rains — and that without a hoe, saving the ends 

 of your field, thus finishing the culture. I have 

 raised by the above method from 300 to 330 bush- 

 els to the acre, in lots from three to live acres, 

 and that of Kidneys, the most difficult to raise of 

 any other potatoe. Should you deem the method 

 of any consequence to the farming interest, give 

 the enclosed a notice in your useful paper, being 

 the only object of the writer, of which he assures 

 a Westchester Farmer. Columbia. 



Claverack, M Y.Jan. 18, 164-2. 



herds-grass the second. Thn clover iri nearly ex- 

 ' tinct ot the enil of iho second year; and the rod- 

 ' top, intermixed iviili various nnliirni grnnBci, which 

 spring np spontnnoonsly, furniNhet n pcrinnnent 

 mntting to the soil. Fn general, not nearly enough 

 ; seed, pnrticulnily of herds-grnss, is iiown. Tho 

 I consequence is, that Ihc product is very coarse the 

 I first and second yenr, which it would not be, iftro- 

 I blethe quantity of seed were sown. Several f«r- 

 j mors in the St.ite, whoso authority is entitled to 

 [respect, practise a much more liberal mode ofsow- 

 j ing ; and find an advantage in doing it in tho im- 

 I proved quality of the Imy. The average yield the 

 j first year is from iwo to three tons ; the second it 

 may be esiiuiateil al two tons ; and for a coiitinu- 

 ancc of three years after thai, in favorable seaaulis 

 and locations, it may be rnted al one to one and a 

 quarter ton per year. These lands in general, are 

 mowed once only in a season. Theio is an in- 

 stance in Conway, of a piece of moist land lying 

 at the side and foot of a hill, where the soil is 

 deep, being a rich mould, resting upon a substra- 

 tum inclined to clay, on which, by copious lop- 

 dreesinga of barn manure, the product has been 

 kept up, and averages yearly nearly three tons to 

 the acre. Of peat lands, I know of no considera- 

 ble tracts in the county ; and, as yet, no great at- 

 tention has been paid to the draining, either by 

 open or under-ground drains, of wet Innds. The 

 quantity of this kind of lands is not considerable ; 

 but such improvements, where required, vi'ould be 

 amply compensated. 



The ne.xt quality of grass lands are the alluvi- 

 ons on the Deerfield and the Connecticut rivers, 

 and small pntches on their tributary streams. 

 The alluvial lands on the Connecticut arc rarely 

 over-flowed; 'excepting at the breaking up of win- 

 ter : and fhky are, therefore, subjected to a courso 

 of cultivation the some ns other arable lands. 

 The rotation on these lands is commonly the first 

 year corn, or potatoes with manure ; tho some the 

 second year, and the third year onis, peas and 

 oats, rye or wheat, with grass. 



The low alluvial lands on the Deerfield meadows 

 essentially differ from these, from a circumstance 

 already alluded to. They require uo mamiro, and 

 being entirely alluvial and receiving the richest 

 depnsitcs, are of extraordinary and inexhaustible 

 fertility. An example has been given to me of 

 the product of one of these low 'meadows in Deer- 

 field, containing nine acres, at a place called Old 

 Fort. 

 The first crop of hay was 2.5,323 lbs. 



" Second crop, 15,120 " 



GRASS AND HAY IN FRANKLIN COUNTY, 

 MASSACIIUSETIS. 



Grasses. — Grass may be considered as the prin- 

 cipal crop. In the hill towns, and what may be 

 called the uplands, the artificial grasses are culti- 

 vated, such as clover, [Iri/oliitm pratfnse,) herds- 

 grass or timothy, {phleum pratense,] and red-tnp, 

 [agrostis vulgaris.) In general, thr^^e pecks of red- 

 top, one of herds-grass, and four to six pounds of 

 clover-seed are sown, when land, which has been 

 cultivated, is laid down to grass. The land is laid 

 down with some grain, either wheat, rye or oats ; 

 and the grass-seed is sown with the grain. Bar- 

 ley is scarcely grown at all in the country. 



The clover predominntes the first year ; the 



40,443 lbs. 

 Tho hay was sold and delivered as soon 



as cured, at $9 per ton, .SI82 00 



The fall feed sold for 4 50 



The whole labor wr.s performed by con- 

 tract at four dollars per acre for both 

 crops, 3(i 00 



Leaving a balance in favor of the land of $150 50 

 The hay was considered ns sold at a low rate. 

 The same quality of hay in the following winter, 

 brought 13 dollars per ton. — Caiman's Fourth Re- 

 port. 



Tiie Northampton Courier says the trees in that 

 V4cinity appear as if it were the middle of April. 



