68 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



If this is a fair specimen of the China hens, for 

 this season of the year, then I go for them. b. 

 Cambridge, Jan. 2-i, 1851. 



For the New England Farmer. 



SUGGESTIONS ON THE PLANTING OF 

 THB POTATO, 



AND ITS PEESERVATION FROM DISEASE. 



The following suggestions to the agriculturists 

 of the United States, have not been made without 

 experience, study and observation on the subjects 

 referred to; the reader ,therefore, will not be troubled 

 with particular and prolex references as to a varie- 

 ty of experiments and calculations. The sugges- 

 tions given are also made simple as possible, in or- 

 der to render them plain and practical. Even a 

 partial adoption of the systems suggested, will tend 

 to promote what we so much want. An improved 

 system of agriculture is every day becoming of 

 more importance to a new country, which, in its 

 present social state, may be called largely peopled. 



Knowledge and science in agriculture will be 

 tantamount to an increase of the produce of our soil, 

 if brought to the aid of industry; with an improved 

 sytsem of agriculture, the United States are capa- 

 ble of sustaining an unlimited increase of popula- 

 tion. In the bountiful arrangements of nature, ev- 

 ery thing has its aim and end; and practical farm- 

 ers must go to work with the aid of science and 

 skill in the cultivation of the potato, and increase 

 the general fertility and produce of the land, estab- 

 lishing a judicious system of restorative, in place 

 of exhaustive husbandry; let all departments of ag- 

 ricultural science be promoted, so as not only to 

 keep pace with, but get the start considerably of the 

 increase of population. 



The potato is originally a native of South Amer- 

 ica, whence it was carried into Europe by the Span- 

 iards, in the latter part of the sixteenth century; it 

 was unknown in Great Brittain or Ireland, till in- 

 produced into Ireland by Sir Walter Raleigh, 

 from Virginia, in 1534; and from a few roots grown 

 in his garden at Zoughal, all the potatoes now cul- 

 tivated in England, Ireland and Scotland are be- 

 lieved to have sprung. All varieties of potatoes, 

 like most other plants, are subject to disease, but 

 the cause of this malady has not been satisfactorily 

 accounted for. The diseased plant exhibits a dis- 

 torted and incomplete formation, which I believe to 

 arise from the tuber being unable to supply the 

 young shoots with sufficient nourishment, and expe- 

 pcrience has shown one that the only sure preventa- 

 tive of disease is to change the seed every year, and 

 to adopt a scientific system of culture and preserva- 

 tion. 



Great failures have taken place in the potato 

 crops within the last few years, in every part of 

 Europe. The failure has been greater in some dis- 

 tricts and soils than in others, and in some places I 

 have seen it confined to portions of the field only. 

 Many persons have written upon this subject. The 

 failures have been ascribed to the seasons, to late 

 planting, to early lifting, to heating of the seed, to 

 the seed being injured by cold, to the potato having 

 degenerated in its vegetative powers, &c., but all 

 is mere conjecture; yet it is satisfactory to know 

 that the evil may, in almost all cases, be remedied 

 by a change of seed every year, and planting in a 

 scientific way. 



The potato is deficient in the gluten which wheat 

 possesses, and the ratio of its nutritive quality may 

 be considered as four to one. Nevertheless the 

 potato is highly nutritive, and meal made from it 

 does not differ essentially from arrow-root, tapioca, 

 and sago. When mixed with wheat flour, it renders 

 bread lighter, and easier of digestion; and forms an 

 excellent food for children, and people of weak 

 stomach, which proves the importance of the pres- 

 ervation and culture of this valuable root. 



I have directed my attention to the cultivation and 

 preservation of the potato since the year 1845. 

 Knowing the medical, surgical and chemistry 

 professions, gives me an advantage over none-pro- 

 fessional men in my research and observations rel- 

 ative to this important subject. 



In the month of Sept., 1845, 1 was professionally 

 employed by a landed proprietor in England to ex- 

 amine into and advise him as to the cultuie and 

 preservation of the potato. I directed him to select 

 his seed from the middle sized potato, and to 

 have them spread out every fine day on some 

 dry ground, under the action of the air until the 

 potato turned green; thisprocess I inspected myself, 

 which took about one week. Then I had the po- 

 tatoes stored on hurdles, with a current of air 

 through them. In the month of February follow- 

 ing, the seed was planted whole within thirteen 

 inches in the drills, and the drills 30 inches apart ; 

 it grew well, and in the month of July the pota- 

 toes were ripe and fit for the market; there was no 

 disease or failure whatever in the seed so prepared, 

 other seed not so treated was a total failure on the 

 same farm. 



In the month of Sept., 1849,1 selected 100 bush- 

 els of potatoes in Scotland, and pursued the same 

 system as to their preparation before their removal 

 to England, and I superintended the planting of them 

 in the month of March, 1847, and had them put in 

 the drills whole; they were very prolific and free 

 from disease, and were ripe in the month of Au- 

 gust. Good stable dung was used in their culture, 

 as well as in the culture of other potato seed not 

 exposed to the action of the weather; and those not 

 so prepared were a failure, though cultivated in the 

 same lield, and planted on the same day. The sys- 

 tem recommended and adopted by me in the years 

 1845, 184G and 1847, has been continued by this 

 gentleman in subsequent years, and he assures me 

 that it has been successful every year since. 



The trouble of changing seed from one part of 

 the country to another, and preparing them as I 

 now describe in the month of September, before the 

 ni[)ping frosts sets in, is not so expensive or formid- 

 able that it cannot be overcome by agriculturists, 

 and it is my opinion that those who follow these 

 suggestions will see the utility of the system, and 

 feel convinced that this remedy is more simple, prac- 

 tical and less liable to objection than any other I 

 know, or have yet heard of. 



I should recommend to store potatoes intended 

 for consumption on hurdles, or on lumber slats sufli- 

 ciently close not to allow the potatoes to fall through, 

 yet so for apart as to allow a current of air under, 

 and through the potatoes. 



Boston, Jan. 22nd, 1851. J. Hogan. 



Remarks. — The growing of potatoes, as recom- 

 mended by Dr. Hogan, has been considerably prac- 

 tised in England, and with good success. In this 



