174 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



rain, is subject to a chemical change in a very short 

 time. In an open, sandy soil, it is not subject to 

 such an immediate change; and as it runs through 

 silica, it is subject to a continued purifying action. 

 Again, the water which descends into a sindy soil 

 is still to a degree subject to atmospheric influence, 

 which serves to keep it sweet. Every one knows, 

 or every man ought to know, that water in a well 

 will not remain so pure and sweet, if undisturbed, 

 as it will be if it is often thrown open to the at- 

 mosphere by the plunge of the bucket. Water is 

 hardly fit for the use of man, in a well from whic'i 

 none has been drawn for a long time. 



In 1850, when the first indications of disease ap- 

 peared upon my potato vines, I went into my field 

 of potatoes and selected a spot where I thought the 

 circumstances of the soil were most unfavorable for 

 tie health of the potato. I opened several hills and 

 f land the tubers almost entirely rotten and soft. 1 

 wjnt to other parts of the field, where the soil was 

 sandy, the tops of all yet mostly green, when I found 

 upon the surface of some of the tubers numerous 

 little specks of whitish frothy matter, which upon 

 close examination I found to exude from the tuber. 

 Upon cutting the tuber I fonnd the portion next the 

 skin to be absolutely subject to decay, but retaining 

 its usual color, or nearly so. I have not been able 

 to discover that the stem or root leading from the 

 stalk to the tuber, in such cases, gave any fair 

 signs of conveying the disease to the tuber from 

 the stalk or tops. As far as my observation has 

 gone in the matter, I have found no proof that the 

 part of ihe tuber most immediately connected with 

 lh3 stalk is the part affected, in potatoes but par- 

 tially diseased. It is an easy matter for a man when 

 digging potatoes to satisfy himself upon that point. 



If some have thought they had saved their pota- 

 toes from I'otting by pulling the tops when they be- 

 gan to be affected, they have thereby opened the 

 ground to a greater degree of atmospheric influence, 

 which it is necessary to consider. 



This article has become longer than was intend- 

 ed in the beginning of it, and the farther consider- 

 ation of the subject must therefore be postponed. 



With a desire for truth and understanding, I will 

 subscribe myself, c. 



Mason, N. H., May 10, 1851. 



CULTIVATION OF SAND HILLS. 

 At a recent meeting of a society in Liverpool, 

 some papers were read by Mr. R. V. Yates, relat- 

 ing to the mode used in Flanders for reclaiming 

 sand hills — a mode which we think might be used 

 with benefit in some parts of our own State. Tiie 

 face of the country near Dunkirk naturally con- 

 sists of laige sand hills blown up by the winds. 

 The first thing to be done is to level these heaps in- 

 to an extensive plain, with divisions into large fields. 

 Then they bring, from the sides of some extensive 

 lakes of sea water, an argillaceous soil, and with 

 this they cover the plain of sand to the depth of two 

 inches or rather more. The chief object of this is 

 to prevent the sand from being blown about by the 

 winds; it is also useful in preventing the manure 

 from sinking into the ground too rapidly. The 

 plough is then used to the depth of about four inch- 

 es, and thus the argyle, or clay and sand, are mixed. 

 Then the fields are well manured, and the first year 

 they yield a good crop of potatoes, the second year 

 barley, the third year lucerne. Potatoes and lu- 

 cerne thrive particularly well in sandy soil, and the 



lucerne, especially, flourishes in a most remarkable 

 manner. Potatoes thus grown have escaped the 

 disease when others not grown on sandy soils have 

 suffered by it. 



Another mode of covering the sand with argyle 

 is as follows : — Under the sand, at a depth of from 

 four to eight feet, is found a layer of argyle. This 

 is subsoiled; a broad trench is made to the bottom 

 of the argyle; tlien the sand is thrown to the bottom 

 of the trench, and the argyle thrown on the top of 

 the sand; so they work on regularly, throwing the 

 sand below and the atgyle above. 



A large proportion of the land in the neighbor- 

 tiood of Dunkirk is used for gardens, and produces 

 the most excellent vegetables, both for town and 

 export — cauliflowers, peas, turnips, carrots, pota- 

 toes, &c. But the conversion of the sand hills into 

 these gardens has for the most part been the work 

 of a long, long time; still, however, some addition- 

 al plots ai-e continually gained. They go on using 

 manure in the same way from year to year, and it 

 is said not to sink into the sandy soil. 



At Calais there is a cultivation of the sand hills, 

 partly similar to that already mentioned. There 

 are o[)posit,e the town, (on the side of the river next 

 the sea,) about fifteen acres belonging to the gov- 

 ernment, who will suffer them to be used as pas- 

 ture The sands are levelled by laborers, and then 

 covered to the depth of half a foot with argyle, 

 which is dug in with a spade; they are then ma- 

 nured and sown with lucerne, and protected, though 

 very imperfectly, by low fences of reeds, poplars 

 and willows. 



In some parts of England the earth, after being 

 covered to the depth of two inches with clay, or 

 rivet mud, is sown thickly with star grass, which 

 being planted three or fi)ur inches deep, throwsout 

 a great number of fibres, and the roots become eight 

 or ten feet long. The sands are bound very effec- 

 tually, and in two or three years the ground becomes 

 quite green with this plant. 



These modes of reclaiming and fertilizing sandy 

 soils strike us as being thoroughly practical, and 

 well adapted to the use of our own farmers, or 

 more particularly to the inhabitants of that hitherto 

 sterile district, Cape Cod. The clay or muck can 

 always be procured with but little trouble or ex- 

 pense from the low swamps of the interior, and we 

 doubt not the land-owner would be well repaid for 

 his labor. At all events the experiment is well 

 worthy of a trial. — Journal. 



THE SHAD BUSH AND MOUNTAIN ASH 

 FOR PEAR STOCKS. 



The common shad bush, or, as it is sometimes 

 called, "Planting Bush," and also called by many 

 Swamp Pear — Pear berry, (Anmia otY//is of botan- 

 ists.) has been fonnd to he a very good stock into 

 which the pear may be grafted, in order to make 

 dwarf trees. This is-abundant among us, and will 

 soon be throwing out its profusion of white blos- 

 soms, in all parts of the State. Those who are de- 

 sirous of trying the experiment are reminded that 

 now is the time to do it. 



The common mountain ash, which is so abun- 

 dant in our low woods and swamps, makes a very 

 good stock for peai's. Those who may have them 

 already growing in their yards or pleasure grounds 

 can now put in a graft or two into their tops, and 

 in a couple of years be rewarded with a crop of 

 pears instead of littlp berries. 



