1853. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



511 



fully the resources of his form. That it will pay 

 for doing is equally certain as that it cjn be done, 

 yet not always so efisily shown. 

 . The expense of reclaiming or clearing bog mead- 

 ows, must, like all other operations, depend upon 

 circumstances. It may be difficult draining, or a 

 growth of bushes may have to be removed before 

 the work of levelling can be commenced ; but 

 whatever be the cost, there can be but little doubt 

 of a good investment. Like the expense, the 

 work of improvement varies in different localities. 

 In one place a coating of gravel is necessary ; yet 

 there are meadows on which it would be injurious. 

 Here the plow should be used, and there the work 

 must be done with the hoe. 



The mud in meadows differs as widely as the 

 soil of high lands. In one place it is formed 

 almost entirely from decomposed vegetable matter, 

 and when exposed to the action of frost and air, 

 quickly slacks or pulverizes. In other meadows, 

 the mud is formed in part by the wash from sur- 

 rounding hills — of the leaves, loam, and the light 

 earth. Such meadows, when drained, have a ten- 

 dency to harden, from which we infer that an ex- 

 cess of clay exists, and that a dressing of sand or 

 gravel might be beneficial. 



The operation of reclaiming or clearing should 

 be pursued with caution. In no department of 

 husbandry has a greater amount of useless labor 

 been done, in proportion to the work accomplished, 

 than in this business. Swamps, covered with a 

 hemlock or cedar growth, have proved worthless 

 with us ; yet we have seen days of labor and dol- 

 lars in money laid out, in the vain effort to raise a 

 crop of grass. Believing experience to be the 

 safest guide, we would advise experimenting upon 

 a small piece at first, for time and money are of 

 too much importance to the garner to be squan- 

 dered in fruitless effort. m. 



C-hesler, N. H., Sept., 1853. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 A RBIifLEDY FOR THE POTATO ROT. 



Mr. Editor : — In conversation with a gentleman 

 from HoUiston this morning at the R. R. Depot, 

 by the name of White, I learned that he has been 

 in the habit for four years past of pulling the 

 vines of his potatoes on the first appearance of 

 their dying, which is an indication of their being 

 diseased, and which he says is a sure preventive of 

 any further rot if indeed they have rotted at all 

 He does it by stepping upon the hill each side of 

 the vines, which prevents the potatoes being pulled 

 up with the vines, which can be left in the ground 

 any length of time. It is his opinion that the dis- 

 ease is caused by a sort of mildew which is carried 

 through the vine to the potato. I do not recollect 

 of having seen any account like this, therefore I 

 thought I would send it to you, and if you think it 

 will be of any service to the public you will please 

 make it known. 



Yours, &c., D. Merrill, 2d. 



Meihuen, Sept. 21, 1853. 



Remarks. — In our opinion, the above comes 

 nearer to being a remedy for this calamity, — for 

 such it has been in Ireland, — than any thing yet 

 recommended. If the disease is atmospheric, the 

 vines first become tainted and conduct the virous 



to the tuber below. Now, if upon the first ap- 

 pearance of the disease on the top, before much 

 action can have taken place between the vine and 

 the potato itself, the vines are immediately re- 

 moved, the disease may bo arrested and the po- 

 tato saved. This is tlie theory, and it appears to 

 us plausible and worthy of attention. It would 

 require very close observation, to be sure, and 

 when noticed, all the activity that could be brought 

 to bear upon the crop in order to remove the vines 

 at once. We should be obliged to Prof. Hoyt, of 

 Exeter, if he would give us his experience and 

 opinion on this important question. 



For the New Ens^land Farmer. 

 MR. GEORGE PATTERSON'S FARM. 



Friend Brown : — I promised you some further 

 particulars respecting the farm of Mr. Patterson. 

 Here they are. In a recent visit to Mr. P.'s place 

 I was not fortunate enough to find the proprietor 

 at home, but was indebted to his %iiller, an intel- 

 ligent man, who politely accompanied me over the 

 grounds, and gave me such information as I de- 

 sired. 



The season has, for the most part, been favora- 

 ble for Mr. Patterson's farm, though the drought 

 did some injury in June.^ About 80 acres are in 

 corn, which 'tis thought will yield twelve barrels 

 (OQ bushels,) to the acre; (when speaking of In- 

 dian corn, the southern farmer alvrays uses the 

 barrel, while he estimates wheat, potatoes and 

 fruits by the bushel. Why the distinction I know 

 not.) This was planted the last week in May and 

 the first week in June, about one month after 

 the usual time of planting in this region. 



Mr. P. plows deep and cultivates clean. Very 

 little use is made, however, of the hoe. Most of 

 the labor is performed with the cultivator, or 

 shovel plow. The corn is planted in squares, the 

 rows being about four feet apart. The gourd-seed 

 variety, planted here, grows much larger and 

 occupies much more space, than the flint corn of 

 the north. I doubt "whether it is possible to make 

 as many barrels of the former as of the latter, per 

 acre. On the ground of which I am speaking, 

 there is burthen enough to produce, in the Con- 

 necticut valley, ninety or one hundred bushels. 



One peculiarity there is, to which I would call 

 the attention of your readers. Farmers do not, 

 as a general thing, manure for corn. If they have 

 manure, they put it upon their wheat or grass, 

 and plant corn without manure of any kind. The 

 consequence is that they have fewer weeds and less 

 corn. 



I incline to the opinion, that the northern prac- 

 tice is best in this matter. If weeds must grow, 

 and grow they certainly will when there is suffi- 

 cient richn3S3 of soil, it seems to me better to have 

 them with that crop which admits of cultivation, 

 that as far as possible noxious plants may be sub- 

 dued. Then, the grass weeds having been killed 

 and the soil reduced to a mellow tilth, wheat, rye, 

 oats and barley may follow, with better chance of 

 success than if they preceded. 



Mr. P. manures principally with lime. He has 

 applied to most of his lands a dressing of two 

 hundred bushels per acre. In New England, this 



