THE GENESEE FAKMER. 



305 



and excess of quantity which it produced from the 

 same amount of cream employed in the other churns. 

 Two gallons of sweet cream were reqviired of each 

 exhibitor, the whole was thoroughly mixed, and then 

 equally distributed by the jury. The result was, that 

 the butter produced and gathered in five minutes by 

 the Centrifugal Churn, was of a better hue, a richer 

 quality, and weighed four and a half ounces more, 

 than the product of any other churn, and brought in 

 much less time. 



" Its efficiency, simplicity, and superiority, constrain 

 us to award to the Centrifugal Churn the Prize Medal, 

 with our special approbation. 



" H. Wager, New York, Ch'n. 



" Henry S. Babbitt, Ohio, Sec'y." 



Any further information can be had by a reference 

 to our advertising columns. 



THE CULTURE OF POTATOES. 



The severe drouth of the present season has almost 

 disappointed the labors of the farmer in late-planted 

 potatoes and corn. As our periods of drouth seem 

 to increase in duration and severity from year to 

 year, we give the following extract from the Mark 

 Lane Express, as a hint to plantei'S in their opera- 

 tions next spring. Very early-planted potatoes have 

 yielded a fair crop ; but late-planted ones generally 

 will hardly pay for digging and gathering: 



" We are happy to state that up to this time, July 

 22d, after nine years' unsuccessful cultivation of the 

 potato, we have no reasoif to pronounce a recurrency 

 of disease in this the tenth <irop, of 1854. 'About a 

 fortnight ago, during the time of a remarkable humid, 

 lurid and sunless atmosphere, we heard of the actual 

 presence of spotted leaves, and here and there a dis- 

 eased tuber ; and some unmistakable infected leaves 

 have been sent us in letters from distant parts, for 

 ocular demonstration. By this time we hope and 

 ti'ust that this fungus on such specimens is now 

 starving.or absorbing, and is overcome by the present 

 and welcome hot sunny weather, and that the tubers 

 are mostly thus preserved. In short, in this district 

 (Essex), where most people have availed themselves, 

 by our advice, of the opportunity of procuring early 

 dwarf kinds, they are now fast ripening with a healthy, 

 yellow hue, except late varieties, which we are not so 

 mad now either to venture or recommend. We have 

 no doubt that by future adherence to dwarf early 

 varieties, and early planting, we shall then be able, as 

 we are now, to say 'Good bye to potato disease.' 

 Of about ten selected early varieties we cultivate, all 

 are at this time (July 22) fast maturing, and are free 

 from tainture. We are also equally successful this 

 season in raising sound lily-white, and fresh early va- 

 rieties from our selected seed (not tubers), which have 

 hitherto baffled our imaginations by sharing the same 

 fate as others. It is a most remarkable fact that this 

 year such crops as are most susceptible of blight, 

 mildew, louse and numerous other insects, are, with 

 exception of the beans, and hop, and a few others, 

 comparatively free from those pests, which are now 

 so prevalent. Instance the ill-fated potato, the pea, 

 and the cabbage, with some other. Abraham Hakdy 

 & Sons, Seed-growers, Maldon, Essex" 



STORING POTATOES. 



The following results obtained by my plan of storing 

 may prove useful : 1. Twelve sacksful of potatoes, 

 lifted October 25th, 1853, stored with lime, the lime 

 being placed in small bundles in the middle of each 

 sack. Tubers all preserved ; whereas some of the 

 potatoes stored without lime were much affected. 

 2. Ffty bushels of potutoes, dug up towards the end 

 of October, were pitted with three bushels of quick- 

 lime, the latter being placed at the bottom of the 

 pit, and covered over with a thick layer of gorse. 

 On opening the pit it was found that the diseased 

 tubers did not amount to more than two dozen. 

 Tubers stored in the ordinary way, in pits without 

 lime, were almost entirely destroyed by disease. 3, 4, 

 5. Potatoes stored with and without lime quite un- 

 touched by the disease. 6. Roots stored in a large 

 chest or box with lime, and the latter being placed 

 in a small clothes-basket and covered with faggots. 

 On opening the box the tubers were found quite 

 healthy, while some that had been kept in a cellar 

 without Hme were much diseased. 7. Twenty bushels 

 of the tubers were placed in a large bin with three 

 bushels of lime, the latter forming a stratum at the 

 bottom, and covered over with a thick layer of coarse 

 cinders. At the end of three mouths the roots were 

 found to be quite sound, while another lot which had 

 been put into another bin without Hme were very 

 much diseased. 8. Potatoes housed in sacks, one or 

 two lumps of lime being put into each sack ; tubers 

 quite dry, and all preserved. 9. Potatoes first dried 

 by exposure on a gravel walk to the heat of the sun, 

 and then stored away in large boxes M'ith lime, all 

 healthy. Tubers housed in their natural condition 

 became diseased. 10. Potatoes housed with lime, all 

 healthy. 11. Same result. 12. Several bushels of 

 potatoes were pitted with lime, and when examined, 

 at the expiration of several months, were found tt> 

 remain untouched by the disease. Roots pitted with- 

 out lime became quite rotten. 13. Two or three 

 hundred bushels of potatoes were divided into four 

 equal lots. Three of these were pitted with lime, the 

 other in the ordinary way. In the first of the three 

 lots stored with lime, the lime was placed at the bot- 

 tom of the pit, with the proper precautions ; in the 

 second, it was thrown into a conical heap in the cen- 

 ter of the tubers ; and in the third and last, it was 

 placed on the top of the potatoes, being separated 

 from the latter by a layer of brushwood, &c. On 

 examining the tubers at the end of some months, 

 those in the first pit were found to be much diseased, 

 while those contained in the other three were nearly 

 healthy. " The best result," says this correspondent, 

 " I am disposed to think was obtained by placing the 

 lime on the top of the tubers, and this is the plan I 

 intend to follow." — T. J. Herapath, in the London 

 Gardener's Chronicle. 



Ort, FOR Machinery, Wagon Wheels, &c. — Add 

 one part of India rubber to fifty parts of rape oil, 

 and boil till the rubber is nearly all dissolved. It is 

 not only more unctions and less affected by friction 

 than other oils, but remains liquid below the freezing 

 point of water. In this respect it is most valuable 

 m cold winters. 



