382 PLAIN AND PLEASANT TALK. 



unleached house ashes. On the 10th of July commenced 

 hoeing, and at the same time took off all the suckers put 

 no more about the hills than we took from them, but care- 

 fully cleaned out all the weeds from the hills. The seed 

 was prepared by simply wetting it with warm water, and 

 rolling it in plaster. 



" HARVESTING. The corn was cut up on the 1 8th Sep- 

 tember at the ground, and shocked in small shocks ; and on 

 the 9th of October it was housed and husked, and subse- 

 quently threshed and measured. 



" PRODUCT. Ninety-nine bushels of first-rate corn, with- 

 out even a nubbin of soft or poor grain, owing to the fact, 

 probably, that there were no suckers on which to grow 

 them." 



POTATO CROP. 



THE potato crop has never been as much attended to in 

 this region as in New York, and New England. We 

 believe, however, that its value is becoming apparent, and 

 that potatoes will be produced to a much greater extent 

 than hitherto. Reserving some remarks of our own to a 

 future number, we insert the methods of cultivation, em- 

 ployed by eminent cultivators. 



SPURRIER'S METHOD OF CULTIVATION. " Be careful," says 

 he, " to procure some good sets ; that is, to pick a quantity 

 of the best kind of potatoes perfectly sound and of a toler- 

 ably large size ; these are to be prepared for planting by 

 cutting each root into two, three or more pieces, minding 

 particularly that each piece be furnished with at least one 

 or t\vo eyes, which is sufficient. Being thus prepared, ih-y 

 are to be planted in rows not less than eighteen inches dis- 

 tant : if they are to be plowed between, they must not be 



