584 [Assembly 



T. B. Wakeman, Esq.; 



Dear Sir — On looking over my Diary a few days since, which I 

 kept during my residence on my farm, I found the following experi- 

 ment in planting potatoes, which I offer for the consideration of the 

 Farmer's Club. 



I had understood from some publication or other, that it was a 

 nice piece of economy to plant the eyes only of potatoes, and give 

 the hearts to the pigs. Knowing well, too, that a farmer who would 

 wish to thrive, must save all he can and waste nothing, T thought it 

 was a piece of economy worth attending to. I therefore fed the 

 hearts to the pigs, and I suppose they did the beasts some good, the 

 dissertations to the contrary notwithstanding. It struck me, however, 

 that though potatoes would grow from eyes, and that hearts might 

 fat pigs, whether these same hearts might not be more valuable as 

 affording nutriment to the young shoots of the potatoes than the pigs. 

 I therefore weighed two pounds of potatoes, and after cutting the 

 eyes out, planted them in four hills, the eyes and hearts being equal 

 in weight, each one pound. Four other hills I planted with two 

 pounds of potatoes cut in the common way, eye and heart together; 

 and also four other hills with two pounds planted whole; and on rais- 

 ing them in the fall, and weighing the crop, the eyes without hearts 

 weighed fourteen pounds and a half; eye and heart cut, twenty-seven 

 and a half pounds; and those planted whole weighed twenty-seven 

 pounds. They were all of the same variety, pink eyes. The ground 

 was equally good, and though the season was too dry, they all fared 

 alike. Four hills of the red potatoes, planted in the same ground, 

 and of the same weight, yielded but thirteen pounds. 



The experiment is on a small scale, but it is sufficient to satisfy 

 me that the taking the hearts from the cuttings, is robbing them of 

 that " which neither enriches the pigs much, but makes the cuttings 

 poor indeed." This experiment also serves to show, that whether po- 

 tatoes are cut or planted whole, the difference is ot no consequence. 

 What is gained by cutting would not pay for ^the labor. As to the 

 red potatoes, I must confess I was beat — why they should give only 

 half as much as their white neighbors, the pink eyes, I know not. 

 I knew long since, as every one knows, that some kinds of potatoes 

 are much more prolific than others; the worst for eating being gene- 

 rally the greatest bearers. 



With great respect, I remain sir, 



Your obedient servant, 



C. N. BEMENT. 



I 



