No. 144.] 215 



the smallest sizes. There are conditions to which all the opera- 

 tions must be subject, making great differences in results — we 

 don't know why. I have known the smallest potatoes left of a 

 crop, planted the next year, and producing the largest potatoes — 

 and I have planted the largest potatoes sometimes without any 

 advantage gained. 



Prof, Mapes — I was a pupil of the celebrated William Cobbett 

 when he had a farm on Long Island, nearly forty years ago. A 

 man there by the name of Poole, followed Mr. Cobbett's plan of 

 planting whole potatoes, and deep tillage; for want of the un- 

 known subsoil plow he broke off tlie mould board of a common 

 plow, and subsoiled so far with it. 1 e raised fine crops of pota- 

 toes; they brought in New-York'market$l ,, bushel, while other 

 potatoes would sell for 30 cents a buAel only. Mr. Cobbett left 

 us, went to England; Poole began to cut his potatoes, and very 

 soon sunk to the 30 cents level. On Cobbett's plan he used to 

 have about 220 bushels per acre. 



Mr. Bergen — I was brought up to the whole potato planting, 

 and was led to cutting my seed potatoes by the success of my 

 neighbors in their crops from cuttings. I lost a bet against a 

 bushel of potatoes from one potato. 



Prof. Mapes — In that case, space is to be considered. I will 

 pay the difference between the crop from the whole and the cuts. 



THE SEVENTEEl\ YEAR LOCUST. 



{Report of John Hooper upon the insect called the Seventeen Year Locust.] 



The insect usually called the locust is, in fact, not a locust, 

 neither in genus, family, nor even in order, being an insect of the 

 order homoptera, and of the genus cicada. Whereas, the locust is 

 of the genus locusta^ and of the order orthoptera. These twc 

 orders of insects differ from each other so materially in formation, 

 habit and characteristics as to compel this difference in classifica- 

 tion. It appears to have attained the vulgar name of locust from 

 its resemblance to the eastern locust in its periodical appearance, 

 in such innumerable multitudes, though not in the devastation 

 which they inflict upon vegetation. The true locust is an enor- 



