Proceedinos of the Farmer^ Club. 347 



are the most perfect in every particular. I 3o not speak of the 

 early Goodrich because I have them to sell, but because I honestly 

 think it gives the best satisfaction. The Irish potato is a native of 

 South America. Potatoes, like people, become sickly when removed 

 to an uncongenial locality. Mr. Goodrich brought from South 

 America several varieties, from which he propagated the Garnet 

 Chili, the early Goodrich, Gleason and others. The speaker 

 related how little Mr. Goodrich had received for the great good 

 he had done the country; and although he spent eleven years in 

 striving to get a healthy potato, he only received about one hundred 

 dollars, beside the four hundred dollars he received from the agri- 

 cultural societies. 



Mr. Wm. S. Cai-penter. — This Club has often been interested by 

 scientific discourses, but I do think that we have been unusually 

 instructed by this one, on the potato, and I move a vote of thanks. 

 Mr. Heffron, it is understood, is carrying on the work commenced 

 by Mr. Goodrich. 



Mr. J. C. Thompson. — I have found much benefit by sprinkling 

 ashes on potatoes at planting, and also immediately upon their 

 coming up. 



Mr. E. Williams. — In regard to potato disease, I thiuk great care 

 should be taken in selecting good seed. From a piece of ground 

 measuring fifty-six by fifty-six rods square, I raised sixty bushels. 

 I like the early Goodrich the best. One prominent cause of the 

 potato rot is selecting inferior potatoes from year to year for seed. 

 Instead of planting the poorest, he said we should plant the very 

 best potatoes. 



Mr. Wm. S. Carpenter thought farmers do not change their seed 

 as much as they ought to. He was confident that farmers almost 

 always experience great advantage from changing their seed pota- 

 toes with people in distant parts of the country. 



It appears that it has been the practice for many years past to 

 plant all such potatoes as were not marketable, nor desirable pota- 

 toes for the table. By this means the varieties have been nearly 

 run out, and the potato has become diseased and unable to produce 

 sound and healthful tubers. New varieties must be originated, and 

 the fairest and best tubers must be saved for seed. Then we shall 

 not hear so much about the failure of the potato crop. 



Mr. J. C. Thompson, Staten Island, detailed some of his experi- 

 ence in the culture of early potatoes. He plants cuttings in a 

 shallow box, covers them with sand, and keeps them in the kitchen 



