Proceedings of the Farmers' Club. 447 



the better. Some people prefer letting them rot all they will 

 before digging, but my experience is, that but little rot occurs after 

 disfirinir, if dugr before the disease is communicated to the tubers 

 throuofh the stalks. PuUins; the vines as soon as the disease mani- 

 fests itself might answer the purpose, and obviate the necessity of 

 digging till a later period. In digging I run a Mapes' subsoil plow 

 under the row, which lifts them up and loosens the ground, so that 

 the labor of following with pronged hoes is comparatively easy. 

 As soon as dry they are gathered up and put under cover, in a diy, 

 cool place, in the bai'n generally, if the w^eather is warm, and on 

 the approach of cool weather removed to the cellar. In either case 

 they are kept closely covered, as exposure to the light for a few 

 days injures the quality very materially. 



4. Varielies. — In my boyhood the Scotch Grays or Blue Noses, 

 as we used to call them, and the Pinkeye were the standard sorts, 

 till the advent of the Rohan and Merino, which were going to 

 supersede everything, but like many other things of more recent 

 date, they soon " played out." After these came the good old 

 Mercer, which gained such a hold in public favor that it was with 

 the greatest reluctance people gave it up, notwithstanding it failed 

 for a time to yield remunerating crops. 



At the date of this experience, ten long years ago, it was almost 

 the only sort grown in my locality, but its uncertain yield and 

 tendency to disease induced people to look about for a suitable 

 substitute. 



The Prince Albert and Fluke were tried, and promised well for 

 a time, but soon began to deteriorate. The Red Peach Blow also 

 became so diseased as to be worthless for general use. 



About this time, the labors of Rev. Chauncey E. Goodrich, in 

 this direction, attracted my attention; and, in 1862, I procured of 

 him four of his then best varieties, viz: Garnet Chili, Coppermine, 

 Rusty Coat and Cuzco. 



A thorough trial and careful experiments with these, convinced 

 me he was on the road of progress and improvement. With these 

 varieties we have plenty of potatoes to use and sell, while under the 

 old dispensation it required a large patch to yield a family supply. 

 Although not quite as fine and delicate in quality as the Mercer, to 

 which we had become so much attached, we were willing to accept 

 an abundance of a good article in lieu of a scanty and uncertain 

 supply of a superior one. Their introduction at the time of the 

 universal decline of the Mercer, attracted public attention to such 



