1864. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



15 



Q. Do all have the same quantity of ash when 

 burned. 



A. No. Some leave much more ash than 

 others. Thus 100 lbs. of hay may leave 9 or 10 

 pounds of ash, while 100 lbs. of wheat leave less 

 than 2 lbs. of ash. • 



Q. Does the ash of different plants contain all 

 these sicbstances in the same proportion ? 



A. No. They exist in different proportions in 

 the ash of different plants — the ash of wlieat, for 

 example, contains more phosphoric acid than that 

 of hay, while that of hay contains more lime than 

 the ash of wheat. 



For the Neic England Farmer. 

 EXPERIMENTS "WITH POTATOES. 



The ground on which they were planted was 

 a sandy loam, on the borders of a meadow, not 

 naturally fertile, which had been for many years 

 used as a pasture, but was so much grown up to 

 bushes as to be worthless for seed use. In 18G0 

 the bushes were cut and grubbed up and the land 

 plowed, and in 1861 moderately manured and 

 planted with corn. The crop being injured by an 

 early frost, was not remunerative. In 1862 again 

 moderately manured, it was planted with white 

 beans and produced a good crop. Again, in 1863, 

 the land was moderately manured and the general 

 field planted with corn and beans. The piece ex- 

 perimented with was in an angle of the held, and 

 contained, by actual measurement, 1440 square 

 feet. It was marked out into rows by line, two 

 feet apart ; a slight furrow was made with a hoe 

 under the line, and with the top of the hoe handle 

 marks about an inch deep at the distance of from 

 ten to twelve inches, were made in this furrow, in 

 each of which was placed a single eye of a potato, 

 cut out so as to be about the size of an old-fash- 

 ioned copper cent ; the eye placed downward and 

 the cut side up, and covered by leveling the fur- 

 row, and over the whole was spread a mulching 

 of meadow hay, which, when the shoots appeared 

 above grpund, was carefully removed from the 

 shoots so as not to interfere with their upward j 

 growth ; and excepting the pulling of a few weeds | 

 this was all the cultivation the crop received. 

 They were planted the first week in June, and dug 

 the first week in October. The yield was eight 

 and a half bushels, which is at the rate of nearly 

 200 bushels to the acre. The variety, the Davis' 

 seedling; the quality, first-rate; and when dug 

 not more than ten of good size were thrown out 

 as diseased. 



In order to test the theory of Mr. Poor, and of 

 the Long Island farmers, that the seed end of the 

 potato is the author, of "small potatoes," it was in 

 preparing for this experiment cut off, and the eyes 

 planted wholly taken from the large end. The 

 result did not correspond with the theory. The 

 quantity of small potatoes corresponded very near- 

 ly with that of a crop planted in the usual waj , 

 on land near by. This land, though much more 

 highly manured, produced what was esteemed a 

 good crop, but it was only at the rate of 1 j6 bush- 

 els per acre. The plot above referred to, in one 

 portion of it, suffered severely by being flooded by 

 the excessive rains of July and August, by water 

 flowing from higher land. If the yield of the 

 whole plot had been equal to that which was not 

 so flooded, the rate would have come up fully to 

 300 bushels per acre. 



I will add one incident in regard to the potato 

 rot. As already stated, when dug, the number 

 diseased was small. They were not carried imme- 

 diately to the cellar, but placed in a pile upon the 

 ground where grown, and covered with meadow 

 hay with which they were mulched, and with the 

 vines, or tops of the potatoes, and thus remained 

 about two weeks, during which time were several 

 rains. When they were uncovered to be removed, 

 it was found that the rains had not so penetrated 

 the covering as to wash off the sand which ad- 

 hered to the potatoes when dug. It was found 

 that many of the potatoes showed small spots of 

 white mould about the eyes, and on examination 

 all so marked had the fatal disease. This mould 

 I have no doubt is the fungus of the German the- 

 orists, and is the author of the mischief. It might 

 be communicated from the ground or from the 

 covering spread over them. The only remedy I 

 should rely upon is early planting upon warm, well 

 prepared land, so as to secure early maturity, and 

 early d 

 "round. 



Nov. 2, 1863. 



Fur the Neto England Farmer. 

 CUKE FOR "HOLDFAST." 



Mr. Editor : — One of your correspondents in- 

 quires in your last number if there is any cure for 

 holdfast on the jaw of his steer. 



Before we speak of the cure, we must under- 

 stand the nature of the disease. Holdfast is a 

 disease of the bone. The structure of all bones 

 is cellular, that is, made up of small cells, filled 

 with blood vessels and. other animal substances. 

 If you cut into a holdfast, you will find the cells 

 increased in size, and the honey mass somewhat 

 softened, the blood vessels enlarged, and more 

 than the usual quantity of soft animal substances 

 packed in the cells. 



This change may be found extending through 

 the external layer of bone to the marrow, or it 

 may be found more superficial, involving only the 

 surface of the bone. The same disease is found 

 in the human subject, and the only remedy is to 

 lay bare the bone, and with the saw, chisel and 

 bone forceps, remove all the diseased portion, and 

 then replace the skin and soft parts, which will 

 soon heal. 



Now that experience has taught that chloroform 

 can be easily and safely applied to animals, and 

 thus that operations that were formerly difficult, if 

 not impossible, can be performed on animals with- 

 out pain to the animal or danger to the operator, 

 the veterinary surgeon performs many operations 

 for the removal of deformities and the cure of 

 diseases that were formerly deemed irremediable. 

 1 think the deformity in question can be removed 

 by a surgical operation. It has been usual to turn 

 such cases over to the butcher. But in a ease 

 like the one mentioned, rather than "spoil the 

 pair," I think "M." would prefer having an opera- 

 tion done. The surgeon must cut freely, and re- 

 move all the bones in which the cells are enlarg- 

 ed, or show any indications of disease. It' he will 

 call on any young and enterprising surgeon, in his 

 neighborhood, he will probably find him willing 

 to undertake the operation. No other remedies 

 are of anv value. 



Concord, Oct. 30, 1863. 



