178 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



April 



transporting the crop to distant markets by 

 water and by rail, gives it the first value as 

 an agricultural product, or, if not, only sec- 

 ond to that of the hay crop. The importance 

 of the crop, therefore, had led to the intro- 

 duction of numerous varieties, by planting po- 

 tato balls, until catalogues enumerate more 

 than 500 varieties. The best of these are 

 second only, as an article of diet, to bread 

 and meat alone. 



This value, and the universal use of the 

 potato throughout the New England States, 

 has called into action an amount of ability, 

 experiment and investigation, which promises 

 to more than make good several varieties of 

 great excellence which were long popular, 

 but which have greatly declined in quantity 

 and quality. 



At Lisbon Hall, in Lewiston, where the 

 State Board held its annual session, Mr. 

 Moses IL Hussey, of North Berwick, had 

 on exhibition a choice selection of potatoes, 

 for which he has become somewhat famous 

 for raising. At the late Farmers' Convention 

 in Manchester, N. H., he received a silver 

 medal for the best exhibition of potatoes. 

 Among the varieties at Lisbon Hall, were the 

 Early Rose, Climax, Harrison, Early Prince, 

 Calico, Vanderveer and Bresee's Favorite ; 

 f jr the latter he paid $60 per bushel, and 

 raised from it 145^ bushels the last sea- 

 season. For the Climax, $25 per peck. For 

 the Excelsior $1.00 per pound, and for a sin- 

 gle eye of another variety he paid $5. By 

 carefjl propagation by means of slips, he 

 raised from this a bushel of good potatoes. 



Before leaving North Berwick, we had an 

 opportunity of looking at the potatoes in Mr. 

 Ilussey's cellars. In one bin were 700 bush- 

 els of the Early Rose variety, in which not a 

 mis-shapen or injured tuber could be seen. 

 As many more, of different varieties, were 

 ranged about the cellar, all appearing sound, 

 and of fair size and shape. In a neighbor's cel- 

 lar, near by, were nearly a thousand bushels 

 of more, different varieties, but each variety se- 

 lected for good qualities in flavor and produc- 

 tiveness. The activi;y already excited in re- 

 gard to this invaluable vegetable, has already 

 introduced some excellent varieties, and prom- 

 ises to enlarge the list, to supply the places 

 of old and excellent ones which have had 

 their day. 



Mr. Hussey also raises cabbages for the 

 Boston market, and lifted a few samples of 14 

 tons, covered with forest leaves and ever- 

 green branches, which were as sound and 

 bright as the day when they were placed 

 there. These will be sent to market in the 

 latter part of March and early April, and 

 command a remunerative price. 



It is fortunate that some persons make a 

 specialty of this and other vegetables, by 

 testing varieties, and thus enabling them to 

 reject worthless or indiflferent ones, and pre- 

 serve, propagate, and sell the good. 



VERMONT HORSE STOCK COMPANY. 



We have received a circular addressed to the 

 farmers of Vermont presenting the purposes of 

 this association, and inviting subscriptions to its 

 capital stock of not less than $100,000. Circulars 

 for subscriptions are now in the hands of the 

 Directors and will soon be generally circulated. 

 Some half a dozen towns have been canvassed and 

 though not richer than the average of the 200 

 towns in the State, nearly $1000 to the town were 

 subscribed. Judge Colburn, of Springfield, the 

 efficient Treasurer of the Vermont State Agricul- 

 tural Society, says : "It is a good thing, and with 

 such a board of Directors, it must pay, and I am in 

 favor of our Society taking liberally of the stock." 

 Hon. Carlos Baxter, of Burlington, Vt., offers to 

 be one of ten to take $1000 each in the county of 

 Chittenden. These subscriptions are not gifts, 

 but investments in stock, which it is believed will 

 yield good dividends as well as greatly benefit the 

 farmers of the State by assisting them to improve 

 their breeds of horses. 



We have much confidence in the success of this 

 association. It proposes to do what individual 

 farmers of comparatively small means are unable 

 to do singly, however well satisfied they may be 

 of the necessity of introducing better breeds of 

 horses. The use of machinery has created a de- 

 mand for heavier horses, while the "agricultural 

 horse trot" of the few past years has had a ten- 

 dency to encourage animals poorly fitted for the 

 drudgery of farm work. 



Some years since the old Massachusetts Society 

 for the Promotion of Agriculture imported several 

 Percheron horses from France, and have kept 

 them at their stables, near Boston. A few years 

 since one of these imported horses, "Conqueror," 

 was sold at auction by the society for $500. On 

 putting him into a stable in the city, the owner 

 immediately resold him for $1000. He is now in 

 Maine, and we understand his owner there has a 

 standing offer of $2500 for him. One of his colts 

 from a large Canada mare, owned by B. F. Ricker 

 of Brighton, was sold last summer to an Illinois 

 gentleman, when the colt was two years and nine 

 months old, for $1 per pound, live weight, deliv- 



