AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 517 



Mr. Bergen, of Long Island, who raises large quantities, did 

 not have much preference. He planted any good variety, but 

 got them into the ground as soou as possible. He was planting 

 this week. Early planting, soil, and weather had most to do 

 with an early crop. 



Dr. Peck called attention to the excellence of the New-Jersey 

 Mercer, and asked Mr. Bergen's opinion on that variety. 



Mr. Bergen call-ed them the best in the market, and the Dyke- 

 man very, good but not equal. 



Dr. Wellington spoke very highly of the Mountain June, as 

 grown in the state of Vermont and elsewhere at the North. 



Mr. At wood and others spoke very highly of the early June. 

 He had known this potato cultivated with great success in Rens- 

 selaer county. New- York, and in the neighborhood of Bennington, 

 Vt. There is a potato resembling the early June, and scarcely to 

 be distinguished from it, but far less excellent than that variety, 

 sold for them at times. 



Dr. Peck stated that the New-Jersey Mercer was the finest po- 

 tato for all seasons and all purposes, which had ever fallen under 

 his notice. He inquired of Mr. Bergen if he should understand 

 him to say that the kind of potato planted would make little or 

 no difference as to the time of its fitness for market, other things 

 being equal ? 



Mr. Bergen said that very little difference would be perceptible 

 if the care of cultivation was the same.. 



Mr. Atwood spoke of the policy of thawing the ground intended 

 for hot-beds, by putting over it glass frames very early. Some 

 took great pains to thaw the ground by making fires over it — glass 

 was better. 



A gentleman suggested that it would be better to make such a 

 top dressing in the fall as would prevent the freezing of the 

 ground to any depth. 



Mr. Judd recalled a subject touched upon at a former meeting — 

 as to planting early melons and other vegetables of the kind. He 

 regarded it as a good suggestion, to take an old l^asket, or some- 

 thing of that kind, and plant in the earth put into it, so tliat the 

 plant could be removed into the cellar at night to guard against frost. 



Mr. Robinson suggested that the best basket in the world for 

 this purpose would be a piece of sod cut out, and the seed put 

 into it. 



A suggestion was made that with the basket, melons might be 

 ready for market before the ground was thawed deep enough to 



