For the Southern States. 53 



Potatoes thrive and produce best in a light, dry but rich soil. Well 

 decomposed stable manure is the best, but if it cannot be had cotton 

 seed meal, bone dust or any other fertilizer should be used, to make 

 the ground rich enough. If the ground was planted the fall prev- 

 ious with Cow Peas which were plowed under, it will be in good con- 

 dition for potatoes. Good sized tubers should be selected for planting, 

 which can be cut in pieces, not too small ; each piece ought to contain 

 at least three eyes. Plant in drills from two to three feet apart, accord- 

 ing to the space and how to be cultivated afterwards. For field culture 

 two and a half to three feet apart ; for garden, two feet will answer. 

 We plant potatoes here from end of December to end of March, but 

 the surest time is about the first of February. If planted early they 

 should be planted deeper than if planted late, and hilled up as they 

 grow. If potatoes are planted shallow and not hilled soon, they will 

 suffer more if caught by a late frost than if planted deep and hilled up 

 well. Early potatoes have not the same value here as in the North, as 

 the time of planting is so long, and very often the first planted get cut 

 down by a frost, and a later planting which may just be peeping 

 through the ground will escape and produce in advance of the first 

 planted. A fair crop of potatoes can be raised here, if planted in 

 August; if the Autumn is not too dry they will bring nice tubers by 

 end of November. They should not be cut if planted at this time of 

 the year, but planted whole. Potatoes from those raised in spring can 

 be used for seed purposes. They should be put in a moist place, before 

 planting, so they may sprout. The early varieties are preferable for 

 this time of planting. 



I have been handling several thousand bairels of Potatoes every 

 season for planting, and make seed potatoes a speciality. The Pota- 

 toes I sell are Eastern grown, which as every one interested in Potato 

 culture knows, are superior and preferable to Western grown. Nine 

 years ago I introduced the Peerless Potato here. I then only re- 

 ceived ten barrels, as the price was very high; but seeing the fine 

 qualities of the same, and finding" it to suit our climate, I contracted 

 the following year for a considerable lot, and urged my customers to 

 plant them. No one has been disappointed in the result. It w^as 

 during that same year that amongst a lot of Jackson Whites sent out 

 here from New York, there were one hundred barrels of Peerless Po- 

 tatoes. Merchants are not very particular in regard to name, and 

 they were sold for Goodrich, Jackson Whites, or anything else they 

 resembled. They are well known now, and the kind mostly planted. 

 I brought out six years ago the Extra Early Vermont, Brownell's 

 Beauty, and Compton's Surprise. The latter variety I have discarded ; 

 it is not salable on account of its purplish color. Four years ago the 

 Snowflake was the sensation. I believe this latter will become popular 

 in the course of time. 



After another year's trial I have discarded the Brownell's Beauty. 

 It is of very good quality, productive, but not salable in the market on 

 acccount of its color, which resembles the Eusset, one of the most 

 common Potatoes received here from the West. I have had six 

 other new varieties under trial but did not find anything to justify the 

 high price asked for them, for our section. The Alpha is a fine white 



lb 



