306 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



Virginia," if he conies, it will be because of 

 that gentlemanly forbearance which distin- 

 guishes our people. 



Another aspect of this subject is, we confess, 

 more serious ; and that is whether or not it is 

 the commencement of immigration from the 

 North to fill up the vacuum created by the ex- 

 portation of our negroes to the South. On 

 that matter we have some very strong convic- 

 tions both as to substitution of white for slave 

 labour, and the effect on our social system of 

 such an inundation. But it is not necessary to 

 discuss the first of these questions now, and our 

 columns are probably not a suitable place to 

 say all that we think might be said on the 

 other. 



Irish Potatoes— The Pali Crop. 



Most people plant their Fall crop of Irish 

 potatoes in May, usually after they have done 

 planting corn ; and therein they make a mis- 

 take. In a hot climate like ours the vines grow 

 very well in warm weather, but the tubers ma. 

 ture best when it is cool. The best natural 

 climate for the potato is in Ireland, where it is 

 cool and damp, in Nova Scotia and the New 

 England States, where they have a short Sum- 

 mer and an early, cool Fall, and in the moun- 

 tainous regions of Virginia, where elevation is 

 equivalent, in point of temperature, to latitude. 

 We do not believe a mean potato can be grown 

 on the Blue Ridge. We have raised the long 

 Johns — a large potatoe with a flesh-colored skin 

 and a productive kind — in Albemarle to great 

 perfection of size, but of such a strong, brassy 

 taste that they were hardly fit to eat ; and we 

 have eaten the same variety, raised at the foot 

 of the Blue Ridge. The latter was a rich, mealy, 

 well-flavoured potato, equal to a Mercer from 

 the North. 



Let us consult climate, then, when we plant, 

 and come as near the proper latitude as we can 

 by artificial means. Late planting will enable 

 us to do this. 



A late neighbor of ours said that his father, 

 one year, failing to get tobacco plants enough 

 for all his land in August, planted the remain- 

 ing hills in Irish potatoes ; and the product 

 was the best he ever had. A market gardner 

 of Richmond, two years ago, confirmed the 

 statement by his own experience. We then 

 tried to follow the plan, but failed to get our 

 seed and. lost the crop. Last year we planted 



in May to be sure of the seed, bu^ it was after 

 the first drought had set in, which lasted from 

 the 6th day of May to the 3d day of June ; 

 and the potatoes either rotted in the ground, 

 perished in the sprout, or died after they came 

 up. We were so fortunate as to obtain another 

 supply of seed, and on the 10th of July planted 

 again. From the 7th of July to the 4th day of 

 August was another period of very severe 

 drought, and most of the potatoes shared the 

 fate of the first planting. But the crop was 

 prodigious. As there were so many missing 

 hills a good deal of guessing was necessary to 

 get at the quantity of land actually growing 

 the potatoes. But measuring the area and the 

 potatoes, and guessing at the vacancies, . we 

 found we had made over four hundred bushels 

 per acre of the largest potatoes we ever saw. 

 They were curiosities ; a gentleman at our 

 table measured one — a sample of many — and 

 it was nine inches long ; several of them weigh- 

 ed a pound and a great many, fourteen ounces. 



Their size, and the failure to get a stand, 

 were owing to the mode of preparation, which 

 was this : the land having been previously well 

 ploughed was laid off in rows three feet apart ; 

 the furrow they were dropped in was made by 

 the plough going twice in it, up and down ; 

 guano, at the rate of four hundred pounds per 

 acre, was scattered in the bottom of the furrow, 

 and on this was laid stable and farm-pen ma- 

 nure indiscriminately, filling the furrow about 

 two-thirds its depth. On this were planted 

 the potatoes, cut into pieces, having two eyes 

 each, — the cut part on the manure — and nine 

 inches apart. They were covered lightly with 

 the plough, returning a portion of the dirt 

 thrown out by its up and down furrows. In 

 the drought which ensued, the manure absorbed 

 the moisture from the superincumbent dirt, 

 and prevented any from coming up from be- 

 low ; and the potatoes perished in consequence. 

 A row treated with guano alone grew off very 

 very well, and produced a good, but not great, 

 crop. This is one of the Norfolk plans. ' 



We would advise a trial of it — only a trial — 

 by other persons, with this precaution : Let 

 them prepare the ground as we did, but not 

 plant until after a rain has saturated it. It 

 will only be necessary to do it soon enough be- 

 forehand to ensure that the crop will not be 

 planted too late. We would not wait until 

 August; for a drought and an early frost 



