318 



THE SOUTHERN" PLANTER. 



demand is filled with potatoes raised in New York 

 or Maine, and during the greater part of that pe- 

 riod they sell readily at prices varying from one to 

 two dollars per bushel. Shall we ask in vain, 

 that the large contributions thus levied on Vir- 

 ginia, by the Yankees year after year, be stop- 

 ped, and the money which is now sent away, 

 be retained wkhin the borders of our own 

 State. 



If the information in our possession is relia- 

 ble, there are a number of counties, above tide- 

 water, lying along the Virginia and Tennessee 

 Railroad, and on the line of the James River 

 and Kanawha Canal, where this crop can be 

 raised as readily as in Greenbrier. Will not 

 the farmers in those counties take note of our 

 appeal and govern themselves accordingly? Let 

 them count the cost, and tell us what they can 

 take from their soil which will pay them better 

 than this crop of which we write. Is there 

 anything, and if they answer negatively, as we 

 are sure they must, will they not this year 

 devote a larger space and more attention to 

 the cultivation of this crop. 



Very much of what we have written concern- 

 ing the soil of Greenbrier, we know to be true 

 of the lands about the Blue Ridge, range. 

 Two years ago we had occasion to remark, the 

 excellence of the potatoes on the Blue Ridge 

 at Rock Fish Gap, and we understood then, 

 that at all points along the ridge, they grow 

 well, and of a quality as good. In private in- 

 terviews with some of the farmers of that vi- 

 cinage, we endeavored to encourage the exten- 

 sive culture of the crop, for sale in the Rich- 

 mond market, but we do not know that the 

 effort was crowned with any marked success, 

 and we advert to the subject again in this 

 place,* with the hope that something better 

 may come of it, and at a future day, we shall 

 endeavor to show, even more conclusively 

 than we have ever shown, that there is need 

 here at home, for at least two millions of bush- 

 els of Irish potatoes more than are at present 

 grown in the State. ^ 



In the meantime, we earnestly invite gMtle- 

 men in every part of the State, to give us the 

 benefit of such information as they may possess 

 cognate to any of the facts discussed in this 

 article. It is surely well worth the attention 

 of all the farmers and other citizens to ascertain 

 what is the actual consumption of Irish pota- 

 toes in Virginia, over and above the actual 



production; what sections or counties of the 

 State are best adapted to their cultivation, 

 what profit may be realized from the crop, 

 what are the best methods of planting, working 

 and preserving, which are the best varieties for 

 cultivation, in any latitude, and to what extent 

 we can dispense with their importation from 

 the States of the North? While we have no 

 disposition to create or foster sectional pre- 

 judices among the people of our State, 

 we are anxious to have our people raise 

 whatever is needed for consumption in the 

 State, so that to that extent we may be able to 

 practice non-intercourse with our friends in 

 Yankee land. And certainly, with all our 

 broad acres and sturdy farmers, it is preposter- 

 ous that we should be compelled to get our 

 supply of Irish potatoes from non-slaveholding 

 States, when we could easily raise enough, not 

 only to meet our own wants, but to feed a 

 world of Irishmen besides. 



Watering Strawberries. 



In general, we are opposed to the system of 

 watering plants which some persons so much 

 affect. Strawberries, however, require water in 

 large quantities, and from our experience we are 

 convinced that it is every way proper to give 

 them water constantly and liberally even in the 

 wettest seasons. It has been our habit for 

 many years to water our strawberry plants, 

 from the time that they bloom until the fruit is 

 all gathered, and the beneficial results have 

 been so marked and striking", that we cannot 

 hesitate to recommend *it to every cultivator. 

 The advantages may be briefly stated, as secu- 

 ring much larger berries and increasing the 

 crop fully threefold. Where water is freely ap- 

 plied almost every bloom will bring a berry, and 

 the quantities which can be gathered from a 

 small plantation are really astonishing, to those 

 who have never tried the experiment. Those 

 of our readers who doubt are earnestly request- 

 ed to try an experiment of watering half their 

 plants, and withholding water from the .other 

 half, and whatever may be the character of the 

 season whether wet or dry, the results will be 

 of the most surprising character. 



The water should be poured from a sprink- 

 ling pot and should be plenteously bestowed. 

 A slight application will do very little if any 

 good. It may be applied evening or morning 



