303 
RAISING POTATOES FROM THE BALL. 
$1, 000. But, on the potato and ruta-baga diet, 
(boiled and mixed with meal,) the cost may re- 
duced to $500, the actual cost of cultivation on 
rich soil. This leaves $1,000 profit, out of 
which comes the losses by disease, use of land, 
&c. Every third year, the entire stock must be 
removed. But the fowls will bring, in New 
York, much more than the cost of raising. The 
feathers will be worth considerable, also. A 
small fortune is all that I can promise to the 
poultry raiser, on the above plan ; yet, I believe 
it sure. T. B. Miner. 
Clinton, Oneida Co., N. Y, 1850. 
RAISING POTATOES FROM THE BALL. 
I took the seed in the fall, put them in paper, 
and kept them in a dry place. The 1st of April, 
1847, 1 planted the seed in fine, rich earth in a 
box in the house, kept them there until the 10th 
of June, occasionally in the open air, but not 
under glass, as I had not prepared the means to 
force them, which I think would be desirable to 
gain time and size. I then, June 10th, planted 
them in the open ground. I protected the vines 
the first year from frost, to obtain a longer 
season until the 1st of November. On digging 
them, I found some as large as, hens' eggs, the 
largest portion smaller. They produced seven 
varieties such as I now give you: — One like the 
English red ; two like long and round pink 
eyes ; one like the pink eyes, but no red in the 
eye ; one like the dark purple ; one like the blue ; 
and one like the lady finger, of large size. The 
second year, 1848, 1 planted the seed raised, like 
other potatoes, but in rich earth, but did not 
protect them in the fall to increase the growth. 
The vines were killed before they were entirely 
mature. I dug them the 20th of October, when 
they were the usual size of potatoes. This year, 
the vines were killed by the frost as early as 
the 2d of October, when they were green and 
growing vigorously, and I believe they would 
have been larger. They were dug the 10th of 
October. One weighed 1 lb. 10 oz. ; twelve others, 
12 lbs. 10 oz. The long potatoes are more 
mealy at one end than the other, which shows 
they have not their full growth. I do not know 
the kind of potato from which the seed from 
the ball was obtained. 
The land, half an acre, was a pasture ; plowed 
once, 1st of May, 1848; carried on eight loads 
manure from the cow stalls, and eight loads of 
leached ashes, spread them even, then dragged 
it well, planted" corn about May 10th, had a 
good crop on the half acre, plowed it in the fall, 
about May 12th, 1849, plowed, dragged, and 
planted the half acre without any manure. The 
soil is fine sandy loam, land rolling, very mel- 
low. The following is the expense of cultiva- 
tion: — Plowing and tilling the ground, $1.50; 
seed, six bushels, $3; planting, $1.50; hoeing, 
$1.50; digging will cost about $3; also, half 
a barrel of plaster, when up, $1, making the 
whole expense, $10. I am confident that the 
half acre will yield at least 230 bushels, which, 
at four shillings the bushel, is $115 
Expense of cultivation, 10 
Which leaves a balance of $105 
I am confident I could easily sell the potatoes 
for the above sum, which would be the nice sum 
of $210 per acre, for use of land and small cap- 
ital invested. 
The following particulars, I consider to be 
important in the cultivation of potatoes : — I 
plowed the land six inches deep ; planted the 
potatoes three inches deep, leaving the hills 
level with the earth, and I planted the rows three 
feet apart, and the hills two feet from centre to 
centre ; making 44 hills to the square rod, which 
gives 7,480 hills per acre. Allowing 14 hills for 
a bushel, (as some of mine yielded,) gives 500 
bushels to the acre. I fully believe that if I had 
seed from the balls, sufficient to have planted 
an acre, and cultivated them, as I did what I 
planted, they would have produced at least 500 
bushels this season. My land is mellow ; did 
not plow between the rows, but hoed the weeds 
up, leaving the hills nearly level with the top 
of the ground until the potatoes grew and then 
raised the hills above the level. I believe the 
usual way of plowing deep between the rows of 
corn or potatoes is a bad practice, especially 
in dry seasons ; a small cultivator is much pref- 
erable. — N. Y. State Transactions. 
Aaron Killam. 
Mexico, Oswego Co., 1849. 
Roguery in Guano — Quantity Imported into 
Great Britain in 1849. — The amount of Peru- 
vian guano imported into England during the 
year 1849, according to parliamentary return, 
was 73,567 tons. But, large as this amount is, 
the consumption was more than three times that 
quantity of quasi guano. The uninitiated and sim- 
ple-minded may inquire "How is this?" notwith- 
standing there were no accumulated stocks on 
hand. The Gardeners' Chronicle solves this 
necromancy, by stating that they have the 
names of ten firms in London, alone, each of 
which, is extensively engaged in the manufac- 
ture of guano. One of these takes 30 tons of loam 
per week, which comes into their laboratory, sim- 
ple earth, but goes out genuine guano. Such is 
the gullibility of the Old World. Is there any 
of the same kind in the New ? 
New and Economical Mode of Forcing Vege- 
tables. — It has been suggested by a foreign 
paper, that the waste steam of manufactories 
may be advantageously applied to the roots of 
plants ; and without any expense for artificial 
heat, large quantities of tropical fruits and veg- 
etables may be raised at all times, besides such 
of our own, as we can otherwise have in perfec- 
tion, only during the summer months. A series 
of common draining tile, laid within suitable 
distances underneath properly-prepared beds, 
containing the plants, which should admit or 
shut off the exhausted steam by cocks, would 
be all that is necessary for the underground ar- 
rangements. Moisture would be thus commu- 
nicated as well as heat, and a slight covering of 
wood, or brick, and glass, to protect the plants 
from frosts or cold air, would be all that is esr 
sential to securing the most prolific growth, 
