Agriculture is the most healthful , the most useful , and the most noble employment of man .— Washington, 
VOL. IV,_NEW YORK, MAY, 1845 . _ NO. V. 
A. B Allen, Editor. Saxton & Miles, Publishers, 205 Broadway. 
TO SUBSCRIBERS. 
The publishers of the American Agriculturist pre¬ 
sent their compliments to their subscribers, and in 
answer to the question daily asked, why their papers 
are not sent, inform them, that the terms of payment 
in advance have not been complied with. In many 
instances, where adopting the advice of friends, the 
paper has been sent before pre-payment, it has cost 
more to collect the bills than they were worth ; and 
in others, payment has been meanly evaded, or, for 
some trifling or unjust cause, totally refused—again, 
on a few occasions where renewals were declined, 
the numbers would be sent back so mutilated as to 
be worthless. The publishers are disposed to con¬ 
duct their paper on the most liberal terms possible; 
but their readers will at once see that so long as the 
subscription is continued at the low price of only one 
dollar a year, the whole of this little sum would be 
absorbed by the trouble and loss attending collections. 
For this reason they respectfully say, that they can¬ 
not continue sending the paper hereafter unless the 
terms of payment in advance be strictly complied with 
—and in adhering to their rule, the subscriptions being 
so numerous, it would give them a great deal of ex¬ 
tra trouble to make any exceptions whatever. It is 
hoped now that this explanation will be satisfactory 
to all concerned. The publishers have the pleasure 
of adding, that their subscription list has been stea¬ 
dily on the increase since the first start of the Agri¬ 
culturist, and that its prospects were never so flatter¬ 
ing as at this moment; and it will be their constant 
endeavor, both in its matter and embellishments, to 
make it more and more worthy the patronage of the 
public. They do not think it worth while to indulge 
in grandiloquent boasts, but prefer to let their work 
speak for itself, certain that its intrinsic merits will 
more highly commend it than anything they can add 
in its praise. Such has been the demand for the pre¬ 
sent volume, that two editions of the first numbers 
have already been exhausted, and we shall be com¬ 
pelled this month to go to press with a third. 
CULTURE OF POTATOES. 
We rank the potato crop in the United States 
before wheat, and second only to that of corn, as 
constituting the food of the people and their domes¬ 
tic stock. How important then that the crop be a 
good one. We are not going to write an article now 
upon the particular culture of potatoes, as every farm¬ 
er understands that sufficiently well for general pur 
poses; but shall merely content ourselves with a few 
hints on the subject by way of guarding against the 
rot. 
Whatever may be the cause of the rot in potatoes, 
there is no doubt in our mind, that the application 
of fresh barnyard manures and animal matter of any 
kind has a tendency to increase it; and we would 
therefore avoid the use of them on this crop for a 
few seasons, till the rot had in some measure disap¬ 
peared, and apply the manure chiefly to grass and 
corn. For the potato crop, then, we would plow up 
a sod just after the grass had well started, and this, 
with the application of a little plaster, ashes, or 
uano on the hills near the stalks after the first time 
oeing, will be sufficiently rich to produce a good 
crop. Potatoes raised on a sod are sweeter, more 
nutritious, and mealy, than those raised by the di¬ 
rect application of rank manures. Crops grown by 
the latter method are almost invariably watery, and 
tangy—are eaten with disgust, and have little nutri¬ 
ment in them. The best tasted potatoes we ever 
raised, and the largest crop obtained, were pro¬ 
duced on a piece of sod where the grass had been 
permitted to grow up till the first week in June. It 
was then turned over flat, rolled, and harrowed 
lengthwise with the furrows, and the rows marked out 
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