134 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
Experience in Potato Culture. 
To the Edits, of the American Agriculturist: 
This root is one of the most common crops of 
the American farmer, and almost every one pre¬ 
tends to know all about it. But to raise superior 
potatoes, we bave much to learn yet, especially 
as regards iis proper treatment to ensure a large 
crop, even under favorable circumstances. Here 
the question presents itself—how many bushels is 
a large crop ! This depends much upon the kind, 
all other things being equal. The best kind, such 
as the Mercer, is comparatively a small bearer. I 
think that for the middle of Pennsylvania, 200 
bushels per acre of Mercers would be a very 
large crop. One thing is snre, that half that 
quantity is more frequently obtained. I could 
never come near 300, much less 500 or 600 bush¬ 
els, as is said to have been raised from one 
acre. Whether that is only paper farming, or 
whether we common, hardworking Dutchmen are 
too stupid, I am not ready to say. But I would 
much rather see it, than hear it said. I am here 
speaking of Mercers only, and when I have 200 
bushels, I consider it a full yield from an acre. 
I prefer corn-stubble, well manured, and plowed 
12 inches deep, and deeper if possible, then well 
harrowed. If cloddy, a roller is run over the 
ground, and again harrowed, so as to start with a 
well pulverized soil; then marked out with a 
light plow, 3 feet apart, and 4 or 5 inches deep, 
and covered with a hoe, from 3 to 4 inches deep. 
The planting is done as early in the Spring as cir¬ 
cumstances will admit. 
When the first young weeds make their appear¬ 
ance, a light harrow is run over the ground to de¬ 
stroy them. This is done as often as weeds make 
their appearance, till the potatoes themselves 
show above ground, when in a few days the rows 
will be sufficiently marked by showing a bluish 
streak of the young tops. The plowing is then 
done, throwing fresh ground up against the row 
on both sides at once, with a corn plow. Some 
will be covered, but that does no harm, for in a 
few days they work their way out again. If any 
ground is left undisturbed between the rows, the 
cultivator is run through, and the weeds between 
the hills are destroyed with the hoe and the 
hand. 
By this mode of after-culture, the little spongi- 
oles are not disturbed. If the plowing is left till 
the vines have made considerable growth, it often 
does more harm than good, from the fact that the 
plow cuts many of the young rootlets which assist 
in drawing on the soil for nourishment. I have 
seen potatoes plowed when they had already 
gone into blossoms; in such cases they had better 
be left altogether without plowing. 
J. S. Keller. 
Landingsville, Pa. 
---- -- - 
The Peach Blow Potato- 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist. 
The potatoes in the Buffalo Market last year 
were generally inferior in appearance and quality; 
the best during the Spring and Summer being 
brought generally from the vicinity of Rochester 
eastward, or the new lands of the Western 
States. As my father, of Onondaga County, had 
for several yeais raised the Peach Blow potato 
upon a dry, limey, table-land farm with such suc¬ 
cess as to consider them perfectly guaranteed 
against the rot, i had a quantity of them sent 
here by railroad in June, which sold at the highest 
market price and gave entire satisfaction. But, 
upon the same farm, last Summer for the first 
time, the Peach Blows rotted badly ; and a letter 
on my table says those left are of “ good size to 
shoot humming birds with.’’ This failure was 
attributed, perhaps incorrectly, in part or entirely, 
to the wet Summer ; but it indicates, I think, that 
the best varieties, even in the best localities, will 
sometimes or finally rot; and growers may, 
therefore, be thankful to you for calling their 
attention to new varieties—some of which, in 
some soils and during some seasons, will doubt¬ 
less prove superior to those which have, in most 
parts of the country so generally failed during the 
year 1857. The expense of procuring seed suffi¬ 
cient for experiment cannot be very great; and 
in our present imperfect knowledge of the cause 
or causes of “rot,” this plan of having “several 
strings to the bow ” seems to be the safest for 
any enterprising and prudent farmer or gardener. 
In this vicinity the White Pinkeyes, Carters or 
Moshanocks. and Western Reds have been the 
favorites ; but the rot has been so general that 
every one almost is ready to try all kinds that are 
anywhere successful; and, unless this Potato 
Plague stops in its ravages, those varieties of 
this vegetable or those soils that are rot-proof will 
soon be well advertised, and the discoverers 
thereof wD be private as well as public benefac- 
rs. W. W. N. 
Buffalo, March 8, 1858. 
--- 
A VALUABLE VARIETY NOT GENERALLY KNOWN. 
During the past Winter, we received from Jo¬ 
seph E. Macomber, of Portsmouth, R. I., a descrip¬ 
tion of a turnip which he stated had been culti¬ 
vated for “ a long time” in that “ Eden of Rhode 
Island.” From the general understanding that the 
seed had originally come from France, and from 
its color and shape, it has been called the “ Long 
White French Turnip.” We requested Mr. M. to 
forward us a barrel for trial. These came about 
the first of February, and we have cooked them 
from time to time with an increasing conviction 
of their very superior excellence. 
Though a little shriveled from standing in a 
barrel in a warm cellar opening into the basement 
kitchen, they still retain their good flavor. They 
are white, solid, cook moderately dry, and are 
sweet and free from all rank taste. There is none 
of that hard, woody texture common to most 
turnips kept until this season. In short, we like 
them better than any other turnip we have ever 
cooked. If they grow as well elsewhere as in 
Portsmouth—and we do not see why they should 
not—we incline to the opinion that they will take 
the place of the rut abagas and most, other variet ies. 
We learn that this is already the case in the vi¬ 
cinity where they have been longest grown. though 
no particular effort has been made to introduce 
them. Those we received had been trimmed 
closely, but we have made a sketch of one which 
is a fair average of those in our barrel, though the 
best specimens had been previously selected for 
cooking. In the largest part, it measures 18 inches 
in circumference, and this is about the medium 
size. In answer to a letter of inquiry, Mr. Macom¬ 
ber states that : 
“It is much used as a table turnip, retaining 
its flavor and good qualities until the sixth 
month (June) if kept from the air. It is raised not 
only for the table, but for fattening beef and 
feeding sheep. It has almost entirely superseded 
the rutabaga here. We cultivate in all respects 
like the rutabaga. We plant in drills two feet 
apart, on well manured land, after early peas or 
potatoes, sowing for a large crop, 25th of 6th 
month (June) ; but for Winter table, 15th of 7th 
month to 1st of 8th month (July 15th to Au 
gust 1st).” 
We hope to obtain a plentiful supply of seed for 
our next Annual Seed Distribution. We are also 
trying to get enough this year to offer some as an 
extra premium (No. 4) this year. If successful 
before this number goes to press, it will be an 
nounced on one of ihe closing pages. 
--_ 
Ice. 
Contrary to the thousand and one fears expres 
sed by almost everybody who bestowed any 
thought upon the subject, (the ice-dealers in par 
ticular, up to the early days of February, who 
thought “the AVintet was like to rot in the sky,”) 
this has been one of the best ice seasons we ever 
knew—better even than many of our longest, 
severest Winters. There are two good reasons 
for this ; the first is that the water through tire 
months of December and January was kept at 
such a low temperature that the first severely 
frosty weather froze it at once, and deeply, form¬ 
ing a pure compact ice ; and the second is that it 
had no thaws or rains upon it melting the surface 
into “ slush ” to spoil its beautiful hardness, and 
open the surface pores to let the air either out or 
in, and destroy its consistency. In consequence, 
our ice-houses all over ihe country are filled with 
the nicest body of good solid ice that ever was got 
together. Thirty or forty years ago the use of 
ice in Summer was little known, and then only as 
a rare luxury, either in this, or any other country. 
It is now an indispensable necessity in our large 
cities and towns, and the country family should 
have it in the absence of a spring-house, or a 
well of the coldest water. 
We can scarcely enumerate the varied uses to 
which it is made subservient in domestic affairs,and 
to which it is of great value in an economical 
way. Nor will we condemn it because it also 
ministers to the appetites, and depraved tastes of 
those who indulge in mint-julips. brandy- 
smashes, jeremy-diddlers, tips-and-tye’s, 
lemon-punches, and a score nr more of other- 
brinks” so universally swallowed during all 
seasons, by the free-and-easy moralists of the day, 
“ who drink temperately.” For these abuses of 
an absolute blessing, neither ice, nor ice preserv¬ 
ers are responsible. We presume the grog-drink¬ 
ers would suck their decoctions down as freely as 
ever, without the ice, as they have ever done. 
To the dairymen of our country ice is to come 
into almost universal use—particularly with the 
butter-makers, through the aid of preservatoriee, 
