198 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
crossed under their own supervision, and 
patiently testing their qualities. It is a work 
of years to produce a new pear, to test the 
qualities of its wood and fruit, so as to give 
an intelligent opinion of its whole character, 
but there is no field of study and labor more 
inviting to a gentleman of intelligence and 
wealth, who can give it his personal atten¬ 
tion. 
Some errors prevail upon the hybridizing 
of plants, which it is worth while to correct. 
It is not uncommon to hear farmers assert¬ 
ing, that potatoes will mix by being planted 
together. They believe that a white potato 
planted near a red one, would be likely to 
impart something of its qualities to its neigh¬ 
bor, and that the produce of either variety 
would not henceforth be true to its kind. 
But there can be no mixing of plants by this 
method. The pollen of one variety would 
affect the blossom of another, and the seeds 
formed from the impregnated blossom would 
produce potatoes of a new kind. And this 
is the reason why such a great variety of 
potatoes will come of the seeds taken from 
a single potato ball. All our first seedlings 
are produced in this way, and, so far as we 
have learned, have been the result of chance 
crossing. All plants and vegetables of the 
same genus, whose period of blossoming is 
at the same date, are susceptible of hybrid¬ 
ization, in intermixture, by means, and 
through the agency of blossoms, and in no 
other way. The pistils of the blossoms of 
one variety, receive the fertilizing pollen 
from the stamens of another, and the seed 
which matures, necessarily contains the 
germ of the variety with which it has be¬ 
come impregnated, by the intermixture. 
The knowledge of this law of hybridizing 
is as necessary to retain old varieties in 
their purity, as it is to originate new varie¬ 
ties. The Melons, Squashes and Cucumbers, 
are continually degenerating, from the igno¬ 
rance or carelessness of this law. If you 
have a desirable vine of Squash, it is a mat¬ 
ter of great importance to retain pure seed 
for another year. This can only be done 
with some care and pains taking. The pro¬ 
cess is so simple that an intelligent child 
can understand it, and attend to the work of 
crossing. On the vine of the Squash you 
will observe in the female blossom, the 
young Squash already formed before the 
blossom opens. You can easily tell, by ob¬ 
servation when this blossom is to open. 
On the morning of the day it unfolds, take 
a piece of lace and completely cover the 
blossom, so as to cut off the access of all 
insects. The lace may be made into a little 
bag, with a string to draw up the mouth 
closely. When the blossom unfolds look for 
a male blossom, which has been similarly 
guarded, and with a camel’s hair pencil bring 
some of its pollen, and apply to the pistil of 
the female flower. Replace the lace, and in 
a short time the corolla will close of itself, 
and the bag can be removed. The work is 
done. Mark the specimens of fruit thus 
treated by sticking down a stake. You will 
find them true to their kind. This, of course, 
is some trouble, but what cultivator that ap¬ 
preciates his calling, will refuse to take it in 
order to have genuine seed.—[E b. 
IRRIGATION. 
With the wane of our forests, our sum¬ 
mers are becoming so dry that irrigation is 
beginning to command the attention of our 
farmers. The need of it is already felt in 
pasture, mowing land, and cultivated fields, 
almost every summer. Many parts of our 
country abound in hills and vallies, brooks, 
and springs, and large tracts of land could 
be watered in the driest time, at compara¬ 
tively small expense. A perfect system of 
irrigation for a large farm, of course involves 
a large outlay, and no man will venture upon 
it without first convincing himself that it will 
pay. But there are particular fields on very 
many of our farms, where the experiment 
might be tried at small expense. Here is a 
field with a copious spring on the highest 
part, that runs off into the neighboring wood 
without any perceptible benefit to anything. 
It might easily be enlarged, so as to hold a 
considerable body of water for a fountain 
head. Then, narrow channels might be dug 
from it, to convey the water into all parts of 
the field whenever it was needed. These 
small ditches could be made with the plow, 
and would soon turf over so as to produce 
grass. Such a small stream of water turned 
upon a gravelly knoll, or pasture, would pro¬ 
duce a wonderful result. 
In another part of the farm there is a 
brook that might be dammed, and form a 
large pond. It overlooks perhaps half of the 
farm, and could readily be turned upon it 
through the proper channels. At a short 
distance from this brook, there is a hill on 
which a reservoir might be built to distribute 
water over the whole farm. Its waters are 
abundant enough to do its own pumping, and 
the reservoir can be kept full with only the 
expense of pipe and a force pump to be 
worked by the stream. This we are per¬ 
suaded would pay upon some farms. 
With a full supply of water for irrigation, 
crops would be greatly increased. Some 
pastures could be made to double their 
amount of grass, by this process alone. 
Corn perhaps suffers less than any other 
crop from drought, but what a change would 
it bring over your corn field, withering and 
twisting in the July heats, could you turn a 
stream of water upon its thirsting roots. 
Drought often shortens the crop of corn in 
particular fields, one quarter, one third, one 
half. There are few seasons in which irri¬ 
gation would not greatly increase the crop. 
We throw out these suggestions,to incite our 
readers to look over their farms, and see 
what waste water can be turned to good ac¬ 
count. 
The irrigation of mowing lots from the 
wash of roads is so easy, that no farmer has 
an excuse lor omitting it. Yet, even this 
easiest form of irrigation, and fertilizing is 
overlooked. A field, lying on the lower side 
of a descending highway, can be very much 
benefitted by opening culverts in the wall, 
for the passage of the water made by heavy 
rains. The wash of highways is valuable, 
not only for its water, but for the fertilizing 
materials it contains. 
The soil of which the road is composed is 
ground into an exceedingly fine and impal¬ 
pable powder, by the continual passage of 
animals and vehicles over it. The finest 
parts of this soil are carried off from des¬ 
cending roads, by every shower, and unless 
watched by the cultivator, will be landed in 
the adjacent swamp or pond, or thrown into 
the stone heap or briar hedge, at the foot of 
the hill. This fine dust also contains con¬ 
siderable portions of the droppings of horses 
and cattle, that are continually traveling over 
it. This, especially in the vicinity of cities 
and villages, renders the wash a good ma¬ 
nure, that ought to be as carefully looked 
after as the contents of the barn yard. If 
conducted at short intervals upon the adja¬ 
cent fields, it would keep them in good con¬ 
dition. It is by timely attention to these 
small items of economy, that the farmer suc¬ 
ceeds in his business. Gather up the frag¬ 
ments that nothing be lost.—[E d. 
POTATOES-HOW PLANTED IN SOUTHERN 
NEW-JERSEY-CONDmON OF OTHER 
CROPS, &C. 
From a correspondent’s letter dated at 
Woodstown, Salem Co., N. J., May 20th, 
we make the following extracts : 
The weather for the past and present week 
is all that the farmer could desire, though 
perhaps a fine, warm shower would be ad¬ 
vantageous. The work of the present is 
chiefly planting potatoes—a crop much de¬ 
pended upon in some years, though the pres¬ 
ent low prices will have some influence upon 
the amount of surface planted this year. 
Two or ,three have finished this work, but 
the majority have the greater part of their 
planting yet to do. 
The methods of preparing the soil, put¬ 
ting in the seed, &c., are various—the follow¬ 
ing three are the most common : 
First —The ground is plowed to a good 
depth some four or five weeks previous to 
planting, thus allowing it time to settle so as 
to plow better the second time. At the time 
of planting, a coating of manure, say from 
12 to 20 loads per acre, is spread evenly 
over the ground. From 10 to 14 loads of 
marl per acre are now spread over the ma¬ 
nure, thus fitting the ground for the last 
plowing and the reception of the seed. The 
potatoes selected for planting are about the 
size of a hen’s egg, and are cut in from two 
to four pieces, and dropped in every third 
furrow of this plowing. Some rake all the 
manure into the potato furrow, but this prac¬ 
tice is going into disuse, each furrow being 
allowed the benefit of its own manure. I 
consider this method a very good one, and 
more expeditious than any other where the 
two manures are used. 
Second .—The ground is first served with 
the manure and then plowed, after which it 
is marked off into rows three feet apart with 
the plow, and the potatoes dropped as before, 
covering first with marl and then with a fur¬ 
row thrown over both. 
Third .—The ground is prepared as in the 
second method, and the potatoes dropped in 
every third furrow, and a man follows with a 
horse and cart, and applies the marl. 
Most farmers have planted their corn, but 
