a very fair result for a season so unpropitious 
aDd when 60 many potato crops in New Jersey 
and on Long Island were entirely cut off by an 
early and severe drought. Had the BeaEon for 
this trial been free from conditions so unusu¬ 
ally disastrous, the total result for both varie¬ 
ties would doubtless have been much larger. 
I hope the editor will test the White Ele¬ 
phant this year at eight inches apart in the 
rows. The following 
Recent Example* 
of success in potato culture may well encour¬ 
age the field trials of the coming year. 
With a jield of only 208 bushels per acre, 
Joseph Harris reported the cost at 16 cents per 
bushel, and the profit per acre at $87, and in 
another case, with a yield of 300 bushels, he 
found the cost to be nine cents, and the profit 
per acre, $123. 
Fred. T. Burnham of Massachusetts, report¬ 
ed to the Essex Agricultural Sock iy, a result 
from twc-thirds of an acre showing a yield 
equal to 320 bushels per acre, with a profit of 
$ 120 . 
At a potato trial in Vermont, of 355 competi¬ 
tors (all of them under 17 years), the premium 
crop was 422 bushels, by Lewis S. Reed of 
'Goshen. 
Now if the White- Elephant is tested under 
thorough conditions the coming year, there is 
good reason to believe that a rate of yield 
•equal to four or five hundred bushels per acre 
will be the result. 
- *-*-* - 
TOBACCO CULTURE.-NO. 6. 
G. A. GOFF, JR. 
“ Bunkering.” 
After a tobacco plant is “topped,” sprouts 
or “suckers” immediately start out at the 
axils of the leaves. The work of breaking 
these off is termed " Buckering.” It is irupoi- 
tant that the work should be done well, or the 
growing suckers will rob the plant of much of 
its vitality, and hence injure the quality and 
yield of the crop. Two suckerings are usually 
necessary—the first in two or three days after 
the plants are topped, and the second shortly 
before the time for harvesting the ciop. If 
suckers are allowed to remain on tha plants 
when they are harvested, they will damage 
the leaves during the process of caring. 
Suckering tobacco Is veiy laborious work, as 
it necessitates much stooping, on which ac¬ 
count boys are better fitted for the work, and 
being smaller are less liable to break off leaves 
in the operation. They must be watched, 
however, or the work will be slighted. 
Ilarvemlng the Crop. 
Experience and judgment are necessary to 
determine when tobacco is fit to cut. The leaf 
assumes a peculiar quality, which is well un¬ 
derstood by every experienced cultivator, but 
is d.fflcalt to describe. When ripe the leaves 
become spotted and the lower ones tnrn 
brown. About two weeks are usually required 
for tobacco to ripen after it has been topped. 
The plants are cut with a hatchet and care¬ 
fully laid upon the ground 
hight from bottom to top, thus working tobacco handed np from the ground is hung as 
towards the other end Thus, if the loader above described. 
commences to load bis riegiDg from the front This method of handling tobacco has the 
end he should complete his loed as he passes following advantages: 1st, the plants hung 
to the back end, so that when he has reached thus in the field and carried in a perpendicular 
that end his load will be done. This prevents position to the curing barn suffer less dstmaga 
the plants from binding while they are being from the braising, breaking or tearing of the 
taken from the rigging, provided they are leaves than when thrown flatwise upon a plat- 
taken off from the end opposite that at which form rigging. 2nd. Being hung in the field 
they were loaded—which should always be 
done. 
If the tobacco barn is situated a consider¬ 
able way from the field, so that the tobacco 
must be drawn quite a distance, an old carpet 
should be tacked to the bottom of the rigging 
to prevent the plants lying next to it from 
being braised. 
Green tobacco is extremely tender, and 
rough handling should always be avoided, as a 
leaf torn or bruised is injured In quality as a 
wrapper. The tobacco is usually bung upon 
poles with twine, which is made for the pur¬ 
pose. The manner in which the plants are 
hung is best shown ty the cut A, Fig. 193. a 
is the pole to which the plants are hung; b, 
b, b 6bow the plants as hung; c . o, 0, the twine 
as it crosses over the pole. This is the com¬ 
mon method of hanging tobacco, and the one 
practised by most of onr growers. A new 
method, however, is being adopted by some 
which is undoubtedly preferable to the one 
above described. 
In ihis plan the plants are suspended to the 
poles by wire hooks made of common wire 
but somewhat in the form of a letter 8, as 
shown in cut B, Fig. 193. One end of the hook 
is driven into the butt end of the plant by a 
and drawn in a hanging position, tobacco may 
be handled without being much wilted, and 
hence harvesting can be carried on in wet or 
cloudy weather. 3d. Tobacco hung upon 
laths requires less handling of individual 
plants while being suspended in the curing 
barn, and hence less damage is suffered by the 
leaves. 
■ ♦ ♦» ■— ■ 
P0TAT0E8. 
The Mammoth Pearl &eems this season to 
be offered among the novelties of all large 
seedsmen, who speak of it In high terms. 
The skin and flesh are white. It is said to have 
been selected as the best of over 2.500 seed¬ 
lings, which, if true, must have required the 
services of several persons Bevernl years to 
determine. In shape it is roundish, with few 
eyes, and those not sunken. Its productive¬ 
ness is said to he something remarkable. 
The St. Patrick is said by several, who seem 
to have compared the two supposed kinds, to be 
identical with the Burbank. But as to par¬ 
entage, the St. Patrick is stated positively to 
be the result of a cross between the Garnet 
Chili and Eaily Rose. Hence, though they 
may resemble each other closely, probably a 
larger size, and to be adapted to a greater 
range of soils. It is a white variety, and is 
now offered for the second eeasoD. 
Manhattan. —This has been tried for the 
past 10 years we b- lieve. It has a p rple skin, 
is prodociive, but of medium quality only. 
We tested it two years ego. 
--- 
CHOOSING SEED CORN, ETC. 
GEN. WM. H. NOBLE, BRIDGEPORT, CONN. 
Choice seed and better culture should go 
hand in hand. Enrichment and tillage have 
ranch to do with the quality and swell of our 
corn crop ; but aensefal aud careful choice of 
seed would grow to an equal factor in footing 
up its bushels. In truth, I think that in the near 
future better choice is the great hope of this 
grand staple. We have trusted too much to ma¬ 
nure, or to nature’s enrichment, or the deep 
virgin soil of the vast West; bnt seed choice and 
better kiuda havebeen little tried or studied. 
Now God fashioned the corn-stalk ready for 
man to grow an ear at every joint; yet the 
average farmer is blind to the chance and 
holds to the old ruts. His choice of seed be¬ 
gins and ends at picking from the corn-bin the 
longest and heaviest grain-weighted ears. 
Even with this half-wit in its business, the 
harvest piles the corn-cribs. No crop fills the 
eye with so graud a sight and sense of plenty. 
In the dearth of food abroad, its troop of fix¬ 
ings yearly gains it better relish on the palate 
of the world and a stronger foothold in its 
grain marts. Diplomacy might help in this. 
We make foreign miuisters, attaches and con¬ 
suls out of a little literature and a great deal 
of politics: suppose we foster commerce in 
Indian corn by making diplomats out of first- 
class adepts in all the toothsome viands of 
which Indian corn is master. 
But the busiuess of corn-growing wants 
brains plowed under and planted right along¬ 
side its buried food. Well-studied, skillful 
trial and method, put at the service of the 
plants’ root-growth and seeding, will p:;y well. 
The choice and care put into other business 
will prove in this better helps than whole barn¬ 
yards turned under, or heavy doses of special 
manures. Yet spare not your enrichment! If 
this year’s crop does not eat up its substance, 
the next will render you account of its service. 
At the same time let every corn-raiser study 
the plant's ways and post himself on what oth¬ 
ers have found out. 
I give my own little record, and, years before 
the war, I largely furnished Thorburn & Co. 
and others with sweet seed corn and yellow 
eight rowed New England. My method in 
field work was, heavy manuring, level culture 
and low-down-earing stalks. As soon as the 
crop matured I had eveiy stalk with two or 
more ears cut up and looped two aud two and 
hung on nails or poles in the corn-crib. When 
fit for shelling, a second choice was made from 
stalks bearing the most and best ears. Seed 
from these was carefully kept for my next 
planting. Under this plan, year lyyear, the 
quantity and quality of the 
for a few hours to wilt, but 
they must not be long ex¬ 
posed to a hot sun. Great 
•care should be t ken to han¬ 
dle the plants carefully, so 
as not to biesk or tear the 
leaves. Carelul hands should 
be Becured if possible, and 
they should be instincted to 
handle the plants with great 
care at all limes, for great 
damage sometimes results 
from the careless handling 
of tobacco. The cutting 
should be done principally 
in the early and later part of 
the day in order to prevent 
sun-bmning, which will sure¬ 
ly occur to tobacco exposed 
to a bot sun in the middle 
of Ihe day. It is not 6ufe to 
leave tobacco upon the 
ground between tbe hours of 
ten in the morning and three 
In tbe afternoon on a hot 
•day. Only as much should 
be cut down, therefore, la 
the morning as tan be re¬ 
moved to the curing burn by 
ten o’clock, when, if the 
sun shines hot, the cutting 
must be suspended uduI two 
or three o’clock in the after¬ 
noon. 
MmS 
(r V» >, *a 
MAMMOTH PEARL. ONK-HALF NATURAL SIZE,—FIG. 194. PRIDE OF AMERICA. 
crop made great gain. I 
soon found plenty of stalks 
with three good ears. But 
business down in Dixie 
broke np my corn crop, as 
well as other things, and I 
have never renewed the cul¬ 
ture. 
I call especial note to tbe 
need of gathering the seeds 
and stalks together. You 
can rarely trust a farm-hand 
to pick to basket from your 
two or more eared stalks. It 
requires a watchfulness and 
denial of a full basket to 
which he is not eqaal; but 
he cannot well shiik or blun¬ 
der in the choice of two-eared 
stalks. Nor will the average 
“ hand” stop even to choose 
closely the best ears from 
the stalks in cribs; this work 
you should do yourself of a 
rainy day or at some leisure. 
• » 4 « ■ ■ — 
Corn Culture. 
I would like to say a few 
words about the culture of 
corn, which may be of ben¬ 
efit to some. After thorough¬ 
ly fitting the ground, 1 put 
in the seed with a grain drill, 
ST. PATRICK. 
When sufficiently wilted to 
admit of handling without injuring the leaves, boy who follows the cutter. The plants are 
the plants are loaded upon a wagon and drawn hung upon laths by the hooks, from six to 
to the curing barn where thty are hung np to eight plants being hung to a lath. These 
cure. The rigging used for drawing the tobacco laths are suspended In the curing barn upon 
to the barn consists of a smooth platform 16 cross joists which support the ends of the laths, 
feet long and five feet wide, fitted to a wagon. leaving the plants hanging between. When 
The plants are loaded upon the rigging careful- this mathod of hanging tobacco is employed a 
ly, with the butt ends kept eveD, in a rank not different rigging is U3ed for drawing the tobac- 
more ihan two feet high. If loaded too high co to the curing barns. It consists of a frame 
the tobacco will be bruised in drawing It to the about four feet wide and five feet high and 
barn. In loading it is important to begin at twelve or sixteen feet long. Upon this the 
one end of the rigging aud load the proper lath* are placed croaswUe and upon them the 
MANHATTAN. 
further trial will show they are not the same. 
The St. Patrick has been tested iu England aud 
is well liked. The present season it is offered 
in Daniels’s Illustrated Guide (Norwich, Eng¬ 
land), from which our engraving is reproduced, 
at one dollar per peck, while it is now ottered 
here by Mr. Henderson, the introducer, at $125 
per peck. 
Pride of America —This was raised by E. 
S. Brownell, and closely resembles the Snow¬ 
flake, ripening a few days earlier. It is said, 
however, to be more productive, to grow to a 
one peck to the acre, in 
drills 40 inches apart, using 
200 pounds of phosphate to the acre; the*i, 
before the corn is up, if the weeds have 
.started, I harrow it thoroughly with the 
Thomas Smoothing Harrow, which will kill 
all the weeds and not Injure the corn. I use 
the harrow as often as is necessary co kill the 
weeds till the corn gets too large; then the 
cultivator and hoe have to do the rest. Thin 
to 12 inches. The harrow saves me much 
time, as I can keep the start, of the weeds, 
which is hard to do if one has to wait for tha 
corn to gei large enough for the cultivator. 
Oneida Co., N. Y. s. ©. a. 
