NOV 47 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
764 
ftural topics. 
HILL VERSUS FLAT CULTURE OF PO¬ 
TATOES 
A CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE EDITOR OF 
THE “RURAL” AND A NEIGHBORING 
FARMER. 
Rural: “ How do you cultivate your pota¬ 
toes I” 
Mr. Voorhis: ‘‘.Just as soon as the sprouts 
show above ground, I run the plow through, 
throwing a light furrow over each row. Then 
I go over the Held with un old harrow without 
any teeth. This levels the land, covers the 
sprouts and the weeds. In tills way I kill two 
birds with one stone.” 
Rural: “ What do you do after that ?” 
Mr. Voorhis: “ I leave them until the stems 
are about six inches high. Then 1 again plow, 
throwing the furrow towards the potatoes 
and hilling up. Then I go through with the 
hoe, finishing the hilling up, and cutting out 
the weeds; and this is continued through the 
season.” 
R.: “ Your land is rather light and not very 
rich; what manure did you use, and how 
many potatoes to the acre have you raised ?” 
V.: “Eight hundred pounds of Mapes’s 
Chemical Fertilizer to the acre sown broad¬ 
cast, as you recommend. The yield is not 
over 100 bushels to tho acre. Eurly Rose and 
Beauty of Hebron were the kinds raised.” 
R.: “Why do you plant only those two 
kinds i Are there no others of as good quali¬ 
ty that will yield more T' 
V.: “No doubt; but these are well known 
in tho market, and people are cautious about 
buying new kinds lest the quality be not as 
good. ” 
R.: “You say you raised the Beauty of 
Hebron with farm manure; which wore the 
freest from injury by wire-worms, grubs, 
etc.”? 
V.: “The Early Rose were the cleanest, 
raised with tho chemical fertilizer only ?” 
R.: “ Why do not you cultivate your pota¬ 
toes flat; that is, without any hilling up ?” 
V.: “ Well, in thoflist place, when hilled up 
there arc fewer green potatoes, nud iu the 
second it is far easier to dig them when 
hilled up. 1 know just where to stick my fork 
and throw them out.” 
R.: “ But, in flat culture, if you get. a good 
growth of vine, are not tho potatoes shaded so 
that they do not ‘green’ much ?” 
V.: “That maybe, but wo leave our pota¬ 
toes in the ground after the vines die and if 
cultivated flat, many are exposed to the air 
and sun.” 
R.: “ If you used 800 pounds of concentrated 
fertilizer to the acre, why, think you, the yield 
wns no more than 100 bushels f” 
V.: “ Because the drought hurt them and, 
besides, they were struck with tho blight.” 
R.: “Think you that plowiug between the 
hills and sevoriug many of tho roots might 
not have induced the blight f” 
V.. “Possibly.” 
II.: “Suppose you could ruiso 25 per cent, 
more potatoes under Hut than hill tillage, 
would you then prefer the latter ?” 
V,: “ That depends upon how many ‘burnt’ 
potatoes I should got.” 
R.: “Then you have never tried the flat 
system ?” 
V.: “No.” 
R.: “ In the third field from where we 
stand, 1 raised twice as many potatoes to the 
acre as you did. We both know that the lund 
is not so good as yours. Mine were not billed 
up at all. Why was this ?” 
V.: “ Because you used more fertilizer,” re¬ 
plied Mr. Voorhis, laughing. 
It.: “ No, we used ou difl’erout plots all the 
way from 20(1 to 1,200 pounds per acre. That 
upon which 000 pounds were used gave us the 
best yield—200 pounds less than you used.” 
V.: “ I can’t say what the difference in 
yield was owing to.” 
R.: “ i bog you, Mr. Voorhis, another year 
to try tho experiment of flat cultivation, It 
will cost you but little. In our experiments 
with potatoes in half-barrels, It was found 
that tho fibrous roots penetrated to every part 
and that they would have penetrated further, 
had there boon room. Now, when a plow is 
run botwoeu the hills these roots are severed 
and can no longer aid iu supporting the plant 
which supports the tubers. Suppose you have 
a geranium in it pot and you thump it out 
and without otherwise disturbing tho ball of 
earth, you out oil' on both sides tho soil and 
roots, ivlmt will bo the effect ?" 
V : “ To check tho plant for a time, doubt¬ 
less, though it may thrive tho bettor after¬ 
wards.” 
R.: “ Precisely. Thou we will suy that the 
otato plant is also checked by this root- 
runing. But its season of growth is compara¬ 
tively short, remember, and it has no lime to 
recover —especially if dry weather follows. It 
is crippled for life, one may say. The leaves 
and stems of the plant are deprived of at 
least one quarter of the food they would 
otherwise have obtained nud tho tubers, 
which are merely under-ground stems, suffer 
in the same proportion. Besides, it is very 
plain, that hilling up deprives the plant of 
moisture regardless of the loss of roots. Hill¬ 
ing up potatoes is equivalent to stooking corn 
stalks or stacking hay. They are well shel¬ 
tered from ordinary rains.” 
NOTES OFTHE LOUISVILLE SOUTHERN 
EXPOSITION. 
(RURAL SPECIAL REPORT,i 
While the country north of Louisville has 
been deluged by rain, the city has enjoyed a 
comparative exemption from falling weather 
from the opening in August to this date, 
October 27. This may account in part for the 
comparatively tight attendance, which is not 
likely to reach over 65 or 75 per cent, of the 
expected number—one million paying visit¬ 
ors. It in possible, however, that, the charac¬ 
ter of the exhibits, which, except in one or 
two features, have little not previously shown 
at the Centennial or the Cotton Exhibition of 
Atlanta, On., has failed to draw visitors from 
a distance. Of the new features the chief 
was the exhibition of electric lighting, this 
being really the most extensive and complete 
the world has ever seen. 
One mistake was made, perhaps, iu not 
giving the exhibition an advertisement exten¬ 
sive enough. North and South, and another in 
announcing it as a Southern exhibition, while 
in the sense of showing things Southern, it is 
far less so than the shows at Philadelphia or 
Atlanta. Indeed, the agricultural side of the 
affair was the narrowest of all, if one excepts 
tho handsome exhibits of the States of Ala¬ 
bama, Tennessee, Arkansas and two or three 
others collected and controlled by the Louis¬ 
ville <fe Nashville and several of the land-grant 
railroads. Kentucky, however, at a late day, 
came in with a magnificent show of corn, 
wheat, sweet and Irish potatoes, which will 1st 
noticed further along. 
The experience of Louisville seems to 
demonstrate that for an exhibition to draw a 
great crowd from the entire country, it must 
uot only be national In its character but must 
represent the progress of active thought, and 
of the arts and tho industries all through, and 
present many new and striking features. For 
example, what would call Northern people 
south in greater numbers than an op¬ 
portunity to see tho processes and re¬ 
sults of Southern agriculture and fruit grow¬ 
ing, such as might be shown at Charleston or 
Savannah, Mobile or New Orleans? And 
what would draw greater crowds to any of 
the large cities of the Middle States, than 
sorghum sugar manufacture, nud u cheese 
factory and a creamery on the most improved 
plans, working on an extensive scale? Tho 
truth is that since tho Centennial, most expo¬ 
sitions have boon little more than poor copies 
of it. To see one has been to comprehend all, 
and siuco in all these agriculture has cut a 
sorry, or no figure at, all, it Is not improbable 
the next greatest success will be that exposi¬ 
tion which makes the most extensive showing 
of tho agriculture of nil section* and specially 
of that port.iou of the country whore it shall 
be held. 
But if in attempting to give some of the 
reasons why the Louisville Exposition has uot 
been as much of a success as Its friends hoped 
for, a little adverse criticism has boon in¬ 
dulged in, there were many features in it 
worthy of the highest praise, that may be 
copied by other exhibitions with the like suc¬ 
cessful results. The exposition building was 
large, commodious and convenient, well 
planned and exceptionally well lighted night 
and day. The location was a remarkably fine 
one, in a noble park, with a complement of 
grand old trees, large enough and varied 
enough to excite the admiration and enthusi¬ 
asm of every one who appreciates them. The 
transportation by means of street-cars was of 
the most satisfactory kind, no crowding being 
allowed, and no waiting having to tie suffered 
for lack of car service, and, as a further at 
traction, the principal route lay through 
Fourth, one of the best built streets in the 
city. The hotel ami boarding-house ac¬ 
commodations proved equal to the emer¬ 
gencies of the largest crowds of strangers 
which came to the exposition, and those 
who were not strangers and others whoso 
private merits or public character entitled 
them to that, distinction, received the full 
measure of generous hospitality from citizens, 
for which I^uisville has boon a l«ug time 
famous. 
Referring to the exhibition of tho’corn of 
Kentucky, it was by far the best one I have 
ever seen in a 30 years’ residence in Illi¬ 
nois, and a more or less intimate acquaint¬ 
ance with the crop. The varieties were few, 
scarcely more than two, white and yellow 
“ horse-tooth,” as it would be called, but the 
former exceeded the latter more than ten to 
one. The greatest portion of the show con¬ 
sisted of two lots, of about 1,000 ears each, 
contributed by two counties near Louisville, 
and theso werc.ticd in packages of from ten 
to twelve ears, for tha purpose of easy hand¬ 
ling and displaying on a convenient table. 
The striking thing about this corn was the 
largo (to Northern and Eastern eyes it seemed 
enormous) size of the ears, In connection with 
the relatively small diameter of the cob and 
the vast depth of the kernels. For a guess, I 
should say the ears averaged 11 inches in 
length, in diameter, weighing (they were 
not bone dry), lj^ pound, and would count 
out from 1,000 tol,500 kernels, equal in weight 
and bulk to twice as many kernels of the 
Northern flint varieties. The only comments 
I have to make ut present are that the yield 
per acre of this choice representative of the 
common corn of Kentucky, is iu no way 
commensurate with the size of the ear, since 
in growing, each stalk stands four feet or 
more away from every other, and that under 
the soil and climate of the Blue Grass region, 
Indian corn obtains its most complete devel¬ 
opment, a favorite Kentucky illustration of 
this truth being the manifest superiority of 
indigenous whiskey. The show of wheat was 
large and good, but not remarkable, and tho 
oats were rather inclined to be chaffy. Com¬ 
pensation, however, perhaps might have been 
found in the fifty or sixty baskets each of 
sweet and Irish potatoes, which were as mon¬ 
strous in size as the corn, without its con¬ 
spicuous merit 
To tin lover of trees the five cents’ worth 
of transportation to the Exhibition ground, 
and the 50 cents entrance fee would have been 
money well spent, if he confined himself to a 
stroll uuder the shade of the majestic forest 
trees, of which there are said to be 120 varie¬ 
ties. Of the large, full-grown, and aged ones, 
those which may be said to have attained the 
dignity of distinction of “ green robed sena¬ 
tors of mighty woods,” there were perhaps 
twenty varieties within an area of tern acres. 
Among those with trunks having a diameter of 
from three to six feet, six feet from the ground, 
ami with proportional bight aud spread of 
limbs, I name the common Sassafras first., 
because exceptional In size; then the White 
and Red Oaks, Yollow Poplar, Red and White 
Beech, Sweet, Sour and Black Gums, Wild 
Cherry, Sycamore, Honey-locust, Kentucky 
Coffee Tree, Hackberry, Chestnut, Soft 
Maple, Cucumber and others. As trees of 
the second order, which would be timber 
tree* in Northern forests, elm, cypress, 
catalpa, Osage-Orange, Southern Willow 
Oak, closely resembling the Live Oak in leaf, 
form and general habit, ami for strikingly, 
peculiar, attractively green aurl vigorous 
habit and foliage the Ginkgo Tree of Japan, 
and tho European Oak—Quercus pedunculntu. 
There are ten-acre areas no doubt where as 
large a number and as great a variety of 
fully developed and venerable forest trees 
may be seen In their best form; but they are 
probably few and certainly remote, and 
should Louisville give the world a second 
enlarged aud improved edition of the 
Southern Exposition of 1883, those who have 
been charmed by the location will make a 
second visit., and bring their friends with 
them. B. f. j. 
SOME IMPORTED JERSEYS. 
While sjiendiug a few hours iu the city of 
Philadelphia l paid a visit to that old head¬ 
quarters of imported Jerseys, Herkness’s 
Bazaar, and was induced by the senior mem¬ 
ber of the firm, Mr. Alfred M. Herkness, to 
inspect a new enterprise lie has iu hand, a de¬ 
scription of which I think will prove of in¬ 
terest to many readers of the Rural. We 
boarded a train for the city of Chester, a ride 
of forty minutes, that encompasses as many 
beauties as the same length of trip can furnish 
in any part of the country. High art in agri¬ 
culture, architecture and floral display has 
taken possession, not only of the residents 
along the route, but. even of the railroad com¬ 
pany, which has made the stations so unique 
in beautiful design, that we involuntarily 
think, as the train stops, that by mistake we 
have run into the yard of souio wealthy gen 
tleuian’s country residence. 
After reaching Chester, a ten minute's’ ride 
over a smooth turnpike brings us to one of 
the old Sharpies* homesteads, a stone house 
built iu tin- earlv days and nestled among the 
gentle undulations of pasture, wood and til¬ 
lage land that by its remarkable adaptability 
to dairy purposes has made this section of 
Pennsylvania the nursery of fine butter mak¬ 
ing. Where could the Jersey cow find a land 
to which she could be more kindlv trans¬ 
planted? I hen, the big barn to which the 
dwelling-house seems a mere tender, that is so 
characteristic of the farming system of this 
Htate, looks large enough to hold the full pro¬ 
ducts of a dozen ordinary farms. As we went 
through its cellars and basements, sheds, car¬ 
riage-houses, horse-stables, cow stables, calf 
anil bull-stables, first stories, second stories 
and lofts, it seemed endless In its appoint¬ 
ments. 
Finally, emerging from its labyrinths, I 
started over the fields with my enthusiastic 
companion in search of the Jerseys. • There 
was no need of looking for them, for they 
met us at every turn, in one field was as fine 
a lot of yearling heifers as one could moot in 
a life-time. Their condition for breeding 
purposes was just that happy medium—neither 
too thiu iu flesh nor too fat, and about two- 
thirds of them, Mr. Herkness told me, had 
not been allowed with the bull. His idea is 
that, most breeders have their own peculiar 
notions, now that butter records are all the 
rage, as to which fandly or line of breeding 
will produce the greatest performers, and to 
accomplish this end they desire to breed to 
certain favorite bulls. Those heifers, being 
chosen from the best butter families on the 
Island, are calculated to just fill the require¬ 
ments of these breeders; a fair proportion 
of the heifers, however, are just, springing 
with calf to bulls of the best butter breeding 
strains, and by the day of sale, November 15, 
will be ripe for the purchaser who is impatient 
to increase the numbers of his herd. 
In a distant, pasture wo found the herd of 
matured cows each like the heifers, bearing 
around their horns the insignia of importation 
—locks and chains. I do not remember the 
exact number; but there must have been 75 
or 80 cows in the herd. The uniform excel¬ 
lence of tho lot. proved the admirable judg¬ 
ment exercised in the selection on the Island. 
The catalogue was uot yet prepared, so I 
could not study their pedigree; but for in¬ 
dividual merit they certainly'rank with the 
best that have been brought to this country. 
There was a variety in color and size, though 
they were mostly solid grays and fawns, but 
in development of escutcheon, milk veins, 
udders ami the points that go to make up a 
perfect dairy cow, there was a remarkable 
uniformity of excellence, I expect to see 
some long prices and great bargains secured 
when these cows come under the hammer. 
Mr. Herkness will have but two bulls old 
enough for service to offer at the sale; but 
they will merit all that breeders are willing 
to pay for the best imported animals; for they 
have been selected with a view to satisfy the 
most fashionable fastidiousness. 
Every Jersey on the farm and every one 
that goes into the sale, will be an imported 
animal, ami in this connection Mr. Herkness 
makes this telling poiut: It has been shown 
that the best butter records for one day, 
seven days, thirty flays, and a year, have each 
bem won by the representatives of separate 
families, and all of them with pedigrees close 
up to importation. 'Hiis proves that the but¬ 
ter quality belongs to the Dreed and not to 
sjiecial families, at least not at present, and 
that imported cows represent the fountain 
head, and it is to these ptirehasers should 
look for the foundation stock for butter herds, 
and individual great performers. There is 
undoubtedly much food for thought in this 
suggestion. 
1 had almost forgotten what 1 started out 
to explain—that Mr. Herkness from long and 
successful practice is wedded to the business 
of importation, aud he has selected and im¬ 
proved this beautiful farm to make it a depot 
for imported Jerseys. The ships land them 
almost at the gates of the farm, and hence 
forth I have no doubt, this farm will be known 
to Jersey breeders throughout the country as 
the connecting link between the United States 
aud the Island of Jersey. i„ s, nARniN. 
THE EYE-OPENER. 
W illiams & Bro., alias EUr worth &: Co., of 
Detroit, Michigan, arc the cheekiest swindlers 
“out West.” They advertise extensively the 
"Scout and Western Story Teller,” for $2 a 
year, and promise subscribers $8 worth of 
presents. As tho new year approaches, bring¬ 
ing with it the subscription season for news- 
Impor* and periodicals, every year a large 
number of bogus ui^w periodicals and papers 
are widely advertised and puffed alt over tho 
country. The prospectuses of these frauds 
are tempting, and either the prices are ex¬ 
tremely low, or offers of extraordinary pre 
tuiurns are made to induce the credulous to 
subscribe. A few numbers of the paper may 
be published; but so soon as the subscription 
season is over, and all hopes of beguiling more 
money out of the pockets of the unwary has 
disappeared for the year, the paper or periodi¬ 
cal is discontinued, ana the subscribers get, 
neither what they paid for nor what was 
promised them. It would be well for our 
readers to be careful with regard to subscrib¬ 
ing for new periodicals, etc., for the uext 
three or four months, at any rate. 
