1889 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
729 
(L 1 urn) wl) eve. 
RURAL POTATO REPORTS. 
(Continued from Page 735.) 
Yield 14 pounds 6% ounces, 14 pounds and 
one ounce marketable. Quality fine. 
Sodus. O. B. 
MAINE. 
Ten pieces were planted May 5. Blight 
struck them August 1, and they were dug 
August 10. Yield 10 pounds three ounces, 
all marketable but four ounces. They 
were the handsomest potatoes I ever saw. 
S. Deer Isle. G. L. R. 
Potato weighed three ounces and was 
cut into 13 pieces, put into a box in March, 
and set out in row, 13 inches apart, May 4. 
Yield 43 potatoes weighing 19 pounds, larg¬ 
est weighed 20% ounces. F. w. H. 
Warren. 
MISSOURI. 
Eight eyes planted April 10. Dug Au¬ 
gust 16. Yield 16 pounds. w. H. R. 
St. Louis. 
MINNESOTA. 
Fourteen pieces planted May 3, dug 
September 13, yield 53 tubers weighing 18 
pounds. Largest weighed one pound. 
Grand Meadow. F. S. 
Ten pieces planted on land without man¬ 
ure for four years. Yield 14 pounds, two 
ounces, largest weighing 14 ounces. 
Pine Bend. F. M. 
TEN eyes were nipped by frost, then 
nearly dried up. Dug September 30, yield 
nine pounds, 13 ounces, largest weighing 
14)-a ounces. M. M. 
Minnesota Lake. 
Six pieces, planted about middle of April, 
dug October 4; 34 merchantable, 11 small; 
bad drought. w. mcp. 
Strother. 
NEW YORK. 
I CUT my potato, about the size of a hick¬ 
ory nut, in two pieces, and planted in a six- 
inch trench June 1, with a handful of bone 
dust and ashes above and below each piece 
with soil next the seed. The largest 11 
weigh 11 pounds one ounce. The largest 
four weigh 36, 35, 33 and 19 ounces respect¬ 
ively; all good-shaped potatoes. p. A. 
Perry. 
I planted my potato in eight hills May 
16. So wet we could hardly cultivate them. 
Dug September 1; yield, 19% pounds. One 
weighed two pounds, another one pound 11 
ounces; only two or three too small to use; 
no rotten ones. S. T. B. 
Collins Center. 
I planted 14 one-eye pieces in hills three 
feet apart each way; 13 grew. Blighted 
August 10. Dug September 1—30 pounds. 
Largest seven weighed 7% pounds; one 
weighed 33’* ounces; remarkably smooth. 
No signs of rot, though other varieties are 
rotting badly. I would not give my 30 
pounds of potatoes for three Junes the sub 
scription price of the R. N.-Y'. D. M. 
Brookdale. 
Six eyes planted in garden May 10. Dug 
September 18, yield 14% pounds, all sound. 
Dempster. N. P. S. 
Planted seven eyes. Dug August 31, 33 
pounds, nearly all of eatable size. The 
largest weighs one pound 10 ounces. 
Stockport. F. P. 
I PLANTED my potato, and by cutting it 
in two and taking off sprouts, I made nine 
hills. Top-dressed with ashes, and mulched 
with new-mown hay. Blighted early. Dug 
September 10. Y'ield 16 pounds in all. 
Only three were small. The largest five 
weighed 34, 19, 17, 17 and 15 ounces respec¬ 
tively. No signs of rot. E. c. 
Hoosick Falls. 
I PLANTED my 13 potatoes cut to one eye, 
about May 30, on sandy loam. I plowed 
trenches four inches deep, scattered ashes 
and lieu manure, mixed it with the soil, 
dropped the seed, covered with one inch of 
soil, scattered more ashes and hen manure, 
put on another inch of soil and filled up the 
trench as the potatoes grew. Flea-beetles 
attacked them, and blight struck them, 
but I got 13 pecks all of large size, the 
largest weighing two pounds. They are 
the finest lot of potatoes I ever saw, and 
are free from rot. I. P. _W. 
Fredonia. 
Three eyes, three hills. Hurt by frost. 
Yield 5% pounds. No bugs or beetles on 
the vines while other varieties suffered. 
The best potatoes were where I used stable 
manure. A. R. 
Marilla. 
Fifteen eyes from two small potatoes. I 
relied on the R. N.-Y.’s guess of a dry sea¬ 
son and planted on my wettest soil. Used 
at the rate of 1,000 pounds per acre of 
Homestead phosphate. Failure. Y'ield 
only pounds. C. M. L. 
W. Henrietta. 
“ A little dried-up thing ” cutto four 
pieces. A table-spoonful of Bradley’s phos¬ 
phate in each hill. Yield 11 pounds. It is 
the “coming potato.” R. H. T. 
North River. 
Seven eyes. Planted in trench. Yield 
16% pounds. C. H. F. 
Forestville. 
Eight eyes planted May 11 in trench, 
with a liberal application of phosphate. 
Dug September 37. Yield 50 potatoes 
weighing 15 pounds. The largest weighed 
36 ounces. D. H. s. 
Middleport. 
Thirteen one-eye pieces were planted 
May 1 in trench in rich soil, fertilized the 
previous year with yard manure. Total 
yield 11 pounds, one-fourth pound unmer¬ 
chantable. Five tubers weighed five 
pounds. Two weigh 1% pound each. 
J. H. c. 
Two small potatoes made 13 eyes. Four¬ 
teen inches apart, trench system, four 
inches deep. Y'ield 34 potatoes, 19 market¬ 
able. R. C. F. 
Sinclarville. 
Four eyes. Hog manure used. Dug 
September 13, 15 tubers, weighing six 
pounds. J- D. H. 
Constableville. 
Eleven eyes, two’ with flesh no larger 
than peas. Dug September 17. Y'ield 19% 
pounds, 40 potatoes, 36.marketable. J. H. 
Ea. Aurora. 
By cutting to single eyes and dividing 
the largest I secured 14 sets. Planted in a 
trench eight inches deep. Liberal dressing 
of “ Unicorn ” phosphate. Trench filled in 
at intervals. Y’ield 34% pounds. No rot, 
though other varieties suffered. This po¬ 
tato has a future. R. N. L. 
Red Hook. 
Three eyes sprouted in the basin. Potato 
yield five pounds 10 ounces. A. H. H. 
YV. Bloomfield. 
Eight eyes. Y'ield 31 potatoes weighing 
10% pounds. J. W. H. 
North Greece. 
Fourteen eyes, 14 hills. Y'ield 31% 
pounds. Much pleased with yield and po¬ 
tato. MRS. A. J. G. 
Adams Center. 
Twelve eyes. Planted in garden and 
well fertilized. Y'ield 33 pounds. 
Porterville. a. l. b. 
Eleven eyes, cut in four pieces and 
planted in two hills in garden soil enriched 
with wood ashes. Y'ield 4% pounds. An¬ 
other variety a few feet away retted so 
badly that 13 hills yielded less than the two 
hills of No. 3. H. B. 
Cobleskill. 
NEW JERSEY. 
I planted my potato^about May 8 in the 
field with other potatoes so they received 
only ordinary culture. Blight struck them 
before maturity. Dug September 7, yield 
54 tubers. Weight 13 pounds 3 ounces. 
Freehold. D. P. M. 
Six hills yielded 11% pounds, one of 
which weighs 1% pound. They are very 
fine-looking potatoes. P. S. 
Hillsborough. 
Six eyes planted in a box, produced 14 
plants. Planted out six of them early in 
May, destroyed by bugs. Latter part of 
May planted remainder, which gave me 33 
tubers weighing five pounds. J. w. 
Vineland. 
Early in May I cut my potato in five 
pieces, and put it back in the box a feiv 
days before planting. Fertilized with 
poultry droppings and phosphate. Had five 
pounds of handsome tubers. s. P. F. 
Vineland. 
I cut my potato into 10 one-eye pieces, 
and planted April 30, in sandy loam, in a 
trench. I put the cut sides down, put on 
an inch of soil, then at the rate of 1,000 
pounds of potato fertilizer per acre, and 
filled the trench nearly full. Bugs bad, 
and blight killed tops. Dug, August 15, 21 
potatoes, weight three pounds six ounces ; 
several rotted. Nice, smooth, good shape. 
Westfield. C. R. w. 
NEW' HAMPSHIRE. 
One tiny little tuber made seven hills of 
one eye. Dug, July 30, 4% pounds. Blighted 
July 16; not a fair trial. MRS. B. B. C. 
S. Sutton. 
Thirteen very small one-eye pieces w'ere 
planted June 1. Dug last of August. Yield 
38 tubers, weighing 7% pounds. Not one 
has rotted, while every other sort we planted 
has rotted more or less. F. E. s. 
Hudson Center. 
NEBRASKA. 
Five hills, level culture, no trench, yield 
32% pounds, largest tuber 26 ounces. Larg¬ 
est perfect shape 18 ounces. L. c. B. 
Nebraska City. 
Six pieces planted in garden, yielded 17 
potatoes, largest weighed 10 ounces. 
Tilden. I. N. F. 
Twelve pieces, yield 123 potatoes of mar¬ 
ketable size, weighing 42 pounds, and two 
pounds small ones. Largest five weighed 
five pounds. Hoed once. H. B. 
Humbolt. 
Tw'o pieces planted May 10, in trench. 
Y'ield 70 potatoes weighing 55 pounds. 
Delta. A. N. 
Potato weighed three ounces. Y’ield 20 
pounds, 14 ounces. No manure. s. L. T. 
Fairfield. 
ONE small tuber'planted May 21, yield 76 
potatoes weighing 36 pounds. Largest five 
weighed 4% pounds. Largest weighed 18 
ounces. H. F. w. 
Newport. 
ONE tuber planted May 10, had two hoe- 
ings, dug September 28, yield 23% pounds, 
the largest weighed two pounds five ounces. 
North Loup. H. H. s. 
OHIO. 
Twelve eyes planted April 30. No extra 
care, badly injured by bugs. Dug Septem¬ 
ber 35. Y'ield 25 pounds, fine, smooth 
tubers; largest one weighed 20 ounces. 
Bellefontaine. G. A. h. 
Four hills, fertilized in hill with well- 
rotted stable manure. Flea-beetles killed 
vines before blossoming. Dug August 39, 
yield 15 potatoes weighing 3% pounds. 
W. Middleburgh. J. w. B. 
Twenty-one pieces were planted on mod¬ 
erately fertile, sandy soil about April 15, in 
a trench, fertilized with potato fertilizer. 
Dug September IS; yield S5 tubers weigh¬ 
ing 4% pounds, largest 19 ounces. 
Rockport. w. A. B. 
Three pieces planted according to R. 
N.-Y'. trench system. Y’ield from two hills 
13 potatoes weighing 10% pounds. Nine 
weighed nine pounds; the largest two 
weighed 2%!pounds. H. s. 
Edgarton. 
Eight single-eye pieces in poor soil, 
yielded 42 potatoes weighing 14 pounds. 
The largest weighed j31 ounces. J. T. 
Highland. 
* — 
Eight hills without fertilizer yielded 46 
potatoes weighing 15% pounds. The largest 
weighed one pound. M. h. 
Sidney. 
Twelve small eyes started in hot-bed, 
and 35 sprouts planted out June 1; dug 
(Continued on Page 735.) 
FLOWER GARDEN NOTES. 
W. FALCONER. 
SIMPLY because summer has gone aud 
the frost has come and destroyed all tender 
plants is no excuse why you should leave 
your garden in a bedraggled and untidy 
condition. Give it a thorough good tidy¬ 
ing up and you will be pleased for doing so 
all winter long. First of all, with a stout 
stake or label driven well into the ground 
beside them, mark the places of fraxinella, 
lilies, creeping milkweed (Euphorbia corol- 
lata), pleurisy root (Asclepias tuberosa), 
gypsophila, Large-flowering Bell-flower 
(Platycodon) and other plants that die down 
into the ground out of sight. This serves 
as a safeguard against digging them up or 
injuring them in digging in spring. 
Then look after all the tender plants. If 
they are hardy enough to live out-of-doors 
under a little mulch covering, all right; 
leave them there and delay mulching them 
over about as late as you do your strawber¬ 
ries: that is, until immediately before you 
expect severe weather to set in. And if 
you have any plants that really are not 
hardy enough to survive the winters in the 
borders ; for instance, hybrid pentstemons, 
montbretias, the finer tritomas, Verbena 
venosa, Salvia Pitcheri. and the like, lift 
them at once and plant them in a cold- 
frame set up in a warm, sunny place ; or, 
failing a frame, lift and plant t hem in pots 
or boxes and winter them in a cool room or 
cellar. And cut over the old stalks of 
p;eonias, larkspurs, phloxes, sunflowers, 
and other tall-growing perennials and clear 
them all away. 
Y'ou will probably find the borders freely 
scattered over with innumerable seedlings 
of larkspur, fox-gloves, Sweet Williams, 
coreopsis, gaillardias and others. Now, no 
matter whether you want any of these or 
not, let them alone till next spring ; but if 
there are any large, rough things among 
them, which you don’t want, weed them 
out, and pull out weeds of all kinds. Then 
over all the ground scatter a good dressing 
of well-broken up rotted manure and leave 
it there till spring. This fertilizes the land 
and protects not only the young plants, but 
also the crowns of the old ones, and it 
saves them all from heaving by frost, and 
field mice do not like burrowing among 
rotted manure. Of course, in the case of 
hollyhocks, Sweet Williams and foxgloves, 
additional protection over-winter should 
be given; some dry tree leaves, leafy ever¬ 
green branches, dry ferns, sea thatch or the 
like spread over them will supply this 
want. 
It may occur to many that this is a good 
time of year to dig over borders in which 
perennials are grown, also a capital time 
to lift, divide and transplant perennials, 
but, really, it is a bad time for any of these 
operations. The plants now are going to 
rest and should not lie disturbed. Even 
hardy plants are much hardier when they 
are firmly rooted and well established in 
the ground than when they are newly 
transplanted, and freshly planted plants at 
this time of year or plants in freshly dug 
ground are always apt to be heaved out 
of the earth in winter and often injured. 
It is always best to lift, divide and replant 
perennials just before they are about to 
start again into full growth, or before they 
have finished their season’s growth, or in 
the case of bulbous or tuberous plants, 
while they are dormant, or, in the event of 
early-spring-blooming plants, like trilli 
urns, moss pink, arabis, etc., in late sum¬ 
mer in time to give them a firm root-hold 
before winter. 
Y'ou can plant out hardy bulbs, like 
snowdrops, crocuses, squills, poet's narcis 
sus, and daffodils, hyacinths and tulips, just 
as late as the bulbs keep plump and sound 
and the ground is open from frost; but, 
at the same time, the sooner the bulbs are 
planted now the better they will bloom in 
spring. There is an opinion common among 
the people that the lawn should have a 
good, rough beard of grass on it over win¬ 
ter and that this will preserve the grass 
roots from getting winter-killed : but this 
is contrary to my experience. If your lawn 
is in this condition, mow it over with the 
scythe while the dew is on it, and rake 
off the mowings. The lawn will now look 
clean and pretty, and will not gather and 
hold in tussocks the tree leaves as they 
blow about and there will be no dead grass 
to rake out of it in spring before it can be 
mown. And in spring, instead of the 
young grass coming up weak and spindly 
among the rough beard of old grass, it will 
thicken itself to begin with. 
I have no patience with the people who 
cry out against mulching lawns with short 
manure over-winter; they urge two ex 
cuses, namely, the unsightliness of the 
top-dressing and the unsavory odor arising 
from it. The top-dressing is of decided ad¬ 
vantage to the lawn; it protects the turf 
from the vicissitudes of winter, enriches 
the laud and lays the foundation of a sur¬ 
face coating of rich, spongy material in 
which short grass revels. As regards the 
bad smell, no sane man would use rank, 
ill-smelling manure, when well-rotted 
