PATENT FLUID 
on the seed ends to suit me, I do not use them. 
If I wish two stalks to the hill, and a full 
stand with no hills missing, for a large yield 
per acre, my seed is cut four to five weeks 
before planting, dusted well with plaster, 
spread on boards in my cellar and stirred 
over often, to keep from heating. When 
ready to plant, I discard all that are not 
sprouted. This gives me a full stand and 
much earlier potatoes. When cut to two eyes 
and planted, there will be many hills with 
only one stalk, owing to one of the buds got- 
ting the start and keeping the other dor¬ 
mant, and this may shorten the crop (plant¬ 
ing as I do), fully 50 bushels to the acre. 
The ground and seed are now in fine con¬ 
dition for planting. If two stalks are requir¬ 
ed, I drop two pieces with oue eye each, 10 to 
12 inches apart in the trench, the difference 
being due to tall aud sh<irt-growiug varieties. 
If a large variety, sometimes I only drop 
pieces with one eye nine to ten inches apart. 
The sets are now covered with a hoe,two inches 
deep, and the remainder of the trench is eft 
opeu, and for an extra yield, I now r scatter in 
the trenches 500 to 000 pounds of Mapes’ pota¬ 
to manure, or Stockbridge’s, etc., all mixed 
with plaster, cultivating and filling up the 
trench as the vines grow. My rule is after this to 
cultivate and hoe three times each, aud culti¬ 
vate each time twice in the row. After this 
I cultivate and hill up with a hiller. By this 
mode of culture I have grown 417 bushels on 
one-half acre, and last season, with my new 
seedlings, I did much better. The profit in 
growing i>otatoes is in the yield, as it costs 
about $40 to grow 125 bushels on one acre. If 
sold at 50 cents par bushel, the profit would be 
$22.50. With n cost of $80 per acre and a 
common yield of 500 bushels to the acre, sale 
at 50 cents per bushel would give a profit of 
$170 per acre, and the cost per bushel would 
be 16 cents. 
The cause of blight is principally iu the 
weather—hot streaks of air aud wind after 
heavy rains—aud it shows itself mostly iu cer- 
taiu stages of the vine growth, from the 20th 
of July to the latter part of August. Hot 
thunder storms followed by strong, hot, sul¬ 
try winds, aud too much warm raiu are the 
causes of the rot also. Last season I had two 
rows of potatoes 25 rods long, between my 
grape rows. Oue day the vines were all green 
and beautiful, no signs of blight; then t'ollow- 
ed a heavy th under shower; next day butoue.all 
were blighted, the leaves being nearly all 
black. Six rods from these, some of the same 
variety, both planted the same day, the rows 
of the same length and running parallel, were 
not injured in the least. Bo I think hot streaks 
of wind are one cause of blight, Another is a 
rank growth of vines covering all the ground, 
aud then when there is a heavy warm rain, the 
steam from the ground, passing up through the 
viues, blights them and also rots the potatoes. 
For this, aud to avoid sun-burnt potatoes, I 
like hilling up, and then the tubers are, with 
me, much easier to dig. As a matter of fact, 
in this section last season, in the case of all 
shallow-planted potatoes, the tubers nearest 
the surface nearly all rotted, especially the 
large ones. To avoid the scab caused by the 
Thousand-legged Wire-worm, I have used 
kainit—000 pounds to the acre—broadcasted in 
the Fall on scabby potato ground with good 
success, as the following season there was 
scarcely a scabby potato to tic found; but, salt 
and sulphur mixed and put in the hill will 
be a preventive of scab also. 
Twenty years since 1 had a field of Quack 
Grass, and it was chock-full of the long wire- 
worms then in sod. I made a fertilizer of un¬ 
leached ashes, salt ami lime; before slaking 
the lime, l put on it 20 pounds of sulphur aud 
slaked them together with boiling water; then 
mixed all well together,using a large handful of 
the mixture to each hill, of all but one row. In 
this row at diggiug time, the tubers were 
eaten through and through, and the wire- 
worms were then iu the tubers. Where the 
mixture was in the hills, the tubers were all 
smooth, clean mul handsome. I have made 
and used a fertilizer for potatoes by taking, 
say, 100 pounds of boue dust, oue sack of 
coarse salt and 50 pounds of muriate of potash, 
all well mixed together, applying the same 
iu the trenches. For top-dressing also, this is 
one of the best. Stable manure comes first, 
then Mapes and the one noticed here, to lie 
used in trenches in connection with stable 
manure iu the manner before stated. 
My potatoes are dug with forks, as I like 
this mode best. One mau cuu and does dig and 
pick up 80 bushels iu one day, if the yield is 
good. In picking, the small ones are sorted 
from the others, aud the latter ore put in piles 
of 40 to 100 bushels each, covered aud shingled 
over with potato stalks, with the roots evenly 
up, with air holes for the gas to escape while 
they are sweating. They are left here five 
to eight weeks; then sorted agaiu closely, then 
put iu the cellar on a sandy loam bottom, 
sprinkled with lime as each load is put in. 
They are put iu bins of 200 to 300 bushels each, 
each five feet deep and five feet wide. They 
are then kept in the dark, and none has ever 
rotted, all being sound in the Spring. 
In marketing potatoes for the table, I first 
consult the Rural New-Yorker, and read 
the evidence from its patrons. If from the 
evidence, I find there is generally throughout 
the country a large crop, I should say. sell in 
the Fall, aud save the shrinkage, which is more 
than many are aware of. My rule is to lift 
the potatoes as soon as ripe, and before the 
vines are quite dead. The tubers are uow 
clean and will dry quickly, and keep better, 
the risk of rot will be less, and the lady of the 
house will like them better. Small potatoes 
are boiled and fed to chickens. 
My ideal potato for the table is one that 
weighs six ounces or three tubers to the pound, 
as iu tubers of this size, the grain is finer and 
the flavor more delicate than in one of the same 
variety weighing oue to one-and-a-half pound. 
Color of skin yellowish-white aud rasseted; or 
the skill may be of a rase color; but botli must 
have pure white flesh of a line grain and deli¬ 
cate flavor; eyes flat on the surface; shape of 
tuber, oblong or oval to oblong. 
To improve a worn-out variety of potato, first 
sort out the small tubers of the genuine shape 
of the original; cut off one-third of the seed 
end. this is not to be used. Cut the stein end 
to single eyes, aud plant the same. Do the 
same with its product the following season. 
This will certainly improve the potato up to 
its original standard. The disposition of some 
varieties is to grow too large if planted the old 
way. Such I plant closer until I find the size 
I wish. 
Seven years since, a friend sent me a wild 4 
}>otato. I planted it—then the size of a 
large pea—the growth was one small tuber 
of the same size. I planted this the second 
season, aud grew one tuber, the size of a 
large pear. From this time on, the product 
grew iu size, and the sixth season I had uine 
tubers, aud last seasou I grew nearly two 
bushels, all of good size, a quarter to one 
pound each, smooth aud handsome. 
Proper climatic conditions are very essen¬ 
tial for growing good potatoes. They should 
have an even temperature of about 85 degrees, 
with no hot flashes of wind iu certain stages of 
growth: also rain sufficient at times to keep 
the soil moist. Iu some of our hottest, dry 
seasons, I have noticed that the yield of potatoes 
growing on a hill sloping to the north, was 
much better than from those on land sloping 
south. I have also often found, while digging, 
tubers w ith color aud eyes the opposite of 
those planted. I Lave also cut all the eyes 
out of a White Star Potato and inserted a one- 
eye piece from a red potato, aud it grew 
white-skiuned potatoes with [link eyes; and the 
following season the same. The average yield 
of potatoes in this section is 125 to 1.50 bushels to 
the acre. Some of our best growers get from 
SIX) to 400 bushels to the acre, and many far¬ 
mers about here last season lost all their pota¬ 
toes by the rot—whole fields of five to twenty 
acres each. The market for good potatoes is 
improving materially, and will no doubt con¬ 
tinue to do so. 
For the potato bug I first mix 10 pounds of 
Paris-green with 1,000 pounds of fine plaster, 
thoroughly through aud through. As soon as 
the young beetles appear, with a fine sieve 
duster I dust the vines lightly with the mix¬ 
ture and agaiu when a new batch appears. 
This kills all at once. 
For the squash gmb borer I dissolve two 
ounces of saltpeter in 1 gallon of water, and 
use it freely around the stems and roots, com¬ 
mencing soon after the plants are up, using 
it at intervals of four or five days; this saves 
the vine from the borer. For the streaked hug 
I use soot, blown with bellows on both sides 
of the leaves and around the stem, when moist 
with dew or rain; I also use the same on cab¬ 
bage plants, for the turnip fly. This is a sure 
remedy for both. For the cabbuge worm I use 
finely-ground black pepper and finely-ground 
salt mixed (also some plaster to increase the 
bulk). This is dusted on with a fine wire 
sifter when the dew is on, and it kills the 
worms at once, aud will kill the currant worm. 
Yates Co., N. Y. 
the lowest, $41.14. The lowest average price 
per bushel during the ten years was 39 cents, 
when the average per acre reached 111 bush¬ 
els, and the highest price 91 cents, when the 
average dropped to 57 bushels per acre. Dur¬ 
ing the same period the average value of the 
wheat crop of the United States was $12.82, 
and of the corn $11.20, so it is seen that pota¬ 
toes brought nearly four times as much per 
acre as wheat, aud more than four times as 
much as corn. It is difficult to recommend 
varieties so that the recommendation can be 
of any value to the readers of a paper with 
so wide a circulation as the Rural; for cli¬ 
mate, soil, and the demands of the local mar¬ 
ket must all be considered; but two things 
the intelligent potato grower must do; first, 
plant only tested varieties for the main 
crop, and, second, be continually testing new 
varieties to find what is best for him. 
I have not found any one variety better than 
all others: but all of the following have been 
profitable on my land: Early Rose, Early Sun¬ 
rise, Early Ohio, Rural Blush, Wall's Orange, 
Victor. Burliank, Conqueror, Beauty of Hebron, 
aud White Elephant. For two yearn past I 
have also found the White Peaehblow very 
profitable, although for many years most grow¬ 
ers have discarded it For the main crop, I 
select for seed medium-sized tubers, and reject 
ail that are misshapen or defective in any way. 
I like to have the seed run nearly the size of a 
hen’s egg. and do not use small seed, unless po¬ 
tatoes are very scarce and high-priced. I al¬ 
ways seloct ray seed at the time of digging, for 
when the potatoes are freshly dug they are 
bright, and it is easy to detect any admixture, 
I prefer keeping the seed potatoes in pits, as 
they neither sprout nor wilt when winterer! in 
this way. which they are likely to do in the cel¬ 
lar. I consider it of great importance that the 
seed at the time of planting should be sound 
ami plump. 
To insure a profitable crop, there are three 
points in the soil which are essential: 1st. it 
must be well drained; 2d, it should be rich, 
and, 3d, it ought to be clean. A profitable 
crop can be grown on land full of foul weeds, 
but it will be with great labor and vexation. 
The crop also may be profitable on only 
moderately rich land, if the cultivation is ex¬ 
tra thorough: but if it is a soil that becomes 
saturated with water, neither manure nor 
extra cultivation wall count for anything in 
a wet season, A clover sal gives a goal— 
probably the best—seed-bed. The preparation 
of the soil should lie thorough. I doubt if one 
farmer in ton puts as much labor on his potato 
land before planting as w ould be profitable. 
What implements to use depends somewhat on 
the soil and the season; but the surface should 
be made fine by use of drag or roller, and it 
should be thoroughly mellowed at least six 
inches deep, by the use of a harrow, that will 
cut down like the “Disk’- or Acme harrows. I 
have for several years used the Disk harrow, 
aud find it does the work to perfection. For 
the early crop I prefer to plow' in the Fall in 
lands about 16 feet wide, with the dead fur¬ 
rows running with the slope of the laud. We 
clean out all the loose earth from these fur¬ 
rows and use them as surface drains to carry 
off the water. Land left in this shape will 
pulverize finely in the Spring, and can be 
planted early. 
I have always planted by hand and expect 
to continue to do so, as I think it can be done 
better than by machinery, and as the covering 
is done by horse jiower, it is not expensive, 
aud unless oue is very largely' in the business, 
it will not pay' to invest the money* aud be at 
the trouble of storing a machine for one or 
t wo days’ work in a year. I never plant whole 
potatoes, but cut seed of the size named above 
into from four to six pieces, so as to have not 
less than two eyes to a piece, and plant one in 
a hill. The distance apart should vary’ with 
varieties. The early kinds, which make a 
small growth of top, may be planted with the 
rows 2bj feet apart aud the hills 15 inches, 
which will give nearly 14,000 hills to the acre, 
while some of the rauk-growing kinds should 
be planted three by two feet, which gives 
7,200 hills per acre. I always plant deep and 
lay off the ground with a loug, narrow shovel- 
plow or bull-tongue, which runs as deep as the 
land is plowed, and leaves plenty of loose earth 
in the bottom of the furrow; and I make it a 
rule that the ch opper must step on each piece 
of the seed, to press it down into the bottom of 
the furrow. We cover with the horse, aud 
the condition of the soil determines what im¬ 
plement to use—sometimes a heavy plank 
drag with two horses, drawn across the rows, 
with which two or three acres an hour can be 
covered; sometimes the two-horse harrow, and 
again, the corn cultivator; but always some 
implement with the horse and by which rapid 
and good work can be done. 
In a large majority of cases, and with most 
varieties, early planting ■will give the best 
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POTATOES AS A FIELD CROP. 
WALDO F. BROWN 
I have always liked to grow potatoes be¬ 
cause of the possibilities of the crop; for while, 
even in seasons like that just past, when the 
price goo« down to from 80 to 40 cents a bush¬ 
el, the crop will pay better thau corn, iu years 
when prices aud yield are both goal, they 
are a very profitable crop. From the last 
census of the United States I find that for 
the last ton years the crop in the entire coun¬ 
try averaged S7 bushels to the acre, aud that 
the average cash value per acre of the crop 
for the ten years was $47.68. The highest 
average cash value per acre was $58,83. and 
b Fnll treatise on improved 
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*nd general statistics, FREE. 
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Box P. WAYNESBORO. PA 
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(Continued^on page 45.) 
