SUPPLEMENT T© TOE BUBAL NEW-YORKER. 
mamm S7 
208 
strong enough to be effectual, and it vvill not 
injure the vines. 
Portage Co., O. 
PREVENTING ROT. 
For 20 odd years, I have used dry slaked 
lime in storing potatoes iu the cellar, whether 
in a box, barrel or on the ground. We first 
sprinkle a layer of lime, on which we place a 
six-inch layer of potatoes; then comes another 
sprinkling of lime and so on till all are stored, 
when a good sprinkling of lime is made on top. 
When thus treated with one bushel of slaked 
lime to 40 bushels of potatoes, the pile is safe. 
Even though an occasional affected one should 
chance to get in, it won’t rot those around it or 
impregnate the air of the cellar. Since we began 
the use of lim \ no foul air has been detected 
in the cellar, and there has been uo overhaul¬ 
ing for rotten potatoes. peter m. gideon. 
Hennepin Co , Minn. 
THE RURAL BLUSH AHEAD. 
After another season’s trial with many va¬ 
rieties of potatoes, I fiud the Rura 1 Blush greatly 
ahead of all others in productiveness, size, free¬ 
dom from rot, and smooth, attractive appear¬ 
ance. It is almost equal to the liest in quality. 
"While most other varieties were scabby, this 
was entirely free. I thiuk there are several 
causes of scab. In most cases fungus seems to 
be the predisposing cause. This attracts the 
wire-worms, and I have also observed on 
scabby potatoes small, white pin-worms about 
three-quarters of an inch in length. These I 
have often fouud in large numbers. In many 
cases the scab seems to be incipient rot. 
The Blush had as competitors, the White 
Star, B auty of Hebron, Early Maine, Clark's 
No. 1, Lee’s Favorite. Mayflower, Magnum 
Bonum, Parson's Prolific and Dakota Red. I 
have discarded the Mayflower, Magnum 
Bonum and Parson's Prolific as being un¬ 
worthy of further trial. The Blush outyielded 
them all. The potato beetles were numer¬ 
ous just as the plants broke through the 
surface of the ground, and as I was very 
busy at the time, I did not use an insecticide, 
and consequently many varieties wore 
greatly damaged and some almost entirely 
destroyed. The Blush seemed to have an im¬ 
munity from the destructive ravages of the 
pests, net; being injured iu the least. This I 
account for by its robust and vigorous habit 
of growth, whereby it got and kej it ahead of 
the bugs’ voracious appetites. 
The laud was moderately enriched with 
stable manure and the seed was planted iu 
drills three feet apart and five inches deep. 
The pieces, cut to two eyes, were dropped one 
foot apart, and covered with a one-horse, eight- 
inch plow, the ground being then dragged and 
harrowed. As soon as the sprouts could he 
seen above the surface, they were hoed by 
hand once and after that cultivated three and 
some of them four times, with the Planet Jr. 
horse-hoe and cultivator. For first early, I 
like the Early Maine the best. They are early, 
of good quality, very productive, smooth and 
baudsorne. The Blush yielded -'150 bushels to 
the acre—a much larger yield than that of any 
other variety, nearly three times as many as 
White Star, which is generally considered a 
model of productiveness. The Blush has an¬ 
other favorable peculiarity—it is such a ram¬ 
pant grower, and the vines so completely 
cover the ground as to almost utterly exting¬ 
uish weeds. And the tops die so late that 
there are scarcely any weeds to annoy in dig¬ 
ging the crop. All my other varieties pro¬ 
duced such immense crops of weeds, after the 
tops had died down, that the pests had to be 
mowed off. T. b. 
Montieello, Ill. 
THE RURAL’S MULCH-TRENCH SYS¬ 
TEM. 
My farm is hill laud, a moist loam lying 
over clay. In my usual way of raising pota¬ 
toes I manure lightly from the barn; plow 
and harrow; mark off dial Is three feet apart; 
sprinkle iu the drills a small quantity of phos¬ 
phate; drag a brush through the drills, drop 
iu them the seed, cut not too fine, about a foot 
apart, cover with a hoe, and when they are 
ready for it, cultivate and hoe twice. Last 
Spring I made 20 drills iu a patch about 100 
feet long and 00 wide. The four middle drills 
I planted in accordance with the trench-mulch 
system in a rough way; that is, I ran a light 
plow both ways in each of the four drills, 
sprinkled iu sawdust on the potatoes, then 
sprinkled the phosphate and then covered 
with a hoe without taking much pains to 
level the ground more thau iu the other 10 
rows. The cultivation afterwards was the 
same. In the mean time 1 had to listen to a 
good many jokes about my new way of rais¬ 
ing potatoes from sundry visitors, neighbors 
and my own workmen. I intended to weigh 
at digging time the potatoes in the four rows 
and in the four next on each side, but where 
we began to dig the land was richer and 
wetter than in other parts of the lot, and the 
potatoes had rotted badly for from 10 to 15 
feet, and I thought they were a failure under 
both systems of cultivation; so I told the men 
to dig them all and pay no further attention 
to the systems; but after they had dug 10 or 
15 hills they found the yield much better, and 
threw the tubers in between the rows and 
notified me, and 1 overlooked the picking up. 
The yield was very nearly 10 bushels iu the 
four mulched and very nearly eight bushels iu 
the four adjoining rows cultivated by the old 
system. I intend to try the Rural’s system 
again next season in a more accurate ami 
thorough way, for lam satisfied that the 
yield in this locality will he one-quarter more 
by using it, c. w. c. 
Ferryville, Conn. 
THE IDEAL POTATO. 
My ideal of a perfect potato is one of med¬ 
ium size, with a clean, white skin (although 
any kind of color would not be objectionable, 
provided it possessed all the other qualifi¬ 
cations), with very shallow or slightly raised 
eyes; flesh pure white, cooking dry and floury; 
without any earthy or other decided flavor, 
unless it should be a peculiar nutty taste, 
occasionally found in some sorts when grown 
under favorable conditions. The plant.should 
l ie stout but not rank, and the tops should not 
be too spreading, while the yield of market¬ 
able tubers should he large, with very few or 
no small ones. It should be a good keeper, re¬ 
taining its early good quality until late in the 
season. The tubers should grow eompuetly 
in the hill and be produced at a shallow depth, 
without any tendency to grow out of the soil. 
Moreover, it should be adapted to a wide range 
of country, retaining its size, quality, produc¬ 
tiveness, etc. nearly everywhere, on an almost 
infinite variety of soils. Although we have 
hundreds of varieties, we have as yet no 
single potato with all the above qualifications. 
In order to bring about this desired im¬ 
provement, there is evidently but one way— 
to save the fruit of sorts most nearly approach¬ 
ing the “-ideal” in every particular (cross¬ 
breeding or hybridiziug, if possible, kinds 
which together possess all that is desired), and 
plant the seeds from these fruits until the 
perfect ideal potato is obtained. e. g. m. 
Otsego Co.. N. Y. 
RURAL’S TRENCH SYSTEM, ETC. 
In the Fall of 1883,1 plowed about one-tenth 
of an acre of old Timothy sod—a dark loam, 
but loose, light aud easy to cultivate. The 
following Spring it was cross-plowed and 
given a dressing of barnyard manure at the 
rate of about 20 wagon loads to the acre, It 
was then thoroughly harrowed aud planted 
with Blue Victor Potatoes, two eyes to a piece, 
two pieces in a hill. The crop got good culti¬ 
vation under the old hoeing aud hilling-up 
plan. Yield 10 bushels, at the rate of 100 
bushels to the acre. I think it w'as the poorest 
crop I ever raised. In the Fall the ground 
was again plowed and the next. Spring (1885) 
cross-plowed and a light dressing of barn¬ 
yard manure was well harrowed in. About 
one-twentieth of an acre was then selected for 
my experiment. Trenches five inches deep, over 
a foot wide at the bottom and about 8j£ feet 
apart from center to center were then made, 
aud the seeds, two eyes to a piece, were 
dropped, one piece in a place, about a foot 
apart in the row. They were then covered 
with about an inch of earth, then with a coat¬ 
ing of, perhaps, half as much uuleoched hard¬ 
wood ashes, uud, lastly, with earth enough to 
fill the trenches. They were slow in coming 
up; but of the darkest, richest green, in 
striking contrast with the dark brown soil. 
As fast as weeds began to appear, 1 went 
through the patch with a hoe, this being all 
the cultivation given, aud I found it light 
work. 
My experiment haviug attracted the atten¬ 
tion of neighboring farmers, and in their 
opinion, the time for hoeing having arrived, 
some came and watched the novel mode of 
cultivation, and put in remonstrances. “A 
good-enough way to plant potatoes, but a 
fool of a way to cultivate them,” said one. 
“I should go through them with a plow aud 
hill ’em up, anyway,” declared another. And 
they predicted a clearly defined case of 
“dearly bought wit.” However, I persisted 
in the Rural’s plan, except mulching, which 
was unnecessary, the season being wet, aud 
the vines soon completely covered the ground, 
so that it was impossible even to pass between 
the rows. At digging time, the result was all 
that could be expected or desired—yield, 
White Elephant, 18; Beauty of Ilebrou, 10, 
and St. Patrick eight bushels: total, 86 bush¬ 
els, or at the rate of 721) bushels to the acre, 
all marketable, the small ones not being in¬ 
cluded. 
During my experience as a farmer, I have 
usually been successful in potato growiug, 
whether on light or heavy soil. I attribute 
my success to placing the manure above the 
seed, deep planting, thorough cultivation, and 
the free use of hard-wood ashes as n fertilizer. 
My usual method has been to break up clover 
sod after haying, cross-plow it the following 
Spring, give it a thorough harrowing, then a 
good dressing of barnyard maim re, again har¬ 
row, then furrow out one way, three feet 
apart, aud drop the seed crosswise of the fur¬ 
rows, two eyes to a piece and three pieces iu 
each hill. I cover well aud give good cultiva¬ 
tion, beginning as soon as the weeds appear, 
and going through with a hoe whenever neces¬ 
sary, until we can no longer get among the 
vines without injuring them, hilling-up but 
lightly and “ashing” in the hill at the first 
hoeing. 
With a slight difference in planting—that of 
first covering the seed with an inch or so of 
earth, then applying the ashes, then covering 
well with earth, and giving a more level cul¬ 
tivation—I think crops may be raised to more 
than equal those grown by the Rural’s sys¬ 
tem. From past experience, 1 find that larger 
potatoes may be thus grown in hills, and 1 
thiuk that with proper management, remark¬ 
able results may be secured. As soon as they’ 
are ripe and the vines begin to die, my pota¬ 
toes are dug, allowed to dry off, placed in 
boxes or barrels and covered till the following 
day, then carefully looked over. All affected 
ones are rejected and the good ones are placed 
iu the cellar in bins holding from 10 to 25 
bushels. I sprinkle slaked lime among them 
as stored in the bins, I think this a decided 
help in preventing rot iu the cellar. As soon 
as a rotten potato is fouud in the bins, it is re¬ 
moved aud burned; but with the lime, any¬ 
thing except dry rot is seldom seen. 
With me the Snowflake is not a good yield- 
er, aud is unfit for boiling, except in its 
jacket, as it boils away so badly: but it is a 
fine baking potato. Sprague is large, a good 
yielder, in quality a trifle below the Rose. 
The White Elephaut and Beauty of Hebron 
are both excellent and yield well. St.. Patrick 
is in quality unsurpassed, scarcely equaled, 
and in yield hardly second to any of the best. 
a. v. v. 
Ulster Co.. N. Y. 
VARIETIES—KEEPING QUALITIES, 
ETC. 
The last season for planting and grow¬ 
ing potatoes was so wet that the crop 
was much damaged, and most varieties rotted 
very badly, especially on poorly drained clay 
land. 
Dakota Red averaged twice as la rge and yield¬ 
ed three times the number of bushels i>er acre 
(under equal conditions) as any other variety. 
They are moderately long, with pretty deep eyes 
and free from rot. Though extremely large, 
uone are hollow. I think they are the greatest 
improvement since the Early Rose was in¬ 
troduced, and the most productive I have 
tried. American Giant, a long, thin, pretty¬ 
looking potato; a moderate cropper, and poor 
keeper. Lee’s Favorite, a poor thing every 
way. Early Mayflower is very little better. 
Big Benefit is the worst I have, being the 
poorest cropper and almost, every one rotted 
under good care, Early Sunrise aud Early 
Ohio are among the best croppers and the 
worst rotters. Beauty of Hebron was our 
favorite* for the table, but a poor cropper aud 
only a moderate keeper. Wall’s Orange ap¬ 
peared pretty good when dug, but nearly all 
have rotted since. Magnum Bonum is a good 
large potato; a good cropper aud keeper— 
among the best. White .Star rather poor in 
every way. [This surprises us.—Eds.] Col- 
]urn’s Superb, moderately good in every way. 
Irish Wonder, a pretty good cropper, but a 
poor keeper. Mammoth Pearl aud Snowflake, 
medium sorts in every way, large. New 
Champion, a moderate cropper and poor 
keeper—a very bad-looking potato, ill-shaped 
and with deep eyes. Home Comfort, beauti¬ 
ful, indeed: of even size, long and pinkish 
red, a very good cropper and a moderately 
good keeper. White Elephant, a very heavy 
cropper, but. bad keeper, lial Lou's Seedling, 
a moderate cropper; very small size, a good 
keeper. Rural Blush, a charming variety to 
every person who sees it, of even, moderately 
large size, about the shape and solidity of the 
old Feachblow. Rot is entirely unknown iu 
it. If requires a season much longer thun 
any of the others. Early Rose, pretty badly 
run out here; but it still yields a fair crop, 
aud doesn’t rot worse than the average. 
We keep potatoes in small piles in the field 
where they grew until wintry weather is ex¬ 
pected, uud thou (if not marketed) we store 
them iu pits dug deep enough to keep them 
dry—say 13 to 18 inches. Bank the exca¬ 
vated earth on the edge of the pit; then pile 
in the tubers; cover well with dry straw, 
(being careful through all the digging aud 
storing to keep them dry) and a few inches 
of earth; and as the weather gets colder, 
apply another layer of straw and a few more 
inches of earth; aud if the weather gets ex¬ 
tremely bad throw on a few wagon loads of 
stable manure. 
We had no scab this year. I believe it is 
generally caused by worms. Our soil is a 
sandy loam. We find the best crops aud 
cheapest culture, or, in other words, the most 
profit by the following system: “Get the 
best varieties for seed, and change the seed 
every few years. Start cutting the potato 
from the stem end, one or two eyes to the 
piece, until nearing the eye end, aud then 
split the rest through the center of the bunch 
of eyes. Leave the seed a couple of days to 
dry after cutting. Then, in a rich, sandy piece 
of land, make furrows with a narrow plow- 
say three feet apart. Drop the pieces about 15 
inches apart in the furrows, and cover with a 
plow about four or five inches deep. Then, 
just a-s they are growing out through the sur¬ 
face, harrow all over, thus killing the first and 
worst crop of weeds and giving the potatoes 
the start. After-culture depends much upon 
what implements are to be had: but I gener¬ 
ally use a double-mold-board plow for hill¬ 
ing and digging, and 1 like it well. I find it 
generally pays best to market in the Fall. 
Kent, Ontario, Canada. f. w. wilson. 
POTATOES IN COLORADO. 
I planted four acres of potatoes last year, 
aud gathered 1,100 bushels. I plowed the 
ground in April and then manured it with 
about, ten loads to the acre, and planted about 
the last of May, plowing the ground and drop¬ 
ping the “seed” in every third furrow. Va¬ 
rieties: Early Ohio, Bell, Mammoth Pearl, 
Peerless, White Elephaut, Wall’s Orange, 
Rural Blush, Compton’s Surprise, Ruby and 
Suowflake. The Mammoth Pearl and Peerless 
(which I believe are the same) out-yielded 
all the rest. The Bell is very fine, did well 
and is excellent for eating. From the little 
Rural Blush I raised, the flirt year, six pounds; 
the next six bushels, and this year 175 bushels, 
and I did not plant all either. It is a very 
good eating potato, but very late. Wall’s 
Orange is a humbug. e. h. 
Fort Collins, Colorado. 
GROWING POTATOES ON IRRIGATED 
LAND. 
Did you ever wonder how potatoes were 
mauuged iu a country where the soil and 
climate are so dr)- that from one to four irri¬ 
gations are necessary to grow any kind of 
farm crop ( I have successfully grown con¬ 
siderable quantities for some ID years, and 
having for the greater part of the time had 
control of the moisture, I have learned by ob¬ 
servation and experience the degreeo of hu¬ 
midity required by the potato plant at its 
different stages. Of these latter there are 
three—1, from planting to the beginning of 
the formation of tubers; 2, from then until 
the growth of the tuber is nearly completed; 
8, from then until the tubers have matured. 
For moisture during the first stage we can safe¬ 
ly depend on spring storms, which are usually 
not excessive, but sufficient to carry the plant 
along till it begins to blossom. No matter if 
the plant at this time looks sickly and wilted 
for want of water, let it struggle along till 
the tubers begin to form. Then we apply the 
water—soaking thoroughly, not by Hooding 
over the surface, but through trenches be¬ 
tween the rows. During the second stage the 
ground must not lie allowed to get dry. Keep 
it damp three or four weeks. If rains fall 
during this time we irrigate les«. After the 
tubers are grown, the ground will dry grad¬ 
ually till they ripen. No danger of the soil 
getting too dry then. 
In the season of 1884 t he Rural Blush took 
the lead. Last year it was an even thing be¬ 
tween these and the Vermont Champion, 
planted side by side. In quality the latter 
was a trifle the better. Other varieties on 
different soils did finely, such as Early Beauty 
of Hebron, Early Ohio, Chicago Market , Lee’s 
Favorite, Browm IPs Best., Alexander’s Proli¬ 
fic ami several others. The very best, how¬ 
ever, for Fall aud early Winter is the Early 
Mayflower, quality considered. Rot we are 
seldom troubled with. Scab is worst in that 
part of the field that gets the most water, 
usually the upper end near the ditch, aud here 
only when the ground has “soured” and be¬ 
comes moldy by excess of moisture, c. 
Longmont, Colo. 
HOW TO PREVENT DISEASE. 
In preparing poison for my potato vines, I 
mix 100 pounds of plaster with three pounds 
of sulphur and one pound of pure Paris green, 
if I can find it. 1 am inclined to believe that 
the sulphur prevents blight. I used this pre¬ 
paration on half an acre last season and did 
not have a diseased potato. In order to 
escape disease the following points are con¬ 
sidered important: 1. Select well-matured, 
sound seed. 2. Plaut, as far as possible, on 
