1858. . 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
to the acre. This rod was salted in the hill, eight in¬ 
ches below the chits, three chits in the hill, twenty-five 
hills to the square rod, manured with a fork of hog 
manure upon the salt, and the whole covered with five 
or six inehes of mellow soil, and then in dents made 
with the hoe inverted, the chits were dropped near the 
natural surface of the soil, the hills gradually raised by 
three hoeings, before the last of which a large handful of 
home-made guano was thrown in among the stalks, 
composed of four parts hen manure, one part ashes, 
and eight parts rich earth, mixed together, (dry and 
fine.) One rod was planted in rows, and done as the 
other four, salt excepted, and the product in tubers 
was 40 quarts, or at the rate of 200 bushels to the acre. 
The salted potatoes ripened four or five days first, 
without losing their freshness any sooner than the un¬ 
salted ones, in respect either to their stocks or leaves 
The Kansas potato is unsurpassed for the table by 
any colored variety, and yields nearly as well as the 
Albert with the same treatment. Have dug two or 
three bushels of these, the largest of which weighs 14 
ounces. The largest Albert yet dug weighs 9 ounces, 
but they have very few small in size. The other ob¬ 
jection to the Kansas potato is that it ripens in the 
critical period; if this can be obviated so as to make 
it a later variety, it will be considered second only to 
the Albert in excellence for the table, for some time to 
come. 
My main object in planting so many varieties of the 
potato every season, is to find some way to invigorate , 
and then redeem the whole. I do confidently expect 
to show by the end of twelve months, a true method 
of working out full “redemption” tor the potato crop. 
The solution of this problem is connected with the 
establishment of the equilibrium in the development 
of the stalk and root of the potato. On this critical 
point, man’s ingenuity will be taxed to the utmost 
stretch for some time to come, as it has been in time 
past. 
To discard the use of manure in growing a crop of 
potatoes, is not likely to accomplish the greatest dis¬ 
covery of this or any former age of the world. J. C. 
Cleveland. Torringford, Ct ., Sept. 16. 
-•-- 
Corn in Hills and Drills. 
This subject was alluded to at the recent evening 
discussions at Syracuse, and several remarked that 
they had found drills, or hills thick in the row in one 
direction, to yield considerably more than hills three 
or three and a half feet both ways. A gentleman pre¬ 
sent from Rhode Island had raised over 100 bushels of 
shelled corn per acre, by planting in hills 3 feet by 16 
inches, on highly manured, deeply plowed land. 
All present admitted the larger yield from this mode 
of planting, but some thought the additional product 
not sufficient to compensate for the extra labor in cul¬ 
tivating but one way. We think this depends much 
on the way in which the corn is planted and the con¬ 
dition of the land. If planted by hand, the thick rows 
require greater labor for this operation; and as all 
hand planting must be more or less uneven, the culti¬ 
vator cannot be made to run very closely to the rows 
But if the corn is planted with a machine, the case is 
quite different. We have used Billings’ corn-planter, 
dropping the rows three and a half feet apart, and the 
hills 20 inches in the row. The evenness with whiol 
the rows were planted, admitted the very close work¬ 
ing of the cultivator; the planting is as easily done in 
thick as in thin rows. If the land is free from the 
seeds of weeds, no hoeing is needed in either case. 
We would therefore recommend as a general rule, 
where a planting machine cannot be had, and 
where the ground is weedy, to plant in squares and 
cultivate both ways ; but on rich, clean land, and with 
the use of a planter, the drills or thick rows will be 
decidedly preferable. In other words, hills in squares 
are best for ordinary farming, and drills for the most 
improved management. The latter usually gives one- 
fifth to one-third more corn per acre, according to the 
measured experiments which we have performed. 
Mr. Chapman’s Sale of Short-Horn Cattle. 
Thre was a good attendance at Mr. Chapman’s sale 
on the 5th inst, and the prices obtained show that there 
is still a good demand for Short-Horn cattle. The ten 
cows sold, averaged $370.50 each. 
Cows. 
1. Dutchess, D. Tallmadge, Bound Brook, N. $215 
2. Beauty, (by private sale to A. B. Conger, Haver- 
straw, N. Y.) 
3. Hilpa IV, Geo. E. Stone, Geneva,. 
4. Apricot, E. Cornell, Ithaca, N. Y.,_. 
5. Jacintha, (died previous to sale ) 
6. Romelia, Hon. A. B. Conger, Haverstraw,. 
7. Garland II, do. do. 
8. Lady Booth, E. Cornell, Ithaca,. 
9. Ruby II, E. Fellows, Chili, Monroe Co.,. 
10. Gazelle, V. I. Birdseye, Pomprey,. 
11. Victorine, D. Tallmadge, Bound Brook, N. J.,.. 
12. Bright Eyes III, E. W. Sheldon, Sennett. 
13. Lady Sale IV, (by private sale to A. B. Conger.) 
14. Wreath, (withdrawn.) 
15. Bright Eyes VIII, (withdrawn.) 
16. Hilpa VIII, (sold previously.) 
Bulls.— Of the Bulls offered, only three we believe 
were sold—“ Jacintha’s Oxford,” to Hon. Wm. Kelly, 
Rhinebeck, at $150—“Plato,” to V. I. Birdseye, at $100, 
and “Pluto,” to G. E. Stone, Geneva, at $50. These were 
all calves, the last only five or six weeks old. 
P. S. We learn that Mr. C. afterwards disposed of 
his bull “ Duke of Oxford,” to Mr. E Cornell of Ithaca, 
for $1,500. 
Prince Albert and Peach Blow Potatoes. 
Messrs. Tucker —I forward you a barrel of my 
potatoes—Prince Alberts, with a few of the Peach 
Blows. I have raised many different varieties this 
season, but find nothing that suits mo equal to these 
two. They have been on exhibition, and were awarded 
the first premium. The Prince Alberts took the first 
premium at the State Pair in 1857, both on the best 
acre, and for beauty and good quality. I have a field 
of nearly four acres that will yield over 375 bushels 
per acre, take the lot through. So far as they have 
been dug, the yield is over 400 bushels—many of them 
8 and 10 inches in length, very white and very smooth 
and straight. The Peach Blows have yielded nearly 
the same with me this season. They are both hardy 
varieties. 
My method of cultivation has been for the last two 
seasons, to plow my ground in the fall; in the spring 
manure, from 25 to 35 loads to the acre, and plow it 
under. Distance of' planting,. 3 by 3 feet each way. 
Quantity of seed, 4| bushels per acre. I use the 
smallest seed that I can procure, two pieces in a hill 
and two eyes on each piece. I also use a top-dressing 
of hen manure, leached ashes and plaster—two parts 
ashes to one manure and one of plaster—apply a full 
hand to the hill when they are about two inches high. 
Geo. McMahon. New Milford , Conn., Oct. 11. 
300 
500 
320 
425 
510 
410 
440 
185 
400 
