1852. 
THE CULTIVATOR 
351 
ashes, pulverized charcoal, plaster, salt, nitrogen, See., 
are believed to contribute directly to the health of the 
potato, as well as to add to its richness and flavor; and, 
of course, to prevent putrefaction and disease. Of other 
manures, well-rotted compost is preferred. Stable ma¬ 
nure is too strong and heating, and produces ill-flavored, 
unhealthy potatoes, and is decidedly condemned. 
Disease, Contagion, Old Age, mid Death.—' These are 
common to vegetables 'as well as to animals. All are 
liable to disease, some more, some less, according to cir¬ 
cumstances, predisposing causes, and preventive means. 
Some vegetable diseases are believed to be contagious. 
The present disease is thought by many to be of that 
class. One field of potatoes is liable to take the disorder 
from another field. Potatoes are predisposed to disease, 
by bad cultivation, old age, bad soil, bad manures, sud¬ 
den changes of weather, warm rains, &.c. 
Ravages of Insects, Fungi, fyc. —-The best writers 
consider the ravages of insects as at most but a predis¬ 
posing cause, rendering the potato more liable to disease 
by enfeebling the plant. By many writers insects are 
considered as remotely affecting the potato; by others, 
as having no effect at all. The fungus on potatoes is not 
the cause of the rot. It finds the potato, previously 
diseased, a fit subject for its operation. 
The general conclusions to which the facts presented 
in these various communications seem to lead us, are—■ 
1. That the disease has a striking resemblance to the 
cholera, and probably exists in the atmosphere. 
2. That it is doubtful whether any specific cure has 
been, or ever will be discovered; but 
3. As in cholera, certain preventives are well ascer¬ 
tained, by the application of which, the liabilities to dis¬ 
ease may be greatly lessened. 
4. That by obtaining the soundest seed, by planting 
in the most favorable soils, and by using the most suitable 
manures, we may have a good degree of confidence in 
the successful cultivation of this useful vegetable. 
5. That we may expect, that like the cholera, the po¬ 
tato rot will become less and less formidable from year 
to year, and eventually subside into a mild and manage¬ 
able epidemic, if that term may be used in such a con¬ 
nexion. 
The several points on whieh there is an unanimity of 
opinion, are worthy the especial attention of farmers. 
By a careful selection of seed, and locality, and particu¬ 
lar reference to the kind of manure used, very much of 
this disease may be avoided. If facts like the above, 
well substantiated by experiments in all sections of the 
country, could be presented to the entire mass of farm¬ 
ers, and they would govern their modes of culture by 
rules so established, we cannot well estimate the increase 
which would result in a single year in a crop so exten¬ 
sively cultivated as the potato. 
--. 
Lime Burning. 
Dear Sir —The informat on asked for in your August 
number, by Isaac A. Clark, “ as to the best mode of 
burning lime for agricultural purposes,” is important to 
farmers, and I wonder there has been no premium of¬ 
fered by any of our agricultural societies, for the best 
constructed lime kiln; there has been some talk about 
improvements, but as the old form is still kept up by 
those who are largely in the business of burning lime, 
we must believe there has been no real improvement yet 
made. 
In the 4th vol. of the “ American Farmer,” page 388, 
there is a drawing of a square kiln with two eyes, and a 
description of it, by Edward Stabler, Esq., of Mont¬ 
gomery county, Md., but I cannot conceive any advan¬ 
tage in that form. The late Dr. Ducatel, geologist of 
this state, recommended kilns to be made twenty feet 
high, and the limestone to be broken small. All practi¬ 
cal burners in this vicinity say they will not burn out 
when more than 16 feet high. Some men from Penn¬ 
sylvania have burned lime quite recently, in the neigh¬ 
borhood of Frederick, in temporary kilns, constructed 
something like brick kilns, with satisfaction to their em¬ 
ployers; they burned 1,800 bushels, with 32 cords wood. 
I expect them to burn a small kiln for me very soon; 
their' charges are for 2.000 bushels and over, two cents 
a bushel—under that quantity, two and a half cents a 
bushel. The advantage of this mode is, you can have 
the lime made where you wish to use it. Your corres 
pondent wishes to know “ the most durable material to 
build of.” For lining, firebrick or soapstone is best. In 
order to get at “ the cost per bushel for burning lime,” 
the price of fuel, labor, stone, See., must be known; 
here, coal burned, (in a drawer, or perpetual kiln.) is 
the cheapest. Coal is worth about $3.50 a ton; wood, 
$2.00 to $2.50 a cord. Lime is sold at the kilns, coal 
burned, at 10 cents, and wood burned at 124 cents a 
bushel. Wm. C. Hoffman. Pomona, (near Frederick.) 
Aug. 9,1852. 
- ►«.- - 
Cream Thermometers. 
Thermometers, such as C. H. Powel, of Poughkeep¬ 
sie, wants, are made. There is one in tin's neighbor¬ 
hood; it was obtained in Philadelphia, and is a German 
article. Two glass tubes, one covering the other, and 
the degrees marked on a piece of paper between the 
two tubes, with two scales—on one side, u Thermometer 
nach Fahrenheit,”—on the other side, Centigrade or 
Reaumer, I forget which. It being externally all glass, 
if carefully handled, is “ durable and easily cleaned.” 
Wm. C. Hoffman. Pomona, (near Frederick,) 1852. 
Cheap Ice Houses. 
Mr. R. R. Wright, asks the best method of con¬ 
structing small ice-houses; and as I suppose he means 
such as shall cost but a trifle, and yet preserve ice enough 
for use on a medium size farm, I will answer his in¬ 
quiry by describing a method that has been in use by 
my brother for several years, that has given him perfect 
satisfaction. 
He selected in a porous soil on the side of a hill, for 
convenience of access, and dug a square hole about ten 
feet deep, and six feet across. He then took some 
square pieces of timber of the length of the hole, and 
four inches in thickness. To the outside of these tim¬ 
bers, he nailed rough boards, so as to make a square 
crib or box, with the boards on the outside. He then 
placed this in the pit, and lined up on the inside of the 
timbers with more rough boards, so that he had a double 
boarded crib with a space of four inches between the in¬ 
ternal and the external boarding. This space was filled 
with spent tan bark, or saw dust. There was no floor 
to the pit except peices of boards covered with saw dust, 
and if the ground be not porous there should be a drain 
to carry off the water from the ice as it thaws. It is 
necessary that the ice pit should be ventilated. Such a 
pit can be made by any one, and when the icc is formed 
it should be packed nearly full, fitting pieces of ice so as 
