THE CULTIVATOR 
3?9 
1852 . 
I have kept and bred the different breeds of cattle up¬ 
on my farm, and am better pleased with the Devons and 
their grades, than any stock I have ever kept, and think 
them the most profitable for the New-England farmers. 
Wm. L. Cowles. Farmington , Ct., Oct. 8, 1852. 
State and County Fairs. 
There are on our table, a large number of reports and 
lists of premiums awarded at State and County Fairs, 
which we have not room to publish, or even notice se¬ 
parately. They all agree, however, in placing the ex¬ 
hibitions of the present year in higher rank than those 
of any previous one. They have been participated in by 
a larger number of farmers, and with increased spirit 
and success. Farmers begin to feel that unless they be¬ 
long to an agricultural society, and raise something sui¬ 
table for exhibition at its show, they are something less 
than farmers. It is not so much the worth of the pre¬ 
mium offered that induces effort, as the emulation to 
excel. There is a satisfaction, an honest farmers’ pride, 
in having produced a superior crop, raised a fine animal, 
or invented a labor saving implement. We look forward 
with hope, yes confidence, to the time when every far¬ 
mers’ household shall be an agricultural society, forming 
a tributary to the Town Society, (which we have recom¬ 
mended in another column,) and which, in its turn shall 
be an auxiliary to the County Societies. These too, come 
into competition in the Show of the State Society, and 
thus all work together for the mutual good and a com¬ 
mon aim. 
Potato Blight. 
Eds. Cultivator —On a small patch of ground, [two 
acres,] I this summer planted the potato, here known as 
the White Mercer. The sets were put In in rows, and 
planted about the middle of May. The soil—gravelly 
clay—had been limed in the fall at the rate of 100 bush¬ 
els to the acre. When the vines were well up, about the 
middle of June, I sprinkled plaster and guano along the 
rows, mixed in due proportions, avoiding to touch the 
vines with it, and then plowed up to the rows, and finish¬ 
ed with the cultivator. The vines grew luxuriantly until 
the middle of July, when, all at once, they began to 
wither, and by the middle of August there was scarcely 
a green vine. I should mention, that in this locality dur¬ 
ing summer, we suffer much from dry weather. To ob¬ 
viate the effect of this, about first of August I sowed 
buckwheat broadcast between the rows, to keep in the 
moisture, and as it were, mulch the tubers. Of course, 
after this, there was no plowing, but up to this time 
the potatoes had been kept carefully free from weeds. 
But then, favored by the buckwheat, the weeds grew 
with surprising rapidity, and soon covered the field. I 
determined to let them remain, as to pull them up would 
have disturbed the tubers. 
A week since I determined to dig the potatoes—-first 
mowing down weeds and buckwheat, to get them out of 
the way. The vines were completely dead, and but for 
the ridge of the rows, it would have been difficult to find 
them. The tubers I find not to be one-third size, but 
still perfectly sound —no rot being discernible in any one 
of them. 
I may farther say that the best seed was planted, large 
potatoes cut in two or three pieces, and that three years 
ago, I raised a fine crop on this very ground. 
Now, Mr. Editor, I wish to ask you, why these vines 
of mine died down so suddenly in July, after giving so 
fair a promise? I cannot make out the cause. Neither 
can one or two of my neighbors, whose vines were affec¬ 
ted in the same way. The soil is dry and needs no drain¬ 
ing. They were carefully worked, and the best seed used. 
I have looked through my agricultural books, but can 
find nothing on the subject. I have thought it might be 
a fly or a worm that did the mischief, but unfortunately 
I had not an opportunity to examine, as, being called 
away from my farm in the middle of July, I did not re¬ 
turn till the end of August, when the mischief was done. 
I should be pleased to see an explanation of this matter 
in your magazine—or perhaps some of your contributors 
can enlighten me? 
Would it be safe to use these small potatoes, [stunted 
I call them,] for seed next spring? Is it possible that I 
planted them too early for this latitude? or that it might 
have been an early variety? though they were regular 
fall seed. 
Hoping to hear from you in your next number, I am 
yours. H. Trenton , New-Jersey, Oct. 9, 1852. 
The death of the potatoes was undoubtedly caused by 
the drouth and the too liberal application of guano. The 
sowing of the buck-wheat was a great mistake, as it 
absorbed the moisture, which otherwise would have 
nourished the potatoes, and so increased the drouth. In 
the summer, the soil is watered to a considerable extent 
by the dews, which were altogether lost to the potato 
where the ground was covered by the grain. 
Chenango County Fair. 
Luther Tucker, Esq. —Thinking that a few facts in 
relation to the Fair of the Chenango Co. Ag. Society 
would not come amiss, I attempt a hasty sketch. The 
Fair was held at Norwich (the county seat.) The grounds 
contained some six acres, substantially enclosed, and 
encircled by a nicely graded trotting course one-third of 
a mile in circumference. At one end was erected a large 
and commodious building for the exhibition of domestic 
manufactures, fancy articles, 8tc. The display in this de¬ 
partment, as regards quantity, quality, and arrangement, 
did honor to the ladies of Chenango. The display of 
matched and single horses exceeded any ever held, 
upwards of 60 entries being made in that class. The 
show of stallions and colts was good. Among those that 
drew a crowd of admirers was the Boston Belfounder, a 
very fine horse, owned by H. D. Mead, of Smyrna. He 
received the first prize in his class. 
The show of cattle was large, equaling or exceeding 
that of Madison, Otsego and Cortland counties. We 
noticed two very large pairsof stall-fed cattle, one owned 
by Whitman Willox, of Norwich, the other by Augusta 
Ross, of Preston; the latter pair were exhibited at the 
State Fair at Utica. They weigh some 5,000 lbs. per 
pair. They are grade Durhams. The Durhams were 
not very numerous. We noticed one fine bull two years 
old, owned by William Armsby of Otselic; his color is 
white • weighed when one year old 1,200 pounds. The 
