THE KUKAL NEW-VORKER 
651 
A STUDY OF POTATO VARIETIES. 
T 1IE Department of Agriculture lias isssuetl in 
Bulletin 170 a very useful pamphlet for potato 
growers. It tells nothing about raising the 
crop, or about selling it. but it gets down to founda¬ 
tion principles in a study of the different varieties 
of leading American potatoes. Unfortunately many 
of our best varieties have become badly mixed up. 
'ibis is particularly true of Irish Cobbler, prob¬ 
ably the most satisfactory early variety for com¬ 
mercial planting that we have. It is almost impos¬ 
sible to obtain any quantity of pure Irish Cobbler 
seed, unless one can buy of growers whose crop has 
been certified by the State or National Covernment. 
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Irish Cobbler. Fig. 237. 
We know of cases where fields of Irish Cobbler have 
been planted to be dug in early August. The field 
probably contained a dozen different varieties, which 
if loft to themselves to mature would have contin¬ 
ued the digging up to November. This has been 
largely due to the failure on the part of the men who 
grew the seed to understand the exact appearance 
or characteristics of true Irish Cobbler seed. There¬ 
fore when they bought mixed seed they paid little 
or no attention to the crop, but dug it all and sold 
it. in this way extending the nuisance of mixing 
dill further. This bulletin is prepared by Prof. 
Win. Stewart, and is a very necessary publication, 
especially right now when so many growers are tak¬ 
ing advantage of cheap potatoes to stock up with 
new varieties. All such men should obtain this 
pamphlet, make a study of it, and keep it on hand 
for reference. A few pictures are taken from this 
pamphlet to show the true type of some familiar 
varieties. For example. Fig. 2.‘!7 shows a desirable 
type of the Irish Cobbler. This is said by Prof. 
Stewart to be a very desirable type, and the ideal 
for seed size. Remember that the size of the pota¬ 
to is to be judged not by the picture alone, but by 
Early Rose. Fig 238. 
tke inch measure given below it. There are some 
strains or samples of Irish Cobbler which when 
grown in certain kinds of soils or different locali¬ 
ties assume a little different shape, with a slight 
dittorence in the appearance of the bud or eye. 
I liese tire true seed, but tin* picture printed is con¬ 
sidered the ideal type. 
'1 lie picture at Fig. 2.‘>S shows a good specimen of 
the old Early Rose, which as our older readers know 
represented our potato growers 4o years ago even 
more than Irish Cobbler does today. Some strains 
01 Rose are still being grown with fair success. 
1 ids tuber is considered a good specimen. 
Then at Fig. 2“9 we have a good type of the 
Early Ohio, another variety famous in its day, but 
which has now largely had its run. The Early Ohio 
is still planted more or less, but varieties like Irish 
Cobbler have now rather driven it out of cultivation. 
Fig. 240 shows a characteristic type of Green 
Mountain. Here is another variety which has hung 
on for many years, and successfully at that. The 
Green Mountain is apparently the variety most used 
in mixing or adulterating Irish Cobbler. While the 
shape of the potatoes differs, for some reason, many 
Green Mountains seem to have been mixed in with 
the Early Irish Cobbler seed, and as these have been 
planted over and over without selection, the mix¬ 
ture has grown worse and worse. Green Mountain 
is still a popular variety in many sections, and where 
the climate and soil are suited to it there will still 
be profit in its culture. 
The picture at Fig. 241 shows a good specimen of 
Rural New-Yorker No. 2. Here is another fine old 
variety that has been badly mixed up not only with 
early varieties, but late ones as well. For a num¬ 
ber of years probably 7.">% of the high class of pota¬ 
toes which came to New York were known as 
“Rurals,” so popular did this standard variety be¬ 
come. The result of this naturally was that all 
sorts of varieties under this name were taken for 
seed, with the result of a bad mix-up. This gave 
a large number of mixed or spotty fields, with a 
very uneven crop, and thus this fine variety lost 
some of its popularity. A thorough classification 
and sorting out of true seed will be likely to bring 
the Rural back into popular favor, for it is still 
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Early Ohio. Fig. 239. 
without question one of the best medium late po¬ 
tatoes in cultivation. 
This pamphlet should be in the hands of every 
potato grower who really wishes to study his busi¬ 
ness and get down to the foundation facts about 
va rieties. 
SELECTING A FARM. 
I am going out soon to look at a farm which I think 
of buying. I do not know anything about farming 
or farm land, but I would like to know what to look 
for in the land. Give me a few rules. S. 
Brooklyn, N. Y. 
W E cannot tell a man who knows little or noth¬ 
ing of farming, how to select a farm. Prac¬ 
tical farm experience or instinct is neces¬ 
sary for such work. Your best plan would be to 
get some honest practical farmer, who knows good 
soil and understands the needs of the various crops, 
to look over the farm with you and give a fair 
judgment about it. lie woidd operate about as 
follows: 
Get the general slope or situation of the farm. 
Can it be drained without great expense? Are there 
many low places where water has accumulated un¬ 
til the soil is soggy and wet? If will be necessary to 
know whether the farm can be drained or not at 
light expense. Then such a farmer would take a 
spade and dig into the soil here and there in differ¬ 
ent locations. IIow far do you have to dig before 
you strike the light-colored subsoil? The value of 
the farm for producing purposes lies in the dark- 
colored upper soil. IIow thick is this strip of dark- 
colored soil at the surface of the ground? IIow dark 
is this soil? IIow does it feel when handled? Does 
it appear to contain a fair amount of organic mat¬ 
ter? What kind of soil lies under dark strip? Is it 
a tough hard clay, which can only be broken up with 
a pickax or is it a lighter and more open type 
leading down to a coarse gravel? These things 
would fell the story of the soil to an intelligent 
farmer. Are the hilly lands washed or gullied by 
running water? What is the growth of the trees 
where the land has been left to itself to go back to 
nature? What is the character of the stone on this 
farm and how far do you have to dig into the hills 
before you strike the solid ledge of rock? Are 
there outcrops of rock here and there on the hilly 
land? Is this rock of a soft nature like sandstone, 
or is it tough and hard like granite? Are the cul¬ 
tivated fields covered with round or flat stones, and 
are there many stone walls around the fields? To 
the beginner or amateur these things will mean little 
or nothing, and he can only learn about them 
through experience. On the sod ground, what kinds 
of grass are to be found? Is there more Red-top than 
Timothy on the meadow lands? Is (lie sod composed 
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Green Mountain. Fig. 240. 
mostly of weeds and trash, or is there a fairly thick 
growth of the tame grasses? If there are corn¬ 
fields from last year, how large are the stalks? The 
butts will be left in the ground. Are they small and 
spindling, not much larger than your thumb, or are 
they thick and heavy as though they supported a 
large stalk and a good ear? 
Take small quantities of the soil here and there, 
put samples into a crip and test them with the blue 
litmus paper. Do they turn red or pink, or does the 
paper remain blue? These are a few of the things 
which an intelligent farmer would look for in going 
over such a farm. He can read these signs as he 
would a book, but a man who knows little or nothing 
about farming or soils should avoid paying his 
money until the farm has been studied in this way 
by someone who knows the language. We would not 
advise you or anyone else to buy this farm on your 
own judgment, and we cannot tell you how to pro¬ 
ceed so as to make sure with your present knowl¬ 
edge. The things we have mentioned are only a few 
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Rural New-Yorker No. 2. Fig. 241. 
of what an expert would consider in looking over 
this farm. It will pay you far better to hire some 
intelligent man to go with you and make a cool un¬ 
prejudiced judgment of this soil. You will, of course, 
be obliged to pay such an expert for this work, but 
for every $5 you spend in this way, you may save 
$100 in the money you pay for the land. 
Now and then some one tells how to make a “straw¬ 
berry barrel” by filling the barrel with soil, boring holes 
in the staves and setting plants in them. It looks easy, 
but strawberries are not grown on looks. We tried it, 
and out of some 200 plants three lived. 
