THE CULTIVATOR. 
35 
vation and their produce the present season. In this town, 
this year, where the soil is very uniform in quality, some very 
extraordinary crops have been grown, while others have pro¬ 
ved as great a failure This may in part be attributed to the 
season, which at the best time for the growth of potatoes was 
quite dry and hot, and in part to the mode of planting. For 
instance, one of my neighbors planted on land veiy heavily 
manured two years since, and ot course that and the soil was 
fully incorporated. As the land had a tenacious subsoil, and 
was liable to suffer from wet, he threw his potato ground into 
ridges and planted on these. From an acre and a half he has 
dug nearly six hundred bushels of most beautiful potatoes. 
On the farm adjoining, the owner prepared his ground, which 
was in good condition, and gave it a heavy manuring in the 
hill at planting. His potatoes have yielded scarcely one hun¬ 
dred bushels to the acre, and are small and inferior. In this 
case the extra dung applied to the hill evidently had a bad ef¬ 
fect, by increasing the injurious effect of the drouth. My land 
received no manure this season, but was very well manured 
last year. Naturally heavy, it was thrown into ridges, and on 
these the potatoes were planted. The crop was a very fine 
one, though not equal to some others. . 
I have long been convinced that an occasional recurrence 
to first principles” is as necessary in the cultivation and per¬ 
ihelion of plants, as in any thing else. Production from seed 
is the original law of nature; and though the potato can be 
propagated for an indefinite length of time from the tubers, I 
think there is abundant evidence to prove that the variety will 
eventually become exhausted, show more and more a tenden¬ 
cy to produce blossoms and seeds, grow more and more liable 
to disease, and finally become unfit for cultivation. My ex¬ 
perience this summer has had a tendency to strengthen these 
opinions. Last spring my Rohans were planted with Pink 
eyes on each side of them. The soil, the planting, and the 
treatment was in every respect the same. The pink eyes ear¬ 
ly showed a disposition to dry up ; some few hills were attack¬ 
ed by the disease called the curl, and blossoms were every 
where abundant. On the contrary the Rohans were very 
vigorous, not a stalk dried in the piece planted, there was no 
disease, not a blossom in the field, and from about half a bushel 
planted, I dug fifty bushels, while the pink eyes gave but a 
very poor yield. I have noticed the same facts in regard to 
blossoms in most of our oldest varieties, and consider it a hint 
thrown out by nature herself, that it would be wise at once to 
adopt the simple and original law of producing potatoes from 
seed. The necessity and propriety of this course is seen in 
the astonishing vigor and strength of shoots from these new 
seedling varieties uie Rohan and the Sommeiller. As a mere 
matter of curiosity I examined some of the vines I pulled from 
the Rohans I planted in the garden. From one of these sets, 
not larger than a dollar, a shoot had grown an inch in diame¬ 
ter, and which at the distance of three feet from the surface 
of the earth, had subdivided into thirty-four parts or vines, 
many of which were over six feet in length; and the whole 
of which would not have measured less than one hundred and 
sixty or seventy feet; and in the row there were many oth¬ 
ers, scarcely if at all, inferior. 
For several years past I have found much difficulty in rai¬ 
sing good melons, that is, in getting them forward so early as to 
ensure them perfect growth and ripening, but this year have 
succeeded in growing some very fine ones. My forcing frame 
or bed was made by placing a box of boards 5 feet by 8, and 
18 inches high, on the ground of the garden, and piling into 
this to the depth of three feet, good horse stable manure. 
When the mass had settled together, but before it had begun to 
heat to any extent, a second box, half a foot smaller each way, 
and of nearly the same height, was placed on the manure, 
and within this last, the surface was made level, and then fill¬ 
ed to the surface nearly, with good garden mold. The sash¬ 
es of an old window in their former frame were fitted to the 
top of this box, the whole having an inclination to the south, to 
give it the advantage of the sun. The fixture was rather an 
awkward one, but my hot bed was fully occupied, and this 
was the best, circumstances permitted. In this I brought for¬ 
ward quite a variety of plants for early setting besides those 
before alluded to, and when so late that I thought the plants 
would not be crowded by the sashes before the weather would 
permit their removal, I planted in this bed several seeds from 
a first rate Long Island melon. Three of them I allowed to 
stand, and in June I took off the sashes, removed the upper 
box, with the addition of more earth gave a rounded surface 
to the top, and left the melons to run as they pleased. As the 
earliest melons that showed themselves, fell off, I had recourse 
to Armstrong’s method of artificial impregnation, (by placing 
the unfertile blossoms on the fertile ones, and shaking them or 
turning them on each other in such a manner as to secure 
from the contact of the pollen their fecundation,) and soon had 
the satisfaction of seeing that their growth was as rapid as 
could be wished. These three plants spread over the whole 
mound, and yielded more than a dozen excellent melons, 
some of them of very large size. All the trouble was an occa¬ 
sional watering during some of the hottest, dryest days of the 
season. 
There is one thing more to which in this place I wish to 
call the attention of my brother farmers, and that is the ne¬ 
cessity of adopting a different course in the cultivation or grow¬ 
ing of spring crops. There is, it is well known, a large por¬ 
tion of our country in which winter wheat is considered an 
uncertain crop, and in which the growing of the spring grains, 
such as spring wheat, barley and oats, extensively takes the 
place of autumn sown grain. So far as the actual profit is 
concerned, where the husbandry is good, there is not perhaps 
much to choose, but the culture of the spring grains in our 
common method acts most injuriously to our farms by filling 
them with noxious weeds, such as the Thistle, Johnswort, 
Charlock, Daisy, &c., which in a course of summer fallows 
and wheat rarely make much progress. It is a truth so obvi¬ 
ous that no one can dispute it, that unless this spread and in¬ 
crease of weeds can be checked, the productiveness of our 
farms will be as much lessened, and the difficulties of crop¬ 
ping so much increased, as to materially lessen the value of 
our lands. The man who travels through almost any section 
of our eountry, will see thousands of acres of land, which under 
the course I have mentioned, is so completely stocked with the 
Canada thistle, as to be worthless for pasture, and unfit for 
cropping unless previously subjected to a thorough summer 
fallow. In a country where root or hoed crops take the place 
of summer fallows, they may be dispensed with, as in check¬ 
ing the growth of weeds hoed crops are very efficacious; but 
it is well known, that such crops are grown among us to only 
a limited extent, and hence the necessity of summer fallows 
as a check to weeds is the more imperious. Draining our 
lands thoroughly, and then subjecting them to deep plowing, 
would unquestionably do away much of the difficulty now ex¬ 
perienced in the cultivation of winter wheat, as well as admit 
of such a rotation as would counteract the spread of these 
pests of the farm, to any considerable extent; but at present 
there seems no course remaining to our farmers who own re¬ 
tentive soils, (and such are those on which spring crops and 
weeds are the most common as well as injurious,) than sum¬ 
mer or autumn fallowing for spring crops. The common 
practice of giving land intended for summer crops, but one, or 
at most two plowings in the spring, following as they must in 
quick succession, cannot kill a root of any weed, but on the 
contrary is precisely the course best adapted to spread them 
and make them grow vigorously. It is true two plo wings in 
autumn after the spring sown crops come off, and at as wide 
an interval as the season will admit, would add to the cost of 
cropping; but it may well be questioned, whether by the bet¬ 
ter preparation of the ground, the partial destroying of weeds 
and the check surviving ones must receive, and the destruc¬ 
tion of insects consequent on late plowing, the crops would 
not be so increased as to give as much or more profit than 
the present system affords. H. M. GAYLORD. 
Otisco, October, 1840. 
The Rohan Potato. 
Messes. Editors —That there is a great deal too 
much praise bestowed on the introduction of a new 
plant, root or animal, is a fact not to be passed over in 
silence ; and it is becoming so notorious that in the 
minds of the practical farmer—the farmer who makes 
his living by farming ; and when he is in debt for part 
of his farm, pays for it, and all he honestly owes be¬ 
sides, from the proceeds of his farm—it creates a just 
and merited suspicion of the correctness of many state¬ 
ments in the agricultural papers. I have often heard 
the farmers comment upon it, and times without number 
heard them say “it is done for speculation ,” and in 
many instances their good practical sense decides cor¬ 
rectly. But I have at present particular reference to 
the Rohan potato, of which we have had so many ac¬ 
counts of great and extraordinary yields ; for a year or 
two past, hardly an agricultural paper came to hand 
but what had some great story in it—all true I suppose 
—and the disappointments that followed in consequence 
of it, were as numerous. And as the thing has taken 
very extensively, I think it my duty to contribute my 
mite to place their true character before the public. 
With this view, I will give you the result of one 
year’s experiment, and disappointment too, if you please, 
and compare them with some other kind, namely, the 
Merino, a flesh colored long potato. 
When I set out, I intended that the Rohan should ex¬ 
cel all my other potatoes iu product; and those in my 
neighborhood too. With this view, I prepared two 
acres of land of an excellent quality, which was mode¬ 
rately manured and planted with Ruta Baga and pota¬ 
toes last year; and this year it was again manured at 
the rate of ten cart loads to the acre. On the 17th and 
18th of May, this piece was planted two-thirds of an 
acre with the Rohan, and one and one-third Avith the Me¬ 
rino potato. The ground was in excellent order for plant¬ 
ing. The Rohans received two Aveedings and one hill¬ 
ing ; and the Merinos one Aveeding and one hilling. 
The ground on which the former grew, I considered the 
richest part in the field. In October, soon after the 
frost had killed the tops, the potatoes were gathered 
and put into cellars. The Merinos were gathered first, 
and the Rohans last. I Avas particular, and kept a cor¬ 
rect account, and the result Avas as IoIIoavs : Of the 
Rohans from tAvo-thirds of an acre, I gathered 175 bush¬ 
els, being at the rate of 263 to the acre ; and of the Me¬ 
rinos from one and one-third of an acre I gathered 735 
bushels, being at the rate of 550 to the acre. The test 
Avas fairly conducted ; if there Avas any advantage, the 
Rohans had it, for they Avere on the best ground and 
received one more Aveeding. 
Thus far I have spoken of the quantity, hut I have 
also a word to say as to quality of this potato. I have 
tried some experiments in feeding them to my sheep, 
and find that they do not like them so Avell as the Meri¬ 
nos ; the delicate taste of the sheep soon discovered 
Avhich was most palatable ; and I take it that they are 
good connoisseurs of potatoes, and that their decision 
may be relied upon in this matter. They eat the Ro¬ 
hans to be sure, and even Avith avidity, hut as long as 
they can get the others, they leave these to the last. I 
agree Avith your correspondent, Mr. Guthrie, of Sack- 
ett’s Harbor, that as a table potato they are abominable. 
They are, moreover, a potato which does not keep as 
Avell as other kinds ; many of mine are noAV rotting, and 
some are entirely rotten already. I have opened two 
hundred or more for the purpose of examining them, 
and found many of them holloAV, some filled with Ava- 
ter, Avhich emitted an offensive smell. These of course, 
must soon decay. 
I would hoAvever, by no means discourage others 
from raising them. I shall continue to raise them on a 
moderate scale, and if any thing occurs to alter my 
opinion hereafter, Avill communicate it. It Avould he 
singular, if among the had qualities, it had no good 
ones. I think I have discovered one already ; it is 
this : if sheep are fed plentifully with them, they 
Avill require no Avater, for this potato is fortunately so 
constituted as to be “ victuals and drink ” both. 
Yours, &c. H. D. GROVE. 
Buskirk’s Bridge, Dec. 1840. 
I planted part of an ear of the famous tree corn in 
my garden. It fell much short of what it Avas recom¬ 
mended to be. 
UTILITY OF HORSE CARTS. 
(Scotch Cart. — Fig. 13.) 
Messrs. Editors— I do not recollect of noticing in 
any of the former numbers of the Cultivator, nor in any 
other agricultural journal, any thing regarding the util¬ 
ity or superiority of the horse cart ovur the wagon for 
many purposes of the farm. Having used them myself 
for the last seven years, enables me to form some opin¬ 
ion of their comparative usefulness on the farm. The 
following are my views on the subject, which you can 
publish if you deem them of sufficient importance to oc¬ 
cupy a space in your columns. 
I have been led to these remarks in consequence of 
noticing the ease and rapidity with which I got in my 
sugar beets last fall. I commenced pulling and topping 
my beets in the afternoon, when a sudden change in the 
weather indicated a storm before morning ; I immedi¬ 
ately started my tivo one horse carts, and in less than 
three hours we had 246 bushels securely in the cellar. 
It must be observed, however, that the cellar door is 
so situated that the loads could he “ dumped” into the 
cellar at once. 
“Although the wagon,” says Low, “ under certain 
given circumstances, possesses advantages of its oAvn, 
it is yet inferior to the single horse cart, for the more 
common purposes of the farm.” 
The advantages the cart has over the wagon, are, that 
it can he turned in a much smaller space, and hacked, 
and otherwise managed in much less time, and for mo¬ 
derate distances, a greater comparative weight may he 
moved by an equal exertion of animal force. In the 
cart, the horse partly hears the load and partly drags it. 
It is generally conceded, Avhere carts have been used 
and attentively compared Avith Avagons, that they have 
many advantages. A single horse, before a cart, will 
do half as much more Avork, as when he acts in con¬ 
junction with another. A horse harnessed singly has 
nothing but his load to contend with, whereas Avhen har¬ 
nessed Avith another, he is sometimes embarrassed, bj 
the other moving quicker or slower than himself. 
The great ease too, in which a cart may be loaded 
with any heavy substance, is another very important 
consideration, as Avell as the rapidity with Avhich they 
can be unloaded. In removing earth or manure, and 
depositing it in heaps, the load can he displaced at once 
by raising the fore part of the body and sliding it out 
of the back part, Avhen a load in a wagon would have 
to be throAvn out with a shovel or fork, which consumes 
considerable time. 
I have also found the cart very convenient and useful 
when planting potatoes—one horse ansivering the pur¬ 
pose of two, and, by keeping the cart in front of the 
men, the seed is convenient and at hand. So, too, Avhen 
digging potatoes, it is easily filled. The box of a cart 
should contain from 16 to 18 bushels of potatoes, which 
a common sized horse will drarv any where on dry 
ground, except up very steep hills. 
The objections to the use of horse carts I conceive to 
he as folloAvs : First, the expense—a good cart with iron 
axletree, and a suitable harness, cannot be obtained for 
less than from $60 to $65. Second, in long distances, 
and on roads, they cannot he moved Avith the same de¬ 
gree of speed Avitliout galling or distressing the horse 
much more than the Avagon ; and third, each cart would 
require a driver. This, hoAvever, could be obAriated, as 
in some sections of England, one man often manages 
tAvo, three, and sometimes more, one horse carts, with¬ 
out any difficulty ; for horses once in the habit of going 
singly, will follow each other as uniformly and steadily 
as they do Avhen harnessed together. 
“ Carts draAvn by one horse or by tAvo horses,” says 
a Avriter of unquestionable authority, “ are the only 
farm carriages of some of the best cultiAbated counties ; 
and no other are ever used in Scotland. Their loads 
depend upon the strength of their horses and nature of 
the roads ; but in eA r ery case, it is asserted, that a given 
number of horses Avill draAV a great deal more, and ac¬ 
cording to some, one third more, in single horse carts, 
than in wagons. Tavo horse carts are still the most 
common among farmers in Scotland ; hut those drawn 
by one horse, two of Avhich are always driven by one 
man, are unquestionably preferable for most purposes. 
The carriers of the west of Scotland usually load from 
one to one and an half tons, on a single horse cart, and 
no Avhere does it carry less than 12 CAVt. if the roads are 
tolerable.” 
Carts, like other implements, vary in their forms and 
modes of construction, according to the nature of the 
business for which they are wanted ; hut for the purpo¬ 
ses of farming, the Scotch cart, figured at the head of 
this article, appears to he of a good and substantial 
form, and one that Avould he durable. 
C. N. BEMENT. 
Three Hills Farm, 1841. 
