48 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Original |Iapcrs from Contributors. 
ON THE CULTURE OF THE POTATOE. 
, ^I ESS RS. Gaylord & Tucker —Observing an article 
in your paper, written by a person on the bank of the 
Hudson, on the subject of raising that valuable crop, the 
Potatoe, 1 arn induced from my experience in thepotatoe 
way, with due deference however, in all probability to 
his better judgment, anti perhaps to his more practical 
knowledge, to offer you a few remarks. 
Eeing of the opinion that a sward plowed in the spring, 
say the last of April, is all important to the preservation 
of the crop, during a severe drouth, lam extremely care- 
fid that the sward should be plowed and harrowed so as 
to exclude the air, and as tleep as it may be done, in or¬ 
der that it may rapidly decay, to afford not only nutri- 
meiit to the roots of the vines while growing, but add 
by its sudden decay to the moisture of the ground so 
essentially necessary in case of a drouth, that being gene¬ 
rally ruinous to the potatoe crop, and against which we 
should endeavor to guard. My premises may be wrong 
as to the use of the sward plowed in the spring. To test 
which, 1 st. I will enquire whether a sod would decay so 
soon and well in cold weather as warm? 2d. Whether, 
if as well, that object thus obtained can be of equal benefit 
to the crop, as the consumption of the soil would be, if 
going on during the growth of the vine and root of the 
plant? 3d. Will not a stiff sward, well plowed under 
(as deep as may be,) and harrowed over in such way that 
every part of the sod shall not only be excluded from the 
eye, but the ground absolutely closed and smooth, if 
plowed just before planting, and not disturbed by fur¬ 
rowing, be the means of retaining moisture not only 
from rains and dews to fall thereon, but by prohibitin°- 
evaporation through the sod from the ground thus covert 
ed and under the sod, which in the spring of the year 
must be necessarily moist? 4th. I am also to enquire 
whether the ground will be equally strong, plowed in the 
month of September, after being exposed to the evapo¬ 
ration of the sun and winds from that month, beside the 
fieezing and thawing of the winter, as the same ground 
would be for a summer crop, turned up just before plant- 
ing, setting aside the difficulty of my friend's cross plow¬ 
ing of the sward in the spring? 5th. I am to enquire 
whether your lot will be equally well fitted to plow in 
the.spring, (the sward having been turned up in the fall,) 
taking into consideration that by your fall plowing you 
have most probably stoppeil or closed up the necessary 
small furrows, which were made to lead off the water 
found on all grass lands? If laid down by a good and 
practical farmer, I contend the sward thus laid down will 
he in a much better condition to plow in ci wet sprin tr 
than if it had been previously plowed in the fall. 
In addition, I would further enquire whether there is 
not a loss of time, labor, interest of land, and sacrifice of 
manure, in promoting the culture of your crop by plow¬ 
ing your sward in the month of September, as stated by 
our friend on the banks of the Hudson—1st. I save time 
by one plowing: that to be performed immediately before 
planting. 2d. The labor of my team, as I not only make 
one plowing answer, but the land will be in better order 
and my team will have done the wonc with much more 
ease, in consequence of the sward plowing easier in the 
spring than in the month of September, oi fall of the 
year, as nine times out of ten, your sward is too dry to 
plow with case to your team in the fall of the year. 3 d. 
By plowing your sward in September for a summer crop, 
you lose the interest of the land by sacrificing- the natural 
growth of your grass, during the fall, which if left to 
grow and plowed under in the spring or fed off in the last 
of the preceding fall, leaving the manure thereon, would 
unquestionably in either case, add to the culture and va¬ 
lue of the spring crop. 4th. If my premises, in prepar¬ 
ing the ground by spring plowing, are correct, I appre¬ 
hend the application of manure and mode of cultivation 
I have adopted in raising this valuable crop, will by some 
be considered not altogether improper. In using the 
manure, (which I contend should never be put under the 
sod,) I have no hesitation in saying, it should be applied in 
such way as to immediately and advantageously operate 
on the present crop of potatoes—to effect which I plow 
my sward at such time in the spring as to finish the piece 
just before planting—to be plowed and harrowed as sta¬ 
ted, to plant in hills about two and a half feet apart, by 
furrows made without disturbing the sod thus plowed. 
This can be done by harrowing your sod with a hinge har¬ 
row first and second time in the same way it was plowed; 
that is by beginning as you began to plow, then to cross 
harrow so soon as the potatoes start, then apply the ma¬ 
nure by top dressing each hill—the same to be immedi¬ 
ately plowed by horse and small plow, commencing- by 
turning the furrow from the hill, going as close as possi¬ 
ble, not only to loosen the ground, but to cut up weeds, 
(if any,) which are scarcely found on sward land thus 
managed; this to be immediately followed by the second 
plow, turning the furrow to the hill, from the center (be¬ 
tween furrows) so as not only to cover the potatoes, but 
the manure thus put on the hill, protecting the same from 
the rays of the sun—this to be done both ways of the 
rows of hills. At the end of eight or ten days, plow 
them again, turning the furrow towards the hill, and as 
deep as you can, both ways, leaving the greater part of 
the sod undisturbed, through which the roots will find 
their way—you then have your hill left in the shape of a 
hollow square to receive the rains—and that without a 
hoe, saving the ends of your field, thus finishing the 
culture. I have raised by the above method from 300 to 
330 bushels to the acre, in lots from three to five acres, 
and that of Kidneys, the most difficult to raise of any oth¬ 
er potatoe. Should you deem the method of any conse¬ 
quence to the farming interest, give the enclosed a notice 
m your useful paper, being the only object of the writer, 
ot which he assures a Westchester Farmer. 
Claverack, N. Y., Jan. 18, 1842. Columbia. 
remarks on various subjects. 
Editors of the Cultivator— I propose to send you 
a few miscellaneous remarks, and submit them to your 
disposal. 
I. THE CORN CROP. 
I have no mammoth yield to record, though the truth 
would warrant me in saying that I obtained a result little 
if any inferior,' to any crop grown in the town where I 
reside thirteen two horse wagon loads of stalks, well 
put on, having been taken from the piece, containing 
but little more than two acres. The soil, rather hard 
and stony, was prepared in the following manner: One 
acre had oats the previous year; on this was spread thir¬ 
ty-eight loads of manure, chiefly from stables and sheds, 
and plowed once. The other acre had been in meadow 
about six years, was plowed about the first of May, after a 
thorough harrowing; by the way, let me remark, that this 
is a very important preparatory step, both as respects the 
ease of plowing and the decomposition of the soil. The 
land was twice harrowed after plowing, then furrowed 
slightly both ways, at the distance of three feet; the latter 
piece manured in the hill, at the rate of eight loads to 
the acre, with hog manure and night soil compost. The 
planting was commenced on the 19th, and finished the 
25th of May. That portion manured in the hill, although 
planted last, soon out-stripped the other, although the 
quantity applied was only about one-fifth as great as that 
spread broad-cast, and the crop I think exceeded that one- 
fourth if not one-third. From this I was led to conclude 
that manure, if in a suitable condition, applied to the hill, 
produces a far greater effect, than when spread and plow¬ 
ed under. Great care, however, is necessary in planting, 
as otherwise in a dry time much of the seed is liable 
to perish. 
II. FALL PLOWING. 
It is no doubt best in many instances to plow land in 
the fall, but as a means of destroying worms I think its 
tendency has been much overrated. Some years since I 
plowed a piece of meadow, just as winter set in, the land 
freezing very hard in a few hours after the work was 
completed. But lo! when spring opened, the ground, 
for aught I know, was quite as lively as ever, full of hun¬ 
gry mouths, satisfied with little or nothing short of the 
last remnant of vegetation. 
prefer a greater degree of ripeness. Wishing you a 
happy and prosperous new year, I conclude. 
rtl . , . ., Gaius Butlxr. 
Clinton, Oneida Co., N. Y. Jan. 1., 1842. 
ANOTHER VERMONT OAT CROP. 
Messrs. Gaylord and Tucker —I have raised the 
past season a good piece of oats. I am sensible it has 
several times been exceeded; but the result in profit 
is good, and I have been asked to communicate to you 
b L^ br0t T h T er farmers - 11 will come in competition 
with Gov. Hill's crop, but nowhere near Mr. Junes’ if 
his measuring after threshing should be as high as his 
guessing. My piece consists of four acres, from which 
I have threshed and measured 389 bushels. The result 
in profit is as follows: 
389 bushels of oats, at 45 cents per bushel, 9;175 05 
976 bundles of straw, at 2| cents,.. ’.. 24 40 
Expenses,. $199 45 
2 h days’ plowing with team,. $ 5*66 
~2 days’ sowing, and harrowing, and 
team,. 5 qq 
9 bushels of oats, 50 cents,. 4 50 
13 days’ reaping, binding and stooking, 13 00 
2 hands 1 \ day with team, housing,.,. 4 50 
16 days’work threshing and cleaning,. 10 67 
Interest on land 100 dollars per acre,.. . 24 00 
III. NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Should the tendency of this Society be to make labor 
universally reputable, to elevate the laborer everywhere 
to his proper standing in community—to infix more deep¬ 
ly the maxim that, 
“ He that by the plow would thrive, 
Himself must either hold or drive;” 
then a bright era is dawning upon us. But without any 
over-wrought expectation from this source, I remark that 
the plan of a Society, as proposed by F. Burt, in the Cul¬ 
tivator, for Dec., meets my hearty approbation. Indi¬ 
vidual effort is the main thing in the business of agricul¬ 
ture, as in every thing else. 
IV. WHITE DAISIES. 
Your Plymouth correspondent, Calvin Butler, places a 
higher value on “daisy hay,” than I had supposed facts 
would justify. Still he may be correct. His stock, espe¬ 
cially cows, would not suffer by comparison with any I 
have seen. I conclude, however, that he does not intend 
to encourage the cultivation of daises, where they have not 
already obtained possession, but rather to make the best 
disposal of them in existing circumstances. 
V. AGRICULTURAL PUBLICATIONS. 
Some persons object to these because visionary notions 
are, perhaps, not unfrequently advanced in them. And 
what then? Where is the gold without alloy? Similar 
objections might be urged against, every department of 
science. I have read every number of the Cultivator 
from its commencement, anil if without benefit, the op¬ 
portunity has not been wanting. A neighbor of mine 
proposed as the best means of promoting the interests of 
our calling, to hold district meetings for a free inter¬ 
change on this subject. This is no doubt a good sugges¬ 
tion; but the monthly meeting at my house, I could 
reply, is preferable; attended usually by the greatest 
number, with the least trouble, although some may have 
traveled a thousand miles, and very likely with the most 
benefit. There is no doubt, as a general thing, quite too 
much puffing of new varieties of seeds, implements, &c., 
and no small degree of caution is necessary in regard to 
these matters. We have long had better potatoes than 
the Rohan, better corn than the Chinese, and, dare I say 
it, better swine than the Berkshires. Still there is much 
100 m every way for improvement. We need frequent 
hints on subjects with which rve are in a measure ac¬ 
quainted, and you will please send me your paper until 
countermanded. 
I ought to have remarked while on the first subject, 
that I deem the advice to cut and stook corn as soon as 
glazed, not correct. My first stooks were cut soon after 
that period, the rest some days later. There was a per¬ 
ceptible looseness of the grain on many of the ears of 
that cut first, which did not appear in the portion last 
harvested. In the first instance, the fodder was perhaps 
the most valuable, but as the grain is the first object, I 
Whole expenses,. gg g 7 
Clear profit,.~$132 78 
lhe soil on which the above crop grew is alluvial 
I came in possession of it (with the remainder of my 
farm) in the spring of 1839; it was then what is termed 
bound out meadow. I broke it up, put 25 loads of barn¬ 
yard manure to the acre, and harvested 60 bushels of 
com per acre. 1S41 again planted with corn, applying 
30 loads of same kind of manure to the acre, and har¬ 
vested 65 bushels shelled corn per acre. You see the 
land is not in debt for previous manuring. I observed 
your remark in the account of Mr. Junes’ crop of oats 
recommending sowing thick. I don’t know but my crop 
might have been increased by using a larger quantity of 
seed. I have some doubts, however, as they appeared to 
be thick enough, especially as I stocked the land to 
grass with the crop. I will try the experiment of sow¬ 
ing more to the acre. Jona. C. Thrall. 
Big Elm Farm, Rutland, IT., Jan. 31, 1842. 
CANADA THISTLES—POTATOES. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —Among the various 
plans pointed out in the Cultivator, for the eradication 
of this pest of the farmer, there is nothing that can be 
done with certainty on a large scale. I can, however, 
point out a simple, cheap, speedy and effectual mode for 
destroying this troublesome weed. When a field, or any 
considerable part is overrun with thistles, lay it down in 
clover anil grass for hay. Mow two or three years, and 
they will entirely disappear. In this manner a neighbor 
and myself have treated, each of us, separate fields much 
infested with them, and with the same success. I cut the 
first crop of grass in 1840, when the thistles were very 
thick and strong; they were mowed, dried and put into 
the barn, the cattle eat them greedily—last summer there 
were only a few weak, straggling plants; my neighbor’s 
field is entirely freed from them. 
The proper time for cutting down is before the flower 
buds burst; if cut down earlier they again spring up- if 
the blow is allowed to expand, before the plant is ’cut 
down, the seed ripens—or if allowed to stand till ripe, 
the seed does its full mischief and the plant springs up 
again. This is the case if buck-wheat is sown with a 
view to destroy them. 
Your correspondent Mr. Roberts, by chance, hit on the 
proper season for cutting them down, but attributed their 
destruction to the wrong cause—the dry season. Be the 
weather dry or wet, if cut down at this stage of their 
growth they die. They are usually in this state at hay¬ 
ing time. 
Last season during the heat of the day, I went through 
my grain fields, with a blunt sythe and cut down thistfes 
and other weeds—the grain being flaccid from the sun’s 
rays, bent before the sythe, and was little injured, the 
weeds being full of sap, were cut down, and before they 
commenced a second growth the grain over-topped them. 
The public road running past my farm was a complete 
nursery for thistles a few years since, when I entered on 
it; these are now all destroyed by cutting down at the 
season recommended. 
One of your correspondents recommends during winter 
to cut off from the Potatoes made use of, what in this 
quarter is termed “the seed end ,” and string them up for 
seed in spring: This piece of economy I have practiced to 
~my loss. Being put into the cellar while the wound is 
green, to prevent injury by frost, they there get heated, 
and rot. Last spring and that of 1840 I had the greater 
Portion of my potatoes to plant a second time, from using 
such seed—the evil I detected last spring when too late_ 
the rotted seed was thrown away as taken out of the 
cellar—not suspecting any mischief, the remainder was 
planted; the consequence was that the seed which had 
got heated, although apparently quite sound, did not ve¬ 
getate, or came up mere spindles, good for nothing. A 
number of my neighbors suffered from the same cause, 
and are this winter feeding their “seed ends’ ’ to the hogs, 
zlscof, L. C., Jam. 15, iS42. Scotus. 
