•J 
THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 
63 
NEW POTATOES. 
Prominent among the new Potatoes intro¬ 
duced this season are the varieties here 
named. All were awarded first-class cei'tif- 
ioates of merit hy the Royal Horticultural 
Society of London. 
TREMONT. 
A good medium-sized white Potato of oval 
shape, slightly flattened, with very smooth 
skin, and few small, 
flat eyes. Flesh finely 
grained, of snowy white¬ 
ness, and of excellent 
table quality. Its yield 
is large, and its ripening 
season a few days later 
than Early Rose. Those 
who have tried it con¬ 
sider it a most valuable 
addition to the list of 
first-class early Potatoes 
for family use. This and 
the following variety are 
seedlings produced by 
crossing Silversldn with 
Early Rose. 
IROQUOIS. 
Ripens medium early, 
is of medium to largo 
size, irregularly round 
shape, yellowish-white 
color, sometimesrussety; 
eyes few and small. In 
quality it stands in the first rank, cooking 
through quickly and completely, without 
leaving a hard core — the common fault of 
most round Potatoes. When cooked it is 
dry, mealy, and of best quality. It yields 
well, and keeps in prime condition through 
winter and spring. 
CHARTER OAK. 
. This is a cross between the “ Old Long 
Pinkeye ” and “ Rand’s New Peaohblow,” 
and is remarkable for its 
exceedingly handsome 
appearance, great yield, 
and extraordinary keep¬ 
ing quality. It is large, 
irregularly oval, flat¬ 
tened; skin white and 
smooth; eyes bright 
pink; quality first class. 
Vines large, vigorous, 
and healthy. This vari¬ 
ety combines in an unus¬ 
ual degree the qualities 
most desirable in a mar¬ 
ket Potato for late keep¬ 
ing, and as such it 
promises to take a lead¬ 
ing position as soon as 
more extensively known. 
inquiry an Ohio market-gardener, who was 
very successful in raising Potatoes, wrote mo 
to plant them on a soil containing a fair per¬ 
centage of clay. I did so, and raised good 
Potatoes. In most localities a light sandy 
loam IS host for early Potatoes, because it 
dries and boats earlier in the spring and is 
a ways friable, and the August drought does 
not catch tho oai'ly Potatoes. 
In my opinion tho day for raising early 
TREMONT. 
Potatoes on land not under-drained, is past. 
It is always the first Potatoes in tho market 
that bring tho big prices, and if you do not 
under-drain the land you will rarely be first 
nowadays. Draining gives you a great 
advantage, as the ground is fit for the Pota¬ 
toes much earlier in the siiring, and there is 
less danger of frost after planting. I am 
inclined' to think that mulching would 
remedy drought on sandy laud, judging from 
the experience of others. 
SOME POINTS IN POTATO 
EAISIN&. 
1 do not think it ad¬ 
visable to say, that soil 
or this soil is best for Potatoes. What is the 
best soil in one locality is not the best in 
another. It is generally said that the soil 
best adapted to Potatoes is a sandy loam. In 
my locality such a soil is best for early Po¬ 
tatoes, but the summer drought makes it too 
dry for late Potatoes. I missed a good crop 
of late Potatoes for a couple of years on 
account of drought, and in response to an 
CHAFTTER OAK. 
The soil has something to do with the 
quality of the Potato. On heavy, wet soils 
tho tubers are apt to be watery and insipid; 
on a light, sandy soil they are more mealy. 
A rich new soil yields Potatoes of better 
flavor than an old soil. But the man who 
raises Potatoes for market is not apt to care 
for the flavor. Buyers purchase from the 
appearance of the outside. 
I think so much of ashes as a fertilizer for 
the orchard that I rarely have any for the 
Potatoes; but unleached ashes are a splendid 
fertilizer for Potatoes. I have seen good 
results always from the application of lime 
to soils not rich in it. The same is true of 
bone-dust. Southern Potato raisers have a 
good and convenient fertilizer — Cotton¬ 
seed meal. Fresh barn-yard manures are 
apt to make a largo gi-owth of tops at the 
expense of the tubers; 
but I have raised num¬ 
ber one crops of early 
Potatoes on a lot upon 
which cattle had been 
fed for several years. 
One advantage of a 
sandy soil is that it al¬ 
most insures Potatoes of 
a smooth, good form. 
Such a soil never gets 
so hard as to distort the 
Potatoes. It is different 
with a heavy clay soil. 
This should be kept 
as loose as possible. 
Whether or not hard 
ground affects the size 
of the Potatoes, I am not 
prepared to say; but I 
have sometimes thought 
it did. Surely it would if 
it diminished the amount 
of available plant food. 
I believe in hilling Po¬ 
tatoes, but I hill them downward ; that is, I 
plant them deep. Potatoes must have a good 
depth of soil, and must either be planted 
deep or hilled. I consider deep planting 
preferable to hilling above-ground. 
Deep planting requires a deep soil and 
deep cultivation. I believe that the soil for 
Potatoes should be stirred a foot deep —but 
never subsoiled. This brings us to another 
advantage of under-draining—it not only 
dries and loosens, but also deepens tho soil. 
I think it makes very 
little difference whether 
large or small Potatoes 
are used for seed, or 
whether the seed is cut 
or not The tuber we 
plant is not a seed, but 
an enlargement of an un¬ 
derground stem. Hence, 
when we plant Potatoes 
we do not plant seeds, 
but layer a stem. Tho 
tuber is plant food, and 
the more plant food for 
the young plant the bet¬ 
ter. But you are not 
sm’e of giving it this by 
planting a large tuber, 
for more eyes will grow 
in a large than in a 
small one. However, 1 
have had slightly the 
[best results from plant- 
fing large tubers, cutting 
them in only three or four pieces. 
JoHK M. Stahl. 
SPINACH. 
Spinach seed must be sown at the earliest 
moment the condition of the soil permits, as, 
if deferred, the leaves are liable to become 
injured by tho naaggots, which infest the 
plants in summer. 
