Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1840-12-30

POTATO PLANTING.

Ma. EproR.-I too, mustbeg permits
sion 10 endorse the account which follows.
have proved il, therefore speak with
confidence as TO The results. La a visit to
an excellent agriculiurisi, found him
cutting his phatoes for seed, and prevailed
upsn him 10 select the tops only fol, plant
inp. reserving the remainder Of the pota-
toes for culinary. purposes; he will by
this time, have taken up the crop. and
would he-he is one Of your subscribers
inform Us Of the result.
In my memorandum-book Ind these
entries /: 2oth March. planted, this day,
fiItv mounds weight Of the tops of potatoes
whieh.had been reserved, while prepar-
inc the bulbs for cooking for the use Of
the household. by merely cutting off q
hin slice and throwing it by in a basket,
during the winter, which was placed out
of the reach of the frost oath Septem-
Der. dug up the potatoes which We're rails,
ed from the thin cuttings from the tops Of
the roots while preparing them for the
house; they are uniformly large and line,
nar,icularly clean from scab, aud. without
execution, the best crop ever grew; the
qsantity planted was just SO lbs and from
them have this day taken up One ton.--
BIT now allow me to turn TO the account
spoken Of above, which is copied from the
sAcricultur Almanac for 1923, and
which is neeer the worse for keeping.
p G.
"The following Improvement in the
culture of potatoes. taken from the Amer
lean Farmer, and sextracted for the AL
manac. not only under conviction of the
reasonabIeness of the practice. but from
actual experience OF its verify. Whenso-
ever the writer has himself superintendent
the Icurting Of his seed potatoes, he has
uniformly succeeded in this mode of pre-
parlng the seed. but when The persons en-
ployed were left totheir own government.
ali the parts OF the potatoes were indis-
crimiuately cut and planted the differ
ence in the crop has evinced the necessity
Of the farmers attention to the whole de-
tail Of the affair: this branch of The cul-
ture ia too generally committed 10 boys,
or ignorant and scareless laborers. The
bottom Of the potato is no better than the
starch of gram. fiutended by nature 10
nourish the lcndrils thrown out in the first
efforts ofvegetation the residue rots and
perishes in the ground therefore the
practice Of preserving il for the use Of the
household is saving instead of waste
By iIdiciousy cutting the bulb. there vii
~ he enough Of the pabulum for the tendri
or Young fibre thrown out by the eye, t
su6sst upon indeed, if only The cut con
tainin0 the eyes were generally used il
planning, il is clear that the crop would b
the most abundant: this practice had beer
II. h., mn IN,
years before the account OF II in the fol
lowing extract was seen.
!. lFrom the American Farmer Of 18th April.
1922.
A correspondent has requested us {
inser, the following. The first year, b
saws, Gu. the potatoes in three pieceslh
top. the middle, and the bottom parts, an
planted them in three rows. The to
nlant was len DAYS earlier than The mid
die plant, and much grea.er crop; th
middle plant was earlier than the bottom
ana better crop. The bottom producin
bua a very Indifferent crop.
For some seasons past, i have only plan
ed the top eyes, aud may safely say
have the best crop and the driest potatoe
in The country None need be deterre
from this plan on the.ground of waste, fl
after the top is cot off the remainder keep
!. better and longer fit for use than if the pt
taso were preserved entire; and as
proof Of this. lay whole potato on th
ground. or in any exposed place, and
will show that the top plants grow an
are many inches IN length. before there
anv growth from the bottom
p. S.--tf housekeepers in towns wei
70 preserve the cuttings oil the tops ofthe
potatoes during winter, and preserve the
as above, there would be more than sufi
cienl to plant all the country. without Il
cost of single cent for seed!
AcR1cuLTuRE.-He who has domii