The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1841-05-11
The II u r. NM e n .
n,lpr OF THE POTATO.

w. ,oosent the Potato has been placed
~ c'~ |.r ,be edible roots, wherever 1t has
a~ ,.,,oarecd, and the climate would admit OF
* As'' '.,t,o Originating from an obscure ana
is 'a I,' nol lnong the cordilleFas OF South "a
& w'''D' ,gs Of prejudice and opposition 1t has
S&p''@ % ~, nodiy unknown TO any other veg
.y PF" Wv ~, aorb,less destined to make the cir
# ' arI, globe addiug in an incaleulabde degree
'l, ~ n,,osof subsistence. There are few if any
"D 'LI,, grown in the temperate zone that yield
Fs" ,,n amount of food per acre as the potato
Il ~, according to Sir II. Davy, contains $50
q nutritious matter in 900; and the potato
r". when it is rcmembered that the yield of the
an syerageis from ten TO fifteen times
n -,,h nor acre as wheat, the advantage in favor
a W.. ,o',,o is manifest Besides such is The hu-
y, or,,pxaiion tina, pure nutritive matter is inju
-, fl ,s healtv functions, and the stomach re-
=, IA he more CT less distended with other mat
A or before The excitement Necessary to nutrition
A ,ts, Mace, We are, therefore, justified in sup
,odor lhn, good potatoes used exclusively as an ar
iJ.or6od, would be less injurious than pure
X ,h,, aoar. Be this as it may, the potato in the
n ,s civilized countries now ranks next as an arti-
n ;. Or6od TO the rice OF the tropics; and the wheat
X md maize oil the more temperate regions. To Eu-
a ,~i /, America indebted for the Gtamin@, and
a Nd we returned them nothing more than the pota>
n hand maize the deb. must have been considered
B uuncsled
N The potato is usually propogated by the turbers
n upHs, but new varieties are obtained or old ones
N l,hm partially degonerated rertored. by cultiva
81 ds them from seed. There arc few plants that
* show more decisvely the improy ment that may be
# nts H ntvaton thai the potato. In 1885,
quantity dhe roots were breughtfrom South A
nuta England, and carefully planted. The re
lah was small inferior root, more resembling the
ground nut than The potato, and net widely differ
8Ing in appearance from those of the first years
SsrOw,h cOm seeds There is an idea prevailing a
5nOOg many farmers that potatoes are mixed, or
.what by The breeder Of animals would be called
lwsed, by having several kinds planted in the vi
aiN ofeach other This is an eEronious opinion.
IhNossug takes place in the flowers or seeds and
\ holm The roots; and hence there Is the same un
IHhiny that the seeds of any given variety ofthis
&b@TN produce potatoes ofthe parent kind, than
hmhAat the apple seeds will givo apples like
hose from which they are taken, a thing of very
PIG occurrence, Z
Eayfarmer who has paid attention to 1.-The man
2rdgrowth in the potato, is aware the tubers axe
AWOduced from the roots proper, these being, as
hNher plants, used solely for the purpose Of nu.
4 rfNn, but on shoots thrown out about these, and
nearer the surface ofthe earth. 1t was the opin
mOEDecandolle that by repeated coverings of tn,
item such shoots, and OF course potatoes could b
Produced the wholetlength Of the stalk, and SOM
apartments which he made seemed to favor sucl
amppOsllion; still we must he permitted 10 say
mat having in part repeated his experiments, W
navel found nothing to justify the opinion that sue
result would be affected by this treatment Of III
%m
i%proprety of cutting the tubcrs or plantin
msWS whole has been much discussed, and the .Ipu
N"Vd experiments on record would seem I
FIN their conflicting results, that ut least a
depending on other circumstances, as o
%'"NNsng planted in whole or cut state. 1
I'a' OF ground is planted in hills or drills wit
a''' poaloes, and another acre be planted wit
~" VI cuttings at equal distances with the othe
81 e,pS'SNsN's made by the London Horticulture
49,, "''"" 60 to prnge abe acre planted wit
nn.l p''''Oes would yield the most, but M
49,, """y more than the additional quantity
1".ea 10 planting. IF the whole potato'
"'Ned' from IS to 30 bushels will be used,
\ INV '"o'e Than half the quantity will be requi
,, y, p0'n cases, however, much will be Deepen
ST SIZE OIL the whole potatoes, and the nu
S, 1'' III those cut. The distance betwee
/. "s must be determined by the length. Of Il
sr rD'ucea by the potato, and the severalvari
mach in'this respect. eas
@, ,Va''n the potato climate rather cool
au,,, FOUND most preferable 10 any other. ,
VI en- S,,.' 'OOt succeeds much better in the Mort
lhsn / n. 'ua IN the adjoining British PROVING
north O,,,s 'Ou.hern parts of our country. In Il
N hovn,. 49,. -, Name and New Hampshire, and Il
~ a.sll.,. NeW>Brunswick, are celebrated Tor Il
hc lvin. y 'helr potatoes. In New York, Il
&sMob.n,.a '' OF Lake Ontario, between that a,
@, ,nS NAV" ~ and Black Rivers produces good pa
York, ana 'ue elevated lands in The sou,l, of Ne
only for ,hs we north of'Pennsylvana are noted n
aup, ina, "' quality of their potatoes but the lar
&ceed ~! ,'''ua'ly produce. The potato w
Hhhcb ,ns ~ Amos, any kind ofland, provid
a6r mo-, Is not wet and clayey; but for IN
"'' crops irlable kind of loan