Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1842-04-08

best covering for potatoes. Only lew
years since, we noticed when digging pota-
toes on a reclaimed meadow, that those hills |
which we're made up mainly of small clods
contained more and better potatoes than
those hills which were formed from large
clods, or those which were composed of the
fine peat or peaty matter. This led us TO
think seriously upon a thought Which had
passed through the mind before, viz that
potatoes require air. About two years ago,
we mentioned this point to an observing far
mcr in Topsfield. He said, your remarks
remind me of what witnessed last year or
the year before, on DR.. Nichols farm.
was passing there one day about the first Of
June, and Mr.. G. had some brakes, ferns,
hucklebwy bushes, &c. in his cart, and APP
pcarcd to be putting them into hills for
planting. "What arc you doing there,
ncighbor G. ?" said I. Obcying ORDERS"
said he. "Well, what are your orders"
"Why, the Doctor told me, after had ta-
ken the manu- out of the cellar, to put this
stuff into the water in the bottom of the Gel
lar, let it soak awhile. and then plant pota-
toes upon it," "SmoH pototoes there, thinks
l." SAID our informant, Mr.. Pe,tingl. But,
continued he, happened by there in the
autumn, when Mr.. G. was harvesting the
potatoes, and they were better than any
others saw that season.
Mr.. Breck, the publisher of this paper,
informs me that several years since, he
planted potatoes in his garden where the
such places, vines or tops arc usually luxn-
RANT, while the bottoms or tubers are small.
lie iurrowed out this ground with large
plow, running deep, making drills four feet
apart. lie then nearly filled the drills with
butt stalks put his seed upon these, abou,
"A foot apart in the hill, then levelcd on the
; furrow, and in filling made no hill or ridge.
, From this laud he obtained at the rate Of be-
5 tween seven and eight hundred bushels per
acre.
The process pursued by Mr.. Barnum, OF
! Vermont, whose statement his recently beer
= in our columns, though in many respects diff.
trrent from those here given, yet was wei
r suited to keep the snafacc of the land so loost
] as TO admit OF free circulation of air.
p Now, without intending to say or intimate
{ that air is all that this crop wants, we do in
tend to express the opinion, distinctly, tina
the crop does require more air than is us
rally allowed it. What may be inferred
j., from the fact that potatoes often do wonder
Z fully well where III y are planted upon swan
mud, muck, and from the other fact, tia
L. they grow well by placing the seed upon tn
IS surface of moist land, and covering them wit
u straw Both OF these matters are loose, AN
II would afford good ventilation.
, To what does all this tend! Wha, cours
is to be recommended As our opinions o
,, this point are SO much matter Of Mc0ry W
d will not recommend. But we will men,io
y methods that have occurred to us. One migl
i' put in the drill or the hill, small quaniii,
s. four, FIVE or six loads of well pulvcrlzrd AN
N good manurc to the acre. This is wanted #
TT upon. Above this might he put ten {
re- twelve loads to the acre. of leaves, buttslok
sc oil poia,oc vines, fine brush, chips or an
ar thing of the kind which would keep "A plat
10 LIGHT and oos, for the ,uhcrs, the potlto
'S proper, to swell and grow in. Wncn plan
u ing, we know not whether it would be best
y put the seed between the two kinds of Dire.
" sing, or above them both.
as Another method would be, and the wor
might be less, TO manure with the good MAI
ed IRE as before, using only small quanlit
- planting directly upon that covering slightI
stirring the earth well once or twice aft,
the plants were up, and then putting the otI
or dressing upon the suriacc.-N. Il. Fa
mer.