Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1847-04-24
Reservation or the Potato.

a roraro that will not produce more than
me hundred and fifty bushelsto the acre, is not
worth the farmer's attention. much less Fit be
In a disessed state; and, In my opinion. the old
PotAto 10 not worth redemption from iisesse,
even " II could be effected The world. I con.
ceive, 10 in immediate want of new varieties t;
nero, in ,teir origin from the seed; ne~, in
qoality and' productiveness. Such potatoes
hnve been produced, and are In advance Of the
old crop Ia every important particular. They
are cultivated by several persons 10 Europe. a.
well as in this country. A gentleman in Ger.
many, near Hamburg, says that he has practiced
raising potatoes from The seed for fifteen years.
and has obtained splendid varieties. which are
not attacked by the disease. I have prac,iced
the same method for seven year.. and knoo, By
my own experiments and observations, that Il
s the true course 20 pursue.
am now making preparations for the eul.
'ure Of about thirty acres the ensuing summer,
for seeding tubers, and the seed Of seedlings
The latter il in the fifth successive year from
the old potato. I expect my seeding tubers
will produce four hundred or five hundred bu.
shells to the acre; and from the seed OF my
seedlingsI hope to obtain at least three hun.
dred hundred bushels per acre, the tubers
weighing ten ounces each. think this e.ti.
mate safe one. though much will depend upon
the season. The summer draughts 10 this lsky
region operate very unfavorablo TO the potato
crop.
The coming sea.on, I intend to gather q
large quantity ofseed from the balls Of my seed
ling tubers. which grow on the vines in great
abundance, while on many Of the old varieties
they hive entirely disappeared. Half an ounce
of seed will plant quarter Of an acre. II can
be conveyed in letters by mail with perfect con-
vcnience. The best, fully developed, distinct
varieties Of f,ubers, selected with care, will pro-
baby be in market in September next, from
which seedsmen and others can be supplied
Since the commencement of the potato mala
dy. some persons have produced seedlings from
old tuhers, have found them diseased the frs,
year OF planting, and have abandoned the ex
pertinent, pronouncing the method az useless.
The first seedlings from stock go deteriorat ted
or diseased. if found perfectly healthy would
seem miracle. The perfec: redemption from
the malady is to be looked for only through sue.
cessive generations, by the consec utive planting
and culture Of seeding tubers, and the seed Of
the same. Every years experiment brings
both the tuber and its seed essentially in sd.
vance Of its former condition. Seven years
ego, found great difficulty il preserving my
potato pl,nts from the frost and little black bugs
In toe autumn. the product was 30 triaing that
Twas near ready to abondon the experiment.
Last summer, in the fourth succession! ] raj.
sed. from thimble full Of seed, twelve bushels
Of tubers. Some Of the single plants had on
their roots one thousand potatoes, weighing, in
lew instances, seven ounces each. yl
..... N. S SIXTH.
Buffalo, ". Y, FEB 26ih, 1s47. a.