Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1848-02-11

IRISH PorAToEs.-We clip the following
judcous and seasonable article from the Au-
gusta, Ga, Chronicle g. Sentinel. The advice
touching the modes Of planting and cultivating
the Irish Potato is very good. The product
from a small patch of Irish Potatoes, proper
ly cultivated, is sometimes really astonishing
A successful mode of preserving them, in this
climate, is great desideratum, which we are
all interested in knowing:
"The season has arrived for planting this
valuable tuber. According TO The cost of pro-
duction, no crop pays better. Irish potatoes
are now selling in this market at two dollars
bushel. When we state that there are sew
entyfive pounds of water in one hundred Of
potatoes, the reader will see that the nutritve
matter in this article of food sells at an extra
VACANT price.
crop? First, plow the land deep and fine, and
fertiliZe the soil with those substances used
by nature in forming the stems, leaves, roots
and tubers of the plant Success depends in
a good degree on proper manuring. After
making out good burrows, three feet apart, in
which TO plant the potatoes, place in the fur
stable manure Draw with the hoe a little
loose earth over the manure, and drop the po-
tatoes over the same, which should be covered
two and half or three inches deep. As seed
is expensive, it will be good economy to cut
the potatoes before planting into as many pie
ces as there are eyes or germs and plant three
in hill four inches apart In the rows the
hills should be about thirty inches distant from
one another. They should be pIowed ont, hoed,
and kept as clean as cotton or any other crop
" If one has but little manure, its feTtlliZng
power can be largely increased by throwing a
handful of wood ashes into each hill before
planting the potatoes. This crop requires a
good deal of potash in organizing lts stems,
leaves and tubers, an element which does not
often abound in the food of the animals that
make stable manure. Thus, in 100 pounds Of
the ashes of Irish potatoes, there are ST lbs.
potash II $40 phosphoric acid; 2 lime; 81
magnesa; 131 carbonic acid ; 81 SILICA; 81
chlorine; little iron and soda. In the ashes
formed by burning ordinary stable g. cowpen
manure, not over ten per cent OF potash, or
one-ffth the quantity found in the ash of po-
| tatoes exists On good turf, well rotted,
large crops of potatoes may be grown with a
little ashes, and without any manure. In 100
parts of the ash of potato tops there are Al
parts Of potash.
The leaves of trees contain all the miner
al as we'll as organized elements needed 10
make this plant While in moist, rotting
condition, pine, oak and other forest leaves,
WELD their constituents in the form necessary
to enter into the circulation Of growing crops,
and to be re-organized by the vital forces OF
| the same To transform vegetables which are
| worthless manures and ashes of trees, into
valuable human food, is a study not less in
teresting than useful. We do not think it ne
cessary that the citizens of Augusta and VI
entity should be fed on potatoes which are
grown in New England, North Carolina, and
Tennessee Nor do we regard it as impractl.
cable to make potatoes raised here keep sound
the year round How this is to be done, we
will explain at another time"