The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1853-02-17
The Culture Of Potatoes.

4 few day, aga there received at the Office of
dis journal, for examinations, sample Of Il crop Of
potliocs winch have been brought To a highly in,-
proved quality by The Rev. Joel Blew, of Howard
county. Mary whose post-oifce is Savage, in
that comfy.
We arc satisfied that in regard 10 the mproy einen;
IN the cultivation Of this important article Of food
which has been examined and highly approved BY the
'Elh Ridge Aga icultu,al Club we cannot no a bet
ter ser' ice to rural and stb, readers than b,
Transferring to columns the first paIt of an essay
by Mr. Blew, the cultivation OF the potato origin
ally Published in the Howard Gazcitc.--f National
lnteii gemcer.
TO THE "KLNRtDGE AGRICCLTURAL CLUE
Gentlemcn have been irving these twenty wears
10 improve irish potaors-in weld, shape uniformity
size, uniformity in ripenlrs, ana clear Of prongs
knots, pInpes, 8c. My success has been in proper
ton IL my ellmts; thiak Usyscll amply ,ewa. dcd.
va, about q. .ht years to discover the profit
able ,iridy OF polaoes from Germany, Ii land, sc.
For III. last twelve ,ea,> have used Only the Nova
Scotia Mercer, OF, the, are comm nll called the
Whi'c Nc'cer Tha, improve a iii,lo each yes,r.--
Thy VII keep until July. Iou can readily discover
more nnpericc.lon and evident Signs OF disease in
other poa,or> with tin naked eye, than YOU de-
tect i'll them by u-iny th most powerful glass My
plau : aS follows:
i<te.-l tNtninc all the potatocs oficrcd f,r sale
in April. 90 from one cnd of the wharf to tt
Other, and ay,ce with the seller ie, me pick
one, Two, thrce or moic bushels. then ,ake such
know u be pei f:ciiy ripe. ripe potato, Il dug at
the ii .ht TIM, has SDl71th shinaS smo III
aypir-and ~ the sunshine "A iitte pink-c iorpd
about the smaller end. About planting time, take
Il ku,te thai am used TO Cut With, get fixed my
mind Just what resistance the right Kind Of lotaio
has. II the Knife passes too easily through it re-
jet il; il it cuts littlc too ha,d, l reject It, am
careful u get suitable lare to work The light
mist strike a. tU show the cuOv. Much, very
u,,uh lct pds upon the tlash Il potato f,r seed
good riiH IS 10 set pure stone china dish 10 the
ti.nt hand-hs is good gaids as 80 co.or, u thc
potatoes were raised north of,he ~! de rc, of north
latitude, they viii have little pink and purple, or
Castle soap appearance. his Is ohcction.--
Thea piece Of poshcd Italian marble is gooi
guide. | tha white must be 1cutc, and mud
dy. II y"u pure Nercc. p,tato intwo, ii is fee
from all disease whcn Nou hook At it through good
mn lrliiving glass, it viii iook hike White Gost n on
Il smooth surface when The b..inS to shine ulor
IT, The l;iie cavities cells, and water blad-
des, will be reguIr AND "ei,ora IN size; the water
iion the bla'dels viii ipok clean, clear and
ihln; il viii look Ike the sweat upon latanI's
face; it viii have tshiny," sparkling appearance.
ike the b oxen end al bar of steel the
ii the potato droi seal (Which is very often the
casc) the cut surface viii look like melting and
ice running from the stable door; il viii be uIbd and
a little irothy. Ii il have the consumption, the air
cells and water bladders will he irregular III size;
the water will i3ok like old skinned milk--you can
src gradna ~ga geu,cut all through the potato
Maay potatoes look i. they had been taken OF
red clay, the skin little yeiiowsh, and part Of
it covered with pimp is diseased. II You take
an OLD, we-woIn fine gins ham apron, and wipe the
potato carefully, you Will small speCks Of color.
Apply the glass, II all Is right: those Srccks Will not
show than ihc one hundrCth pant of an inch /
But if they show black grey, one-twcneth Of an
inch microscope will SHOW them to be a mass Of
In cutting ten bushels ot the best Of ,
iered for sale, | ma. get one bushei of the right |
sort.
Planting. On clean, light, wcii-piowoh ground .
Law off w,th Atwood, broad two horse plow. /
l. hand follow with the guano throw ing "a fall I
handful along the fWroV nj every step. Than lct the
most skIlu! follow with the shovel Iiow, say" Now |
my good fellow, do your best; You viii pass this shO-
vel a'on. TIN, furrows inches deep, tight in the /
middle OF the Irrow, and rs straight as "A line" II
The guano is then nicely mixed with the .oii, and
Won have half a circle dtop the sets il. Let tn 1
,Iropccrs follow. Drop about eight inches aiart- /
Ii have -four droppcrs, when the piows have laid
of an acre, the droppers Will be about hall way (
through; then let the shovel pow begin al the first
row, and throw the 18th itom each side oft into the
row.
Dephto plan. This is a vc,y important point
The fiil and perfect development Of potato depends
very much upon the temperature and humidity ct It's \
bed. Or soil vary much i'll this respect that no "
safe rule can AS yet be giv'n. 1T you take three |
inches of the surface soil Of the light sIngass lands
of EIkridgc after heavy rain Of forty eight haurs
continuance. you will find that il has absorbed only
about l2 per cent of ITS weight in water. And if
YOU should dig to the depth ol Gse teet you will per
ceive all the way down about the same humidity
A gain, this soil absoibs more dew, dries off
gradually and allows the atmospheric arr 10 penetrate
deeper and to circulate mere freely than any soil
have ever seen. would suggest that we plan,
rows inches deep, rows six inches deep, and l
rows inches deep, and about the first Of June bury
thermometer with the bulb exactly at the depth Of
the seed in the three different depths and eve! two
or three days note the temperature. Then Yhen
dig, we shall oni, know ,Ge pest depth plant,
Lu we shall know to some extent the tenn erarure
This will serve to extent as guide ~ future IN
all such soil Again, there is a good deal of hand
the surfce Of which is light, and appeas very mu,h
like the ,bnvc, hri g. g, OF 10 inches down II is a
stiff, tenacious clay, that will absolb so to 50 rcr
ccu, Of il. weight IN water Thi. land never would