The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1853-02-17
PAUL. MINNESOTA TERRITORY THURSDAY FEBRUARY IT, 1853

! plant in potatoes without subsong very deep anc
putting ashes and shell lime and .ixins thoruu Ais
J never have seen crop OF rotatoes taken out o
such soil that were not dfopsica. ! have road c
one, and only one exception, Gen. B. &, Howard, o,
Baltimore county, in lS49, who raised fine Me, &c,
potatoes on (ma,k his lansuage) "stif clay 'oiln
manure ia the dril! on and ueder the potato" I,
gives me pleasure to record such cases. That stiff
clay soil is not suitable for potatoes, Frederic county
Ohio, aad Kentucky will prove. If YOU weigh one
pound Of stiff clay when dry, put it in a coianIer,
sprinkle water upon 1t until il will hold no more
when il stops dripping it will weigh ab,ut l.. Ibs-.
Pat it in plate ia the sun in JaIy, il will DIV OF
very intempcratey: The 6rs, half inch will not
onl, become dry, bat will become dusty and heated
before the half inch will let its wafer 20 oa -
II you pyl patetu Of this clay on a bench in the
garden at night, and patefu Of the singass soil ty
ITS side, in The morning you vii find that the latter
has become quite moist, although the clay is ROT
perhaps moistencd half inch. think cha, clod
10y growing potato is much morse than stone OF
the sane size. The clod draws moisture away from
the potato, the stone does not; and It is thou ht it
may impart moisture to th- potato. l know Of no
good reason why potato may no, be grown round
as an onion turnip; if it meets with the same
resistance all around, and food adapted 10 its grow IN
equally accessible at all points. Potatoes grown ia
rich new ground without any manure are nearly
round.
You perceive, gentleman that my theory roughly
sketched N THIS paper, Is To prevent disease. We
may weep over our blIghted, siokly vines until the
fountain OF our tears runs dr,-we may Sigh ever
the $3.50, 900 loss on the kenetec river alone, the
S243 pad for one essay on he potato rot tie S2j-
500 900 annual loss in Ireland, England and Wales
three Ourths Of the whole crop in Holland; the uni
versaily inferior quality of the Irish potato, Gon
north 10 sunth. and from ocean ocean, and the very
high prices the CONSUMERS have paid FOR these tea
years. tell you gent tcncn, we mnst take our stand
the thrcSlioit ~ H.! on
einy in the cradle. have tried "cuttns OF the
v,nes," salt, charcoal, finely ground bone, liquid
manure, chemical compounds; aud found It like CIV
ing the child medicine to cure the mother. Whcn
we shall have patiently and perscyerngy studied the
temperature and humidity of soils, the auatom-
cal structure, the circulation Of the ces, the intlu-
ence of light, heat, aud air the kud and qunni,y Of
food that plants require; then, and not ill then
shall we be prepared ii'y 10 appreciate the ben',s
Of chemistry.
Between the practical farming and the science Of
chemistry lh.rc viii be contradictions, If the inter-
mediate causes wei! unde,4tood. One exampic
Chemistry tells that there is very i;tis nui,ncnt
IN an irish potato, not the one fourth much in
wheat, and very little mor- than IN apple. ExIe-
rience tells us that there living BaltIalorc
aged gentlcnen, wka show unuis stakeaule signs Of :;
powerful and muscular frame, men ho lave stood al
The head OF commerce; their voices have been heard
at the Baltimore bar, and IN the State Senate; then
intellectual power Is inquest oned, and wncn these
muscular francs were formed and this wonderful IN
teec was expanding, their food, their ordinary food
was roasted irish potatoes and salt; sometimes milk
was added. Now to make out both chemistry and
experience true, must know that If The hnng:y
stoinach IS d!Stendet BY healthy vegetable food, =
mixture ot an,Gl and vegetable food, it is al that
nature requires. Six ouaccs Of r.asted ,otatac. will
do man more good than SIN ounces OF saga.