Flag of the Union. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1850-18??, 1853-02-11

SWEET PoTAToEs CULTIVATED IN Level
GRoUND.-At the Annual Fair of the South
ern Central Agricultural Society, held II
Macon in October last, / had che honor o.
laying before the Society an essay on "The
cultivation and preservation of the Sweet
Potato. - In that paper / had occasion to re.
fer to an experiment which I made some wear,
ago, with an acre of Potatoes planted from
vines (not sprouts) in the level, on the 10th
day of June. The product, ander great
disadvantages, was over $50 bushels. !
planted this year small piece of ground in
potatoes, and gave it the same treatment.
While | was engaged in writing the essay al.
iuded to (which was about the middle of Oc-
tober,) had part of the level ground dug,
and found that it promised to yield at the rate
OF five or six hundred bushels to the acre.
This result | reported to the Society. Since
frost (which occurred three weeks later) / have
harvested, and measured the remainder of the
crop, In the presence of disinterested person.
The level ground yielded at the rate of 6SS
bushels to the acre. have no doubt that an
acre of land planted in potatoes early in May,
and treated as was the ground on which my
experiment was made, would yield from eight
hundred to a thousand bushels. Nv expert
ment served to confirm me in an opinion
which l have long held, viz: That - Red
White" or |" Bermuda Red" will not bear
heavy manuring. A part of the ground was
occupied with that variety, and the potatoes
were inferior to the yams in size, while the
product was much less. ....z ss.s~zy
l have always been successful in keeping
potatoes in banks, but as it is slow and lsbo.
rious business TO put them up in that way, /
propose, if my life is spared another gear. to
substitute house for ~ least part Of the
crop. / shall construct my house with sIabs
from the saw mill. Their edges will be
Strengthened and brought together. They viii
be laid ON low ridge pole, and viii be plnced
at such an angle as will admit Of their holding
a thick covering Of straw and earth. The
straw will be laid ON next TO the slabs, and the
earth above. The door win be small and close.
The whole area Of the house soiz be yuised
and covered with dry straw / prefer that of
the pine for the protection Ct potatoes next
after it broomsedge. and where neither can be
procured, rye or wheat straw may be made to
answer. The art Of preserving potatoes, con-
sists in keeping them dry, and at an uniform
temperature, which should be neither too hfeh
nor too low. Yours. truly, Tssrfs.
= ssszs#a ..z.z - sssszsss sN#
THE WATERaELoNs---A few years aro. says
q correspondent Of the Gyu,site Farmer. i
recolleoted to have seen in some agricultural
newspaper. directions for the raising Of hns
watern,elons on any kind Of sod. II uas si,n-
ply IN substance. to sink holes 10 Tie. depth q
aboat eighteen inches. and shout he san,e
number Of inches square, n squares not Is
than ten feet apart Into thsss kolss plase
stable manure, mixing it well, ab0at HI mi
bali With the original soil 81 lbese plnsen
plant the seeds Of the melon, oo<erf;1c IS tke
depth Of fse or Sin inches. Leave kut -
vine ii plaes and but one siell q i vii.,e.
Wild sbaEp knilo cut IN tie little eline;nx
tendfiIs and It the vine groE. Il have s17;s3
IL and found de s1csess 10 be bs<oua ~
msat sznguipe expectations. TIE n'eIo6s 3.
much larger Han tho>e raised Is IL e..l;;..,,.
rsys md ths aszar s sllonetk1 auperiior.
ssr1 ~ =