New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-06-07
,yyp,c,x INSTITUTE FARMERS CLUB

-, =. ,,st which Is easily or"S"'N on !" "V'N
.,.,,. ,,, the huncscs brushed p''''''' '"'"'"o''
MIN, thcse unNrush'd e'"V9 "''"
The ,atje~t cfthed"y "e'%
..,. Ann pssr MANNER OF cuLrwAriSc rrAS,
,,v,r,, made the following remarks:
=, -, DAVIS when potatoes sold at a high prcc,
~ is,rcr .han that obtained Cor wheat, and when ~ II
krcvn ,ha, notwithstanding the disease ana a o'uGl
Sx,ulis. rcrtsning tc the potato that SUI the ianer.
rstd - sso al least ono hundred bushels or moro po''
.,r. the Importance NJ the crp cannot be doubted f,S
6sh and lt.h farmers could scarcely boovo the tact that
,Nvssns cf bushels cf poiaccs not ot the first quality
ss'e be-" :. SNd h Msr 'p@S The increased
.orsumpt,on may be attributed in part e. the immense
rrrt,r t Immigrants received in our City. l! WI be re-
r,r,r, thst oO0o00 said 20 have arrived within the
las twelve months, and we estimate thai oach OF 'neo
Individuals should hut five bushels III potatoes "hlch
u,,~,,ratc Cssimac;or even at the preson; high price
r., NIL It'll c used hy immigrants from the ease Of their
,r,rafston a. edit Will ho seen that 'VVJVV' al ous'
- ,r;,,s in addition former crops 10 supply this
'as.d Acmsnd alone. shall ne, enter into any length
.r,S Discussion relative ~ the potato disease, for THIS has
- ~ flN ,,hrt,d hat The mombers of the Club
,.,,rei with its consideration. In proper place there
s sn,r describing modes of culture, will refer to such
rm,,as as an mos, readily applied and as have been
krna 10 be wVs td,VtiNv.
rrs,so--ln tho culture az the Potato, Il; should be
kre IN mind that they tubc, that the roots which
az tArVwn i,rth yod potatoes attached TO them
,svrs the growth always occurring on the stems,
ar her,V he oi culture should be such ihat alter
The rr;r number iaboys have appeared upon the new
~
he rAiuu collected hy the roots may DC reserved for the
-, cf ilc t formed Uhcrs. Ii this rule be strictly al,
hcVa - all iho potatoes VIII be Of full size aud we sa'i
r have assorted CrVs part large, part small, part ripe,
sua pSt Lur,yV. lhRNc found 10y practical experience,
thar whcrv hC crop cultivated SO that all the potatoes
cSuc,d should mature at the same time that the disease
likely Il appear among them 1t always appears
ft u,on these stalks which have late formed
;abtrs u> ;aC caused by the killing up after the orig
ns formations the covering of the stems TO higher
,.i,; General RcaiSom of the British Army, who
mArGci 3, Helena, AZ the suggestion OF the Royal
Agricultural society tried great number OF wedrecled
sNytrCHtS N relation 20 the culture OF tEe potato i6
ioeri tai the proper depth 10 which the potato should
h coyer,d was inches; tha; al greater or less
,p,h Of covering the crop less and of inferior quality
he also found that the largest and most perfect potatoes,
when USED for seed would give larger yield from the
ssms number Of pounds than any other SIZE lie tired
them OF every size. al every depth whole cut IN various
ss,d PIECES ihe different portions oi The potato planted ny
lsoii The mOVal Of the eyes from the potato ana ter
separate planting, and the result of al these expert
rtnis that the largest sized potatoes covered 10
TIE fun depth OF six inches, with nat cultivation,
and Continued disturbance OF the surface OF me son
would yield the largest crop. Each OF theSe e
p,rimtriS even in its subdivisions occupied space OF
70; less than one All these experiments have since
r,p,aed carefully and the results invariably have agreed
with those published by Gen. Beason Irwin be rcinem
tered thu; few years since when potatoes were hgh IN
rrice orr President M Pe suggested the propricy of
cutting the eyes for planting and this was done with
an ordinary ohsir-makers gouge when would remove
bal: sphere the flesh Of the potato behind each eye
TIE ewes should then be planted after being rolled in pas
ter or partially dried and the potatoes themselves used as
food tried This experiment alongside of similar weight
Of potatoes 70 those from which the eyes were removed
| found that the eyes OF one bushel OF potatoes
oSeupyirg the amount of ground and all other CIR
cuusances being equal planted alongside OF bushel OF
whole potatoes would yield the same number OF potatoes
BIZ; not of the weight or size their keeping proper,
tes were good and they early attacked
with disease. About the same time German method
went the rounds OF the agricultural papers IL was stated
that when the potato vine foot high its stalks
should be pressed outward laid down fatty and covered
with earth leaving the ends only exposed When they
again become foot high they should be pressed inward
again covered with earth before leaving the ends
as before exposed and thus continue bending down and
covering until the should show blossom, when the
process should be discontinued Ii was urged that the
whole length OF the covered would put out uber
and that when put under such treatment could be made to
yield thousand 10 being eight ormore times the
greatest number ever procured by the ola style OF cuya
:.on. This process also tried and found the number
produced 10 be immense, and fully equaling what had
been claimed for it, but the size and quality rendered them
vslueles. Even the Feelings of potatoes containing the
be used seed but the result will not be equal
10 that obtained from whole potatoes. The rationale for
these differences be understood by observing what
takes place when the whole potato, with perfect skin, s
planted After the new growth such potato Will be
found whole and 10 all appearance the skin perfect I'M
broken and the original potato heavier than when planted
but upon chemical investigation it will be found that all
the starch hes been removed 10 furnish pabuum for the
growing plant and has been replaced by water rendering
this original seed potato yaueess. the same obsorva-
ton be made upon sets or cut potatoes VIII DC ound
that the eshy part of the potato has stuff away, form
ing acid portion OF soil in its immediate vicinity and
hence no, furnishing starch in healthy condition as pabu-
lam for the plant The organism of the new growth,
having its proper food i'll its early stages imperfect
and The vines TO bear potato balls or seeds Prac-
teal farmers have been in the habit of drying their cut
potatoes coating them with plaster, before planting
them thus forming false skin coating for the office OF
the skin of the seed potato is evidently TO retain
and protect the starch from coming in contact
with large amount of the moisture of the soil, and
thus arrest the decomposition permitting 1t to proceed
only rapidly TO furnish its ultimate constituents as
food for the growth while the ramcaon of the roots
put forth which also greater nnumber from an uncut
potato go in search of the inorganic requirements and
supplies them from subsoil when properly disin
fegrated Thus, then it will readily be understood while
the potato has gradually lost its ball. why its organism
less complete than in former times and why whole pota
toes projected by the outer sack OF sknas intended by
should be used as seed All these facts lead me TO the
conclusion that Roberts, plan tor ameorang the potato
disease il without argument IL will be remembered
that Mr. Roberts presented to our Club last year some
taoes raised by his process which were much heavier than
those generally in market. The skins, though thinner
were stronger and the even with the surface
instead of being ndentaions Some OF those potatoes
have planted and they give every indication OF beng very
perfect They kept through the winter with her original
hardness in quality superior to the kind of
potatoes grown by other methods IL Will be remembered
that Mr. Roberts claimed that potatoes were not perfect rs
early IN the Usually supposed that therei0re he
left those potatoes which he intended 10 be used seed IN
the ground without being disturbed until the following
spring He dug them up early before sprouting and re-
planted them He found tie product from these potatoes
much greater than ron those aug IN the fall tie found al
so the potato ball appeared upon them and after repeating
this process for three years the potatoes resumed the quail
ty Of twenty years ago, and results both 10 guam
ity and QUALITY when used seed according with the
cults of that date He also gave the evidence many
growers that these potatoes when planted in the same
row with others not treated dened the potato disease
while their neiShbos entirely destroyed. The prep
araon soil for the potato should consist very
deep dsnegraon d the subsol plow run in the bottom
of the burrows made with two-way pow, Tor The nitro
ducton Of the potato Tins gives iu depth Tor me run,
whole these burrows and covered with three inches of
dirt A. the vine makes its appearance another