The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1854-04-01
agricultural.
From the NopGrd CO. GUeeNe.l
THE CULTURE OF POTATOES.
Az ESSAY, BY REV. JOEL BLEW.

10 inc Iihiiage agricultural tIGD.
Gentlemcn | have been trying these TWEEN
t. years to improve Irish potatocs--in yield,
shape, uniformity in size, uniformity in ripcn-
ing, and clear Of prongs, knots, pnlplcs, &c.
My success has been in proportion to my eff
forts; think myself amply rewarded. was
about eight wears tryiGa to discover the most
profitable raririy Of potatoes from Germany,
Ireland, &c. For the last twelve years have
had Only the Nova Scotia. Mercer, or, as they
are commnly called, the White Mercer. They
improve u little each year. They will keep
Will until July. You can readily discover
mere impcrfections and evident signs Of dis
case in other potatoes with the naked eye
than you can detect il tlCm hy using the most
powerful class. My plan is as follows:
Seed examine all the potatoes offered for
sale in April. ! 20 from one end OF Die wharf
to the other, and agree with lie seller % let
ne Lick cut one, two, ii re, or more bushels.
| then take out such as | know 10 be perfect
! ~ rijc. y ripe potato, if dug ut the right
! time, has a smooth sin--as smooth as an 2p-
plc--and in the sunshine is little pink col
ored about the smaller end. About planting
time, | fake knife that | am used to cut
with. | get fixed in my mlnd just what resis-
lance the right kind Of Il potato has. Ii the
knife passes too easily through il, | reject it;
| il it cuts Il Little too hard, reject it. | AIN
cureful to get Il suitable place to work. The
light must strike, so as to slow the color.
Much, very much depends upon tho color .!
the flesh Of a potato for seed.
\ good plan is to set pure china dish to
the right hand-thiS is Il good guide as to col
or. If the potatoes were raised north Of the
ia degree Of north latitude, they will have a
little pink and purple. or CASTLE soap" ap-
pcarance. This is no objection. Then Il
piece Of polished Italian marble is Il good
guide | mean the white n!H.1 be ,rhi.e, and
not muddy. ifyou cut pure Mercer potato
in two, If it is free lroIH all disease, when you
look al it thrctgh good mngnWing glass ii
will look like white frost upon smooth sur
face when the sun begins to shine upon it.
The little cavities or air cells. and water dad
tlcrS will be regular AMI uniform in size; the
water from the cut blaadcrs viii look very
clean, clear and thin ii will hook like the sweat
upon an infants face; it will have ''shiny,"
sparkling appearance, like the broken end Of
4 bar of cast steel in the SUM-
If the potato is drorscal (Which is very
often the case, } the cut surface will look like
melting snow and ice running from the stable
door; it will be turl,id, and II little trothy. II
it have the consumption, the air cells and wa
4 l,
ter will look like old SKINNED milk you can
see II general arrangement all through the
potato. Many potatoes look as if they had
been taken out of red clay; the skin is Il little
yellowish and part of it covered with PIN
ples-it is diseased. Ifyou take an old we'll
worn fine gingham apron and wipe IL potato
carefully, YOU will see small spccks Of color.
Apply the glass; if all is right, those spccks
will not show moro than the one-hundrcdth
part of an inch. But if they show black or
grey onc-twenicth Of an inch, Il microscope
will SHOW them to be a mass Of rottcnncss.
Planting.-On clean, light wcll-ploughcd
ground, lay of with an Atwood or broa d two
horse plough. Let a hand follow with the
guano; throwing Il full handful along the fur
row every step. Then let the most skiful
follow with shoycl-plcugh. Say, CHOW, my
good fellow, do your best; you will pass this
shovel along this furrow l inches deep, right
in thc.middle Of the furrow, and as straight
as a line" The guano is then nicely mixed
with the soil, and you have Il half circle to
drop the sets in. Let the choppers follow
hrn, NJ, L,,.
| four droppcrs, when the ploughs have laid of
an acre, the choppers will be about half
through; then let the shoycl-plough begin at
the first row and throw the earth from each
side off into the row.
Depth 10 Piant.-This is a very important
point. The full and perfect development of a
potato depends very much upon the tempera-
turc and humidity Of its bed. Our soils vary
so much in this respect that no safe rule can
as vi be given. you take three inches of
the surface soil Of the light isnglass lands Of
Elkrdgc, after Il heavy rain Of forty-cight
hours continuance, you will find that it has
absorbed only about - per cent. of its weight
of water. And if you dig to the depth offve
feet you will perceive all the way down about
the same humidity. Again, this soil absorbs
more dcws, dries off more gradually, and al
lows the atmospheric air to penetrate deeper
and to circulate more freely than any soil
have ever seen. l would suggest that we
plant rows inches deep, rows 6 inches
deep, and rows 0 inches deep, and about
the first Of June, bury a thermome ter with the
bulb exactly at the depth of the seed in the
three different depths, and every two or three
days note the temperature.
Then when we dig VIC shall not only know
the best depth to plant, but we shall know to
some extent the temperature. This will serve
as guide in future in all such soil Again.
there is good deal of land the surface of
which Is light and appears very much like the
above, but 6, s, or 10 inches down it is a stiff
tenacious clay, that will absorb 60 to so per
cent of its weight in water. This land never
would plant potatoes in without subsoiling
very deep and putting on ashes and shell lime |
and mixing thoroughly. / have never seen
crop of potatoes taken out of such soil that |