The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1854-04-19
Potatoes and Buckwheat.

From the various communications pnblished ia
the Patent Office Repon for 1852 So, in relasio,
20 the agricultural productions Of the difleren
States, we make the following extracts in refer
enee 10 the culture Of Potatoes and Buckwheat:
Mr.. ]. j.. Balihorpe. Salem. Fau-
quier county, Va, SAYS:
PoraTors. IRIsn.-l planted twenty
bushels on about three acres uf ground
They were of a variety that do not
know any name for. We call them
the common white potato. | raised
one hundred bushels to the acre of a
good sound quality. | also planted
one bushel Of the Mercer upon about
an eighth Of an acre. harvested thir.
ty five bushels. and supposed left ten
bushels that we're affected with the dis
ease, they were not worth gathering J
which would have made a yield Of three
hundred and forty bushels. | believe
if had planted upon the same land
double the quantity of seed, the yield
would have been much greater. Ii the
Mercer had escaped the disease as well
as the other variety, the crop would
have been a very profitable one. Pc.
tatoes can be grown at cost of TWEEN
ty-fiye cents per bushel; and the time
is not far distant when the crop will
occupy an important place on most
farms that have means Of cheap and
direct transportation to market. !.
MIR. Geo. D. Fisher, Dover, Della
ware, writes thus:
PoTAToEs (Irish and Sweet.)-The
average yield per acre on our land
(which does not seem very well adap-
ted to the Irish potato) is about l2j
bushels Of Irish and $50 Of sweet po-
tatoes. The cost Of production and
getting tn market is about Is cents pei
busheI. The most prolific and profit
able sweet potato we raise is what ID
called the /" Poplar root" which name
describes the appearance Of the potato.
This variety frequently weighs from
two to three pounds. The Mercer is
generally esteemed with us the most
prolific and profitable variety Of Irish
potatoes; but we have variety called
the "Pink>eye," which is decidedly
better than the Mercer for table use.
Mr.. Jesse Morgan, Rush county, In.
diana, writes as follows:
PoTAToEs, lRIsH.-" Best method o
planting" When we were clearing
land, as already described, there was
no difficulty in raising any quantity ol
potatoes. If well put in they yielded
abundantly, with very little after-cul.
ture. have raised at the rate of foul
hundred bushels per acre with very
little labor. New land is still used by
those who can do it, and those that
cannot, plant on old scotland, or on
some lot where hogs or other stock have
been fed. ANY Of our land will pro.
duce good potatoes by the application
OF a little long manure.
MIR. w. Bacon, Richmond, Massa-
chusetts, says:
BucKwHEAT was sown in as liberal
quantities as usual, and paid well-be.
ing a full average crop. Its fine effects
in cleansing land from weeds, by its
great shady tops, and the pulverizing
influence of its roots in the soil, are
enough to recommend its culture on
many lands, il there was no other con
sideration.
A farmer of my acquaintance re.
Gently bought field so densely cover
ed with bareback, (potentilla,) that it
looked like a barren waste. 1t was
bought cheap, Of course, for, with the
incumbrance, it was worth but little.
Early in the spring he commenced
ploughing it with stout team, which
tore out the bushes, which. when pro-
perly dried, were burnt, ard the ground
soan to buckwheat. The avails OF the
crop more than paid for the labor,
and he expects the next crop will more
than pay for the land-thus giving him
a good field at cheap rate, besides
beautifying and making productive one
of the waste places of the earth. La
two years more he will have beauti,
full, clean sward, where, year ago, the
eye could only rest with pain. This
isnota solitary instance; we have many
such, where fields are being reclaimed
and subdued to the production Of less
hardy crops by the influence Of buck,
wheat.
Mr.. J. l.. Crockcr, Pavilion, Gene
see county, says:
BucKwHEAT is raised to some extent;
time of seeding about Goth Of June
quantity of seed from ! to ! bushel pei
acre. Thee past season was untayur'