The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1855-05-11
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CUTIFATlsG THE POTATO.

/
The following remarks, in reference TO the
preparation Of the soil for the potato crop, is
| from Mr.. John r. Chapman, of Madison coun-
| ", New York, communicated with many 9TH
er suggestions, to the Country Gentleman
''The best soil, in ny opinion, for the growth
of sound potatoes, under all seasons is sandy
| loan, resting upon porous sub-soi, with tht.
surface fiat and sloPlng just enough 10 carry
away The water proceeding from a very heavy
fall of rain. But as every farm will not give
us this peculiar soil and situation, we must make
the best use Of what have, keeping in view
one fact however, that il is useless to plant po-
tators in low wet ground, for they will surely
rot The best plan is for farmer to set apart
four acres of his highest, dryrst, and strongest
land, and plant the onp-half of it with corn,
taking care to pow under heavy coat of COW
dung the remaining half he can sow with anv
grain that will give fair crop. If the soil had
been run previously, lrt top-drpssing of TWEEN
ty bushels Of lime to the acre be applied. The
year after let him plant with potatoes the half
that was corn, and let the halt that was grass
be planted with corn, and manured if necessary
When ploWed for potatoes the land ought not
to be more than seven PAGES wide. and ploWed
Fi1ul tiItiES uFfp- duG dittF HEaIllUG. tue GNdu
lurrows ought to be plowed out, beam deep
By thus taking an alternate crop OF corn, po-
tatoes, and grain, and manuring for the corn
only, be will keep one-haf this patch of land
in the most suitable condition for raising sound
potatoes. This system will require he land 10
be manured every five years, enough if good
heavy coat BE- plowed under"
Abiding TO the potato in general terms, the
Workiag Farmer, for April, makes the following
remarks
"a large quantity of European potatoes were
sold few days since bv auction, in New York,
and at price which would pay The foreign
farmer very large profit beyond the cost OF
freight, eet., and this, too, in a country where
they might be produced at less than the freight
paid by the foreign farmer. Every year since
our childhood, we have heard farmers say that
they feared potatoes would be low next year, as
everybody would be raising them in conse-
quencr OF the high prices and thus far has pre-
vented foil supply being grown, particularly
during the last few years, when the extra crop
required each veal for the consumption OF the
half million emigrants, has been million and
half bushels beyond the requirement of the
previous year, and which, at the average crop
of 100 bushels per acre, would require $4,000
acres of land for their culture. This is not on
ly true OF potatoes, but OF other roots, the con-
sumption of which is not only increased from
the same cause, but from our own citizens be-
coming convinced that larger proportion of
vegetable diet is conducive to health. The
farmers and livery stable keepers are also feed
ing roots more literally TO their cattle and hor-
ses, and as consequence carrots are now sold
readily in New York market at 90 cents per
bushel and even parsnips and rutahaga iurnips
bring prices equally large, as compared with
those Of former years"