The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-04-02
[From G1e American AqricrIf"rorisf.

How TO Rinse Early Potatoes
dish OF new, nIealy potatoes, abent the
middle of June, is not to be despised. They
aIe good upon tine table, and BY no means
bad in the barrel, on their way to lively
market, at one or two dollars a bushel, and
upwards There is Il difference of a month
or two in the time required by different va
rieties, to mature. This is often overlooked
by farmers, and they continue planting only
the late sorts, and have 10 new potatoes I'M
til August. Early varieties are a, first es-
sential in getting an early harvest The
Mercer or Chenango will mature in about
twelve weeks, and with forcing in, ten. 1t
is not so apt to rot when forced, rs when
planted late. The early Sovereign, Carpon-
ter, Studleys Seeding, Wendell's Seeding,
Dykman, and the early June, require a still
shorter season, say from six to twelve days.
In almost every section of the country there
are early potatoes, probably quite as good
as any of these. GO W BIOS.
There are several methods of fastening
their maturity. A favorite method with
the German market gardeners is, to bring
the seed potatoes in barrels into q warm room,
about the first of March. The eyes start
rapidly, and in about two or three weeks
they are ready to plant. Another method,
which we have practiced for some years, IS
to start the potatoes in gentle hot-bed,
about the middle of March. The tubers are
cut in halves, and laid fiat side down upon
the bed, as thick as they can be placed.
They are then covered with about two
inches of garden mold, and the sashes are
pmt over them. As soon as they are up
two or three inches, they are ready to trans
plant They should be removed carefully,
separating the roots with as little breaking
. 4 A. Il. H., Al
are to grow. As they do not yield full
crop under this treatment, they can be plant
cd closer than in common culture, say in
drills thirty inches apart, putting the hills
twelve inches apart in the drill.
A warm, sandy loan, sloping 10 the
south or southeast, should be selected for
this crop II should be well MANFRED with
horse dung, about half of it applied in the
drills Some manure their grounds for
early potatoes in the Fall, and this is, we
think, good plan for that part Of the ma
nure which is applied broadcast. Fresh
horse dung in the drills raises the tempera-
ture of the soil, and hastens their growth.
Remarks.-To the nbove, written by or e
| of our associates we will add that we have
succeeded we'll on small scale, thus: Two
or three weeks before the time when it will
probably do TO plant out, take pieces of turf
or sod, say four or five inches square, and
put piece Of potato in each. These are
set closely together where they can be
watered as needed, and can he exposed to
sunshine. Whenever there is a cold night,
or g cold snap" straw is put on to keep
them from freezing. They sprOut and fill
| the turf with roots. At the proper time the
pieces are set in the open ground. one piece
in hill, and the growth is hardly checked.
The turf itself also acts as manure TO aid the
growth. In this way two to four weeks
may be gained.-Iab. Ed.