The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1864-04-09
Early Potatoes.

There is large class Of persons who
value good, well-ripend early potatoes,
more than any other vegetable. The
potatoe is universal favorite. We have
never met more than half a dozen people
who did not like it. 1t is easily raised,
cheap, and has just about the proper
proportions of bulk and nutritious prop
critics to make it one Of the most whole
some articles of diet that comes upon
the table. In cases of sickness, where
the patient is convalescent, roasted
potato that is mealy, and eaten as soon
as cooked, is highly reliSbed, and is as
harmless, perhaps, as any food that can
be taken As the common, every day
food of the table, the potatoe stands
next to bread-when well cooked, most
children will take half their entire food
Of the potato especially if they can have
little milk or cream with the mash,
a nd will become vigorous and free from
humors after years use of them,
cooked in various forms. Every family
i'm the country at least-should have
them plentifully by the first of August,
and by taking some pains may begin to
use them by the fourth of July. The
first thing to be considered is the soil.
1t should be a comparatively dry and
sandy soil, rather than awet, black loan.
fresh or new soil is greatly preferable
one recently covered with grass,sor
what Is still better, scrub oaks, sweet
fern, blackberry and huckleberry bushes,
Such soil, when well plowed and
narrowed, will be light, and will abound
with the alkalies and alkaline earths that
the potato requires.-The situation Sc
lected should be an open, but a warm one
along the side of an old fence or wall,
where bushes have been growing for half
a century, or less, and exposed to the
morning sun. sOn such situation, the
plants will start early and come to matu-
rity rapidly; and if the variety planted
be good one, the tubers grown will
have sweet and agreeable flavor. Some
of the varieties used for early planting
are the Jackson White, White Chenango,
which come quite early, the Early Blue,
and others. Burr says the Ash -Leaved
Kidney is one of the earliest varieties,
and that the Farley, Blue is one of the
earliest of the garden potatoes, of fine
quality, and one of the best for forcing
for early crops. If the ground was not
prepared last fall, it should be made
ready as soon as the frost is out, so that
it can be plowed six inches deep, and the
potatoes planted.
In order to facilitate the crop, some
persons set barrel Of seed by the
kitchen stove about the middle of March,
where they remain until sprouts have
started half an inch in length. In this
case the top of the potatoes must be
covered with loan or a cloth to keep
out the light. Others lay bushel or two
of seed upon grass ground in some warm
spot, and cover them with horse manure
Srrff 70 fhay
They will sprout readily in this con-
dition if they are kept moist and warm,
and can be got at to plant more easily
than from a barrel. Others, still, who
only require few, start them in hot beds
Planting should take place just as soon
as the soil is dry enough to admit of
working it. Plant, if there is a dry
surface sufficient to cover with, even If
the frost is foot deep below. Before
planting prepare liberal holes and fill
them with shovelful Of horse stable
manure Cover this with q sprinkling
of fresh damp mold, and place the .sset7
or seed on this and cover three inches
deep. Mr.. j. Knight says that if the
''sets" placed with their leading buds
upward, few and very strong early
stems will be produced; but il the posi-
ton be reversed, many weak and later
shoots viii arise, and not only the earli-
ness. but the quality of the produce be
deprecated. By putting the above sug-
gestions in practice, every person may
expect fine dish of nearly ripened
potatoes for his Fourth Of July dinner,
with his roasted lamb and green peas,
and an abundant supply after the Doth
of the same month. How can the
farmer add to the comfort and heath of his
family in better ay?-L y. Farmer