Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1866-04-14

matter nro I'll hne uanurcs foe po.
tat0os. ns We know b. uc'ual cAp,r.
imout, Tho chamber lyc, Cuuuo.
poudrctte and COW manure are per.
haps the best. II the luhcrs are
planted, whether whole on cut, ma
nurc Of any kind should be sparing
~ used, Good planters are Of the
opinion that 90 head Of large cattle
penncd on on acre Of ground will
manure it sufficiently IN two weeks,
for potatoes cultivated from tho ia.
beers, II sprouts or vines are plant
cd, il will not b. easy TO make the
ground too rich. Potatoes arc cul.
tivated in many different ways,
Some persons plant sprouts or vines
in hills, resembling tobacco hills,
hut larger, They produce well.
but there is much groundiost where
that plan is adopted, Another
method, which Is very successful, is
that practiced in the low country.
Ridges are thrown up from four to
five feet apart. The vines are laid
longitudinally on these, three or
four together. They are then GOV.
cred heavily with earth, in spaces
of eighteen inches, leaving them eX-
posed at intervals for few inches,
10 admit Of vegetation, Fit be &c.
tuaIly raining, but little earth will
be sufficient; day or two after n
rain, more will be required to make
them grow. In ten days or two
weeks after they are planted, they
will require to be carefully hoed,
ploughcd ,cjth a s,ceGp, and Drawn
+ up. If this operation is performed
once afterwards, permitting some
weeks to Intervene, they will need
no moro work. So treated, they
generally bear well. and often pro
duce heavy crops. Differing but
little from this method, is that of
cutting the vines into pieces Of
three or four leaves, and pushing
them into the ridges, about foot
apart. Whore the season is advanc-
cd and vines are scarce, this will be
found an economical plan. If the
soil be good, and well prepared, Po-
tatoes planted by either of the above
described methods, will yield from
two to three hundred bushels to the
acre. The largest crop of potatoes
we have ever known to be made on
an acre of ground, we made five
years ago, by n method of our own.
A hillside was selected, (unfortun-
ately it was q Northern cxposure,)
and an acre of ground measured of.
The soil, which was not poor, but
rather heavy, was well measured.
The ground was then planted in
oats. When the oats were in milk,
the ground was again MANFRED,
with a compost Of stable, COW pen
manure, ashes, and butchers otfal,
mixed. The whole was then turn
ed in, with hillside plough, drawn
by pair of mules. Two weeks If.
ter, (the 10th of Junc,) the ground
Was broken up again, and marked
of, by dragging over it scantling
Of wood six feet long, with pins
driven through it eighteen inches
apart. The lines so made, were
planted with cuttings Of vines, gen
orally of 3 Or / leaves in length.
They were put in about II inches
apart. These Potatoes, it will be
observed, were planted in the lcuel,
and occupied the whole ground.
Engagements took us from home,
and we did not see them again for
month. At the end of which time,
the field was taken with grass, the
oversecr having overlooked it. 1t
was cleared with great difficulty,
and not without destroying many
of the vines. 1t was hocd once af-
ter and received no further attcn-
ton. About the 10th Of October,
we had 20 feet square dug and meas
ured, and it appeared from close
calculation, that the crop promised
700 bushels. We were again called
from home, about the first OF No.
vember, the overseep harvested the
crop, and reported little over ESQ
bushels. He is man Of character
well known to most persons in
this city, and his report may be re-
lied on. The following year, we
planted small piece in tho same
manner. 1t produced very large
crop. Sickness, and absence from
home, prevented our prosecuting
the experiment further until this
year. We have now the sixteenth
part of an acre SO planted, which
promises a heavy crop. The vines
were planted on the 9th Of June
They stand eighteen inches apart
each way. They have been forkcd
between the rows once, and hoed
once. This day (the l1th of Octo-
Der, } we had space measuring 10
feet by s, $50 square fect,) dug.
The product is half bushel and
half peck-nearly at the rate of 53S
bushels to the acre. Had the vines
been planted early in May, they
would, with the Same treatment,
have yielded seven or eight hun
bred bushcls, and with better prop
aration, might have been made to
reach thousand. The ground was
old, having been in cultivation many
wears. 1t was MANFRED with pre-
paration of cotton seed, poudrette
and ashes. The cotton seed was
applied at the rate of 200 bushels
to the acre, and the poudrette at
the rate of 16 barrels. The pota