Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-05-16
Ghe .farm aud Garden.
THE POTATO,

done hut once Ifdons at several times, |
new sets will be formed at each time;
many of the sets will form tubers too |
small to be Of much use, and yet from
their numbers will considerably dimin- |
ish the growth of tubers from the first
settings: and the crop will be smaller
and less sizabIe, than IL earthed but
once.
Other things, though not essential,
! are relatively important-One Is, that
the seed potato should not be cut. Opin-
IONS we are aware, differ on this point
but experience and careful ,obseryation
have Convinced Sus, that plants from
cuttings do not as general thing,
grow as vigorously, are not as
healthy, not as able to resist the potato
disease, as those from whole potatoes
One tuber in hill of medium size-a
little smaller or trifle larger, say from
the size of n pullet's egg to that of full
grown hen-is the best seeding. One
in a hill is better than more, and those
of medium size are about as good as very
large ones for planting, while the latter
were to cut seed potato, in any case, 1t
should be simply topare off q little Of the
seed end. that the shoots might be fewer
and stockier in growth-not trailing
vines, but erect, treelike, with strong lat
eral branches. ,,,,
Another item is, the planting in hills.
If planted in drills, they shade each
other too much, especially If earthed up
too often with the plough. The vines,
} with such treatment, are too much like
those growing in damp cellar, imper-
fectly lirhted-such as indicate, to the
experienced observer, too many tubers,
but too fe,o pounds oftubers at their base,
and altogether too unequal In size, yaryss,
ing from that Of pins head upward
Planting in hills, and managing the seed
: 40 as to get but few shoots on each, and
;; these thick and stout, with short, thick
laterals, gives a smaller number but
larger weight of tubers, and more salts
; factory when they come upon the table.
Early planting Is nothing worth con-
siderinp. so long as the potato disease
! continues. Before its appearance, we
! had grown famous crops, planted as late
: as the first of July. Since its advent,
early planting, though notin all seasons
2 n preventative, Is safer than late Potn-
r toes. if planted the last of April or early
2 in May, are less liable to the blight than
9 If planted later. 80
/ Another consideration is, that nitro
9 penous manures, as Peruvian guano,
o strong stable manures, and others or 9
9 stimulating character, ale notas Wen
u suited to this crop, 80 long as there IS
It danger of the blight, as to some others.
= Jt NAV be good economy for the market
;. gardner toapply highly stimulating man
ii 1res to potatoes, his object being TO put
IS them early into market, while the price
:, Ia still high; but the farmer, especiall Y
e If distant from market should be content
Vt cd with slower growth and n later ma
!. turity, more anxious for sound crop,
than for an early one.
d Mineral mansires are best adapted to
y his object. Now potash, soda, lime, su /
e phuric acid and chlorine, are special re-
g ouirements Of the potato plant. Virgin
: soils. If of anything like fair, medium
II quality, contain all these in sufficient
b quantity for one potato crop, and in most
n soils for many. But in soils that have
7 been long cultivated with little or no
" manure, they are not always founa anu
n IL there is deficiency in these, the crop
10 Is not likely to succeed rs well as from
70 the general character of the land one
r. might expect. .ng., :
at Our object in penning this article is
" partly, to recommend a special compost
nj for the potato, one which experience has
sh proved to be good-good enough 10 en-
not In high condition, and without Other
:. manure fair to large crops ofsound tubers
(say from 100 to 200 bushels an acre., O
9 n quality hard to beat. 1t consists of in
: gradients that are cheap, easy to find
and adapted to supply the necessities o
the potato crop, il, perchance, they are
not already In the soil.
Tho compost we recommend is-tel
bushels of u,,lcdched rood ashes, fou
bushels of Time, freshly sidked, (oyste
shell is best, or II you cannot easily ob
tain it substitute In its place from twic
to three times the quantity OF leache'
ashes, which will do about as welD, tw
bushels of plaster, and one bushei
common sat-, to be mixed rs evenly q
may he, for one acre, and applied In tn
hill. This mixture, we believe, Wi
4 disappoint no one who will try 1t. w
have tried II often, and 1t has, In ever
case, moro than answered our expecta
ti0ns. -,
nd We will now suggest mode Of cult
,p- yation which Is labor-saving, and Will
satisfactory to any one who will try IT o
feasible soil. lst. Plough one inc
ST. deeper than the land has been used
Int being ploughed. I'd. After few days
TO level and freshen the surface by runnin
nc a many toothed harrow over 1t, followin
the burrows, If sod, but crossing them
ne not. Sd. Two or three days after th
furrow out, both ways, two feet ten inche
'ut to three feet each way. with smal
double mould plough, about four incht
nj deep, without disturbing the sod, II thu
=. be In the state of the land. Attn. Drol
'nt at the crossings of the burrows, sma
ne handful (such that the quantity, spec
=" fled above, will go over about one acre
ng of the above described mixtures, and
dropping 1t be carefll 70 spread II som'
ne what, 30 that 1t may mingle with cor
GU siderable soil, aud not prove so heatin
70 as to burn the seed and prevent lsprpu
ad- ing. 9th. Drop one medium sized {
e.y rather small potato on the mixtures, 1
ne the center of each crossing, so as to brin
IN tho rows straight In both directions; an
cover, by running brush-harrow ov'
Oh the surface, till the furrows are fille'
hg and the whole surface is made SMOOTH
9th. just as thesprouts begin to brea
~ ground, run the brush-harrow. over Il
ive surface again, enough to barely distul
IN, the SOIL and TO XIII any weeds that ma
ore have started. 7th. When the tops n
'hu six or eight inches high, run horse-h'
ull orcultlvator betweenthe rows, both way
vas with the shares so set rs to throw ear,
M against the tops, thus forming rath
broad but not higher hills. This b
once, for reasoI,s before stated.
- The work, tin Harvesting, isnowdon
ary unless the weeds should become threu
rth aninv In which pnse Ii NAV be well to RI