St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1867-05-03
THE CALIFORNIAN.
farm, Garden aud Aitfheu.
SUrin0 York.


Sow onions as early as possible. They
will do altogether better for early SOW
ING.
Clover seed, on land that was laid
down last spring, must not be forgotten,
if it is desired to SOW ii at all.
Knock the manure to pieces that was
dropt in the moving fields last fall. 1t
viii DO little or no good as it lies. but
will be an annoyance in getting the hay,
and some of it will be quite likely to Get
into the hay mows.
Grating and the garden should be at
tended 10 in season. Set shade tree
where one Is needed, or q Towering
shrub, patch of strawberries, &c, &c.
Put in potatoes for carly use on warm
spot-thcv are one of the most impor-
tant early vegetables. -N +. Fumrr
Potato Culture to -4cOid the Rot.
a letter written by Mr.. Jared Wilcox
llayerstraw, TO one of our correspon-
dents, on the causes and prevention of
the potato rot, is sent us for publication
1t Is very probable that the potato crop
is injured by injudicious treatment, in the
WAYS to which Mr. Wilcox refers. but
that part of his letter is of less interest
than the statement he gives Of the system
Of management which has proved emf
mcntly successful on his farm
Il believe in a rotation OF crops and,
as hay is valuable crop with Us in this
section, keep my land in grass us long
as it will bear good crop; then break
up the ground, and manure heavily with
barn-yard for corn, and the next season
split the corn-hills one way and give
the ground heavy blowing the other ;
then harrow it level and mark out for
potatoes. l have compost, mixed of
the following, which believe much bet
Ter than any green or untermentcd ma
nurc: bushels wood ashes, do. shell
lime, , gypsum and J salt. put in
each hill about q pint. ! plant large,
wcll-matured seed-in fact, the best
hayc-and cut them two eyes on piece,
three pieces 10 the hill. The cut SEED soon
commence to decay, by the time the small
tubers from the seed are generally all
gone, and there IS no rot to communicate
witt. the new crop, and | have a good
Weld Of sound potatoes. Ii the field Is 4
very dry soil, | add more gypsum. Thus,
the salt produces moisture, the gypsum
retains it. while the lime and ashes sweet
en- AMI enrich the soil-producing a crop
ofpotatoes that has always paid me well
for my labor, and | have not had five
bushels of rotten potatoes in ten years,
except from new seed lately purchased
believe in changing my seed as often as
once i'll three or four years, even if get
the same variety from distance; but |
do rot change ottcner than once in six or
seven years, simply because it takes NE
two or three years to eradicate the rot
from the seed that buy
Mr.. Wilcox has observed that the rot
first attacks the potato tubers nearest the
stalk, often destroying all but those at the
extremities of the roots-a fact in sup
port of villa: is doubtless the correct
theory as to the cause of the rot-the
theory which ascribes it to fungus.
Observation with regard TO the causes OF
this, fungus, or rather rs to the circum-
stances under which it is most likely to
propagate itself, is by no means exhaust
ed, and might be conducted farther to
great adyantage.-COm.t'y Geatma..