Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-02-13
AGRICULTURAL.
crrTrRE oF porArors.

4 4
potatoes IN sufficient quantities not only !
TO supply the demand for home con-
sumption, 6ut to furnish an article of
commerce. Instead OF that, thousands
of barrels of potatoes are brought here
from the Western markets and sold to
the very men who should have potatoes
to SELL Our soil will produce as fine
potatoes as can be grown anywhere, if
the proper attention be paid to their
culture. We find in the Albany n. "
Country Gentleman some very valuable
suggestions on this subject, and as the
time for planting early potatoes will
soon be at hand, we reproduce the article
that cur farmers may avail themselves |
Of the Information it imparts.
A Tennessee ceTJ espondsnt, who 1
wishes TO introduce q general or mixed /
systeu OF husbandTy on his plantation,
asks for practical directions for the cul
tivati0u Of the potato. In furnishing
few general directions, 1t is proper to |
remark that there is no crop res oecting |
which their is q greater diversity OF /
opinion on several points OF management. |
Whatever we may say, therefore, will /
meet with greater or less objection, espe
ciaiiy from those who have made single |
experiments in relation to disputed |
points, and have fully made up there /
minds, without further trials, under the |
varying circumstances Of differing soils |
and reasons. We shall endeavoI 10 give |
such views in relstion TO the matter, as
hsye heen well established by repeated |
practice under cur own observation, or |
which will probably receive the assent OF
good cultivstors.
The first important requisite is to re- |
duce the soil to proper condition. Po-
tatces are sometimes planted on sod re- |
Gently inverted. In q few Instances |
they succeed well; but they are more |
likely to suffer from drouth, except Ia |
vet Seasons, and bhe practice is not there |
fore to be generally recommended, lJ Is |
better to plow the previous autunnI and |
to reduce the soil to high degree OF
pulverigation. The additional plowing |
and narrowing required for this purpose, |
will be repaid several times by the ease
rspidity aud perfection with Whlch-ihe
uIantinv and subseq rent cultivation may |
he performed. II the seeds Of weeds can 1
be well worked cut previously, it will |
save much labor in hOeiEg, and give a
better crop.
5ortsut requisite. The roots are less
affected by drouth on the one hand, and |
continued rains on the other, when there
is deep bed of mellow soil for absorb
ing surplus water when IL ooEe7, and |
for retaining it through dry periods. |
Every one is aware that dry season |
will often reduce the yield OF potatoes,
under ordinary management, TO one half |
the usual amount, or even one-tourth,
when the summer proves to be an un-
commonly dry ore. Many instances OF
this kind occurred during the past sum
mer throughout the middle and western |
portions ofthe country, Very deep soils, |
however, we're Dut slightly effected. a |
striking instance wes observed oD the |
grounds of neigbbOT who had recently |
made an underdrsin through the center |
Of a small field occupied this year with |
notatoes. The row which stood over /
the ditch. where the soil had been made |
deep and loose, yielded at least double |
the amount Ot any other row. Unless, |
therefore. the soil is already deep and |
loose, it should be turned over 10 rs great |
depth rs can he done with three !
horse plow and if, in addition to this, q |
subsoiler can be uE9di 81! the better. |
Such treatment, more tnan hythlng |
else. will place the crop above any cOn-
tipgency Of wet or dry sessOns. As fresh |
manure Is net the thing for potatoes,
deem cultivation alone will be found |
greatly superior to any manuring in
connection with shallow plOwing. II
the soil is tCo poor, it is better that the
manure be applied to S previous crop
or what amounts to nearly the same
thing, that it lie evenly spread On the
Iand the previous autumn, allowed to
soak in by the washing Of rain, and
thoroughly pulverIzed with the harrow
the following spring before plowing.
Manuring in the hill should never be
practiced when there is any fear of ret |
ting, unless with old pulverized MANURE
| or fine compost, and even then ii Is bet
| ter IL diffpsed broadcast through the soil,
as the small hbrOus roots OF the plant
soon extend several feet in every direc-
| ton.
A great diversity of opinion exists on
the subject of planting whole, cutting in
! Iarce pieces, aud cutting to single eyes,
80 v ell as in relation to the depth and
distance for planting. All admit that
planting potatoes whole, produces
Greater number of stalks and more and
Smaller potatoes. The only advantage
| of employing whole potatoes, is that
! they do not dry up so soon when planted
! late or in very dry earth. 1t will rarely
! happen that coed, well puIverlZed
! soil will be found 80 dry as to require
whole seed. Planting 10 hills both ways
| NAV do for wsedy land, as more OF the
| than when in drills or in rows but in one
! direction. The last named mode, how
ever, will generally yield nearly double,
| as more Of the soil is occupied with the
! tuhers. TIE practice Of cutting to three
| or fsur ewes, or to q single eye, must de'
mend on circumstances. For ordinary
/ ppaenaUement. or where the finest culture
and best care cannot be given, pieces
with three or four eyes may be planted,
| tveive to twenty inches apart Ia tue row
| This ia the mode now most generally
Rdop,ed by the better class OF eu!hVators.
But if the soil is in the finest cor dltion'
| a large crop, with more uniformly large
potatoes, may be obtained oy sdopuhg
| the single eye mode. For tnls puIP}se
the tubers should be Of fair size, and be
! cut some dave before planting, so as to
! form a thin dry crust on the cut surface
before depositing In the ground. Some
cuItivatoTs regard it as important TO ron
the pieces in slaksd lime or plaster,
while others entirely disregard IL. we
! are unable to say what amount OF Vaiue
| the practice possesses. The distsnce
! shouId not exceed eight or ten inches 10
! the row, bat many vary with the cnSr-
acter of the variety, for spreading at the
| top and at the roots-sOme varieties
! forming more compact masses OF tuOers
| than others.
| There is another point upon which
opinions differ-namely the influence oil
! the size Of the seed. 1t is commonly De
! lieved that small potatoes Reproduce
| small ones. and that the crop Is smaller
/ than from large potatoes. This opinion
ia partly correct and partly erroneous
| When small potstoes are planted, culs
are commonly used to finish out vacan-
| cies and snare pieces of grounO, Whicn
receive less care than the better ana
earlier planted portions Of the crop
Again, small potatoes are oftener pian-
| ted whole, yielding numerous stems anu
| tubers at the expense of quantity. Hence
| the common opinion that small POTATOES
reproduce small ones. The truth IS tnat
the tubers are strictly underground s"oi
len stems, the eyes being the Suus anu
large ones tend no more 10 reprOuuce
large ones than large sticks used lot Stait-
ing will ultimately make the largest
trees, or that small trees set teom
nursery will never spread out aud form
such bearers as large nursery trees
| When the large and small potatoes are
cut alike, with the same number OF eyes
aud planted in fine mellow eaTth, at
| proper depth, where the moisture Is
| sufficient to imPart vigor 70 0oth With
out drying, the difference ia the size
OF the potatoes yielded will be scarcely
perceptibe. This experiment we have
repeatedly performed, and 1t accords
with many reported results, wnere the
above mentioned precautions are taken.
There is generally, however, difference
in favor Of the large seed, ascertained
by careful measuring, and resulting
doubtless from the greater vigor at the
outset given to the young plants by the
7 larger quantity Of nutriment IN the
pieces. This difference, small as 1t is,
and generally imperceptible to the eye,
is however sufficient to amount 10
several, and sometimes many bushels
rer acre-sufficient to warrant the selec-
lion of good medium-sIzed potatoes for
seed. Two inches or two and half in
ches In diameter is suitable size. II
much larger, they are little or no better,
although requiring a large additional
amount of seed per acre. For example
q potato three inches in diameter con-
tains more than three times the bulk