St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1868-10-30
THE CALIFORNIAN.
farm, Garden aud &itthen.
The Potato.

L
ands of fami,..,s depend largely on this
esculent far their suSteaance, and there is
not a household that would willingly
dispense with it. If we regard it only
in pecuniary respect, the damage is
immense. Is there no remedy for this
great evil The question is one that
interests every farmer, and should receive
his careful consideration.
1t is fact well settled that some are
specially predisposing to the potato dis
ease. This is the case with stiff
clay lands and particularly with wet
soils Ground which has long been I'M
der culture seems less conducive to health
in the potato, than that which has been
Just brought to. There is also a choice
of manures in this respect. Experience
has shown that the best fertilizers for the
potato are those which are dry and
absorbent, -such rs lime plaster bone
dust and the superphosphates. In Eng
land ashes are regarded as highly effective
in the prevention OF potato disease.
But our chief hope and dependence
must undoubtedly be i'll the constant pro-
duction of new varieties. The propaga-
ton of the potato from the tuber is a pro
cess similar in character to that of the
rree-gratting. The tree indeed lasts a
rood while, but no care or culture can
prevent its ultimate decay and final
axtinctIon. TAere seems TO be no rea-
ON for supposing that the most vigorous
stock can impart TO its engratted and en-
crossing parasite an enduring vitality not
possessed by the parent tree. In the
potato the tendency TO degenerate soon
appears How many kinds, once greatly
priced, have run entirely out, They be-
come weak, AMI not only lose their eN-
yeIence rs articles oftooJ, but like feeble
animals, they become the ready subjects
# disease. Tne jackson White, which
the experience of this season and of the
list has shown 10 be 80 liable to rot, was
distinguished in tie first years OF its usr
by exemption from such tendency. IL
as brcn aSs,rtc ami so far "a | am
aware, las not been denieI-that those
new varieties for which the world Is in
G,bted to the late Rev. Chauncey +
Goodrich, have. a. yet. suffered from the
I.ptato malady. Had he given us oniy
the Harrison tubeT, no one wLo has
witnessed It's health and produciiyeness
in the field, or who has TESTED its excel
l.nce on the table, would hesitate to bless
his memory. l. Is from one CT his va
lieties that lie 'Early Rose was OBJ
tAined-a potato which Is actually max
ug the fortune of those gardeners who
hnd the courage 10 pay price for
Their seed. such as had never been
oieamed of before. The example OF Mr.
Goodrich commends Itself to our imita-
ton. There should be many such exper-
iinenters.-B0Stot Adre,fiStr.
A New Plan FOR Tor DREs>ING.-
Last Fall / tried an experiment with
which / am so well pleased that take
NV pen in hand to write short article
for your valuable paper. For sevara!
years past have been thinking about the
amount Of manure lost every yes- by
allowing sheep to lie in the pasture at
night. Ny pasture has been used for
over thirty years, and as the sheep occu-
py the same resting places nearly every
night, these spots have become Ike a
barn-yard, and determined to c0ntrive
some plan to distribute these droppings
ever my moving lot.
Commencing as soon as | got through
having-and | think no man ought 10
do any haying after july made .
movable pen by mailing three hoarls,
fourteen feet in length, to three pieces OF
two-inch scantling. projecting at the bot
tom for stake For one hundred and
ten sheep, | found it necessary to use
two lengths of these boards for each side
of my pen. and one length for each end
l used IN iron bar to make the holes for
the stakes, and fastened the top. with
straps. | thinl, lighter and more con-
venient fence might be made, but as mine
Is, one man viii remove the panels, one
al time, and set them in Il new place il
twenty minutes. BY keeping 4 small!
trough or two in the PEI, and putting
into them little salt or corn, the sheep
will learn in three days to run FOR the
pen as soon as lie. cut of the pasture.
Last Fall they were yarled on the poor
est part OF moving The first night they
were put on a moss grown knoll. One
night in place Is sufficient. The effect,
"a observed this 10th day Of June, is
wonderful. am sure there is tlreefold
more grass wherever the sheep were thus
yarded than where they were not it
already being knee high, and beginning
to head out. Even on the I'D mosky
knoll the grass is sight to behold, mark
ing by its visorou- growth the exact space