Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1869-04-23
Asrirultural, &r.
By our Agricultural Editor.
PoiafCes.


that OF potatoes. Next to wheat the potato is the
most Indispensable article Of food grown. and #
Is question in many minds which Of the two
could be dispeaced with to the leas, disadvantage
That the potato is in more general use than
wheat, cannot he denied, ami there are many
families, e'en in Vermont, that live weeks to-
gether on little else than potatoes, without a
morsel Of whelten bread. In consequence Of the
excessive amount Of water in the potato it does
not bear transportation OF keeping like the cereals
and of necessity every community raises its own
supply. Many attempts TO preserve the crop
from season to season have been attempted, but
thus far without practical avail; it is said, how
ever, that process Of desiccation so as to pre-
serve the more valuable constituents Of the tubers
from decay, and render them economically trans
portable, has been discovered If such should
prove to be the case It may have very impor-
iant bearing upon our local agricultural pro
ductions
Important as is this crop to the community
individually and collectively, then is probably
none upon which there /, so little Of actual
knowledge among those who cultivate it. Ask
any twenty men you meet the same question or
series of questions upon the subject, and no two
Of them viii be found to entertain the same opn-
ions Practically there is but little difference in
The methods pursued by the whole twenty in the |
preparation Of the soil or after culture. YET
each has a set Of opinions quite at varience with
the rest, and OF these opinions be Is extremely 4
tenacious. Ask him if be has ever conducted 1
an experiment or series Of experiments, record
ing his operation, and results in such a manner
that his opinions are entitled to the c9usidera-
ton If others, aud be Is constrained TO answer
iha; be never measured nor weighed any thing
connected with biz crop. with possibly. the bare
exception Of the potatoes produced We may
search In vain the whole agricultural literature
OF the country for any reliable Information
There are, it is true, an abundance Of isolated
statements, founded on opinion, not on facts, and
they cannot be made available for practice or
further experiment because there is l1 definite
ness Of detail We raise thousands or acres u
potatoes that just barely pay expenses or less.
and if ee could depend upon getting a supply .
from abroad we DO Of danr. We should very =
soon abandon the crop as We have that Of wheat. d
Il is said that there Is a large surplus in the
country at this time. and that price, during the
remainder Of the year must rule quite too low q
for remuneratye results TO those farmers who
have held their crop for an advance during the
spring. But cheap food for the laborinr classes
is the only salvation Of the country. and the
want Of It has driven thousands Of farm laborers
from this state during the last fifteen years.
Here. then are two difficulties that can be recon
cilel by no other mean, than more intelligent o
system Of culture, based On scientific research
and practical experiments But no individual
can afford to undertake. series Of experiments =
that would settle the more important principles
Of potato culture without encouragement from I
the State or from the Agricultural Societies In =
England something has been douein this direc %
ton. and Mr. George Nav. during the seasons be
Of 1854 and 1868, conducted very elaborate ~
series Of experiments at Bsuthan, near Broselev.
a report upon which is published IN the J1prngl
Of the Royal Agricultural Society Of England
He prepared and accurately measured l29 trial
plots, carefully weighed the mauurial apul.ea- F.
lions and the seed put upon each, and the pro-
duct IN each case-bis experiments having special
-. ~ 80.
nv ,ho -, ''e '' 'Hese
- 1-.'' Ut "-e'neI
~ anu ''..' 'N',H'' Us famed over
A.. ,sr. ~ ,''-.''''- "'sH' o. the SER I'D /
Secondly. IS % the influence on the eron or
J.. -. -, l-I-'eu' OF
- i'''-i- u VARIOUS
I'll. san
''' '''' '.''''e ie'l-'s oo' mel
.,....-.s - 'sl's Oh large 10 small "
-.
-, ''' i''a'''e advantages Of
1,c.t,
- ,,....-, ..e " due ice Of thick and
= .''''' u ae siz Of the set on. the
a;-'i,I.-.5 -Veen T. &c weight Of the sets
''' ''''i''" Ial urod1 ,,e and tho ,-,+s of;,-
SIN. 'arious cor iitious.
,,r, 2. As to the relative pr1ductiyeness cf n
Ii varieties Of the potato. best
.Sereabiy Accidental variations Of result
Want Of space compels us 70 pass over the de- Ct
lis Of the experiments and the results. ami
-esent only his summing mp. TIE says. refer ua
nr to the detail, not here presented at yir ,,,5
found that have in no case relied on i-oateI -,..
suits, but drawn the concl usions from the ror-
al bearing Of the series.
It now only remains bri, fly to resapitulate the
neral bearing Of the ey perimouts, the results
winch have been described in detail ANF
""y' livery increase in size Of the SET ,, ,.s.
p" % UP 10 . o. IN weight, produces an in- rapid
''se HI 'ie crop much greater than the add tau
MAJ weight Of the set planted T'e"oPr2f 'T IF.
Il ana ABOVE the extra weight Of the sois, in Gent
'lu"s o. se'S ID Aeu OF j o. sets, amounted Il
me "Hoie series Of experiments to between 8 Aw
'''s PCT acre anu me further PTg'i On
''''''''e 'i 'ne SIZE o. the set from o. to
''ei's''' ABOUT ' tons an acre ali in'erme- NJ
''o.1'y' me au''n''ses ID i''or OF the
g set' Is moro marked IN The late than in the
y varieties SU
'hTdiy- In the use Of small sets Of from
III 'le "eisn'' . larger balance over
"''su' VI ,'s SETS was oo'llnea by
-0'' q" y in'nr 'i''' -h me rows,
-l'e'
,'''''''''7 'A' ii''ai ais d" "ii'l AGO
i''l''i' even II tNe largest SIZE, IN the Ri-hi
to more than y inches diminishes thecrop.
''-' inuI'e no increase IN q
's's"' u 'ne produce oil individual sets.
thiy. Il may be broadly stated that ,be
1t Of the crop is proportiouate to the weight