Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-04-27


corn, as extensive experience has demon
strated this. and the fertility which the long
root furnishes. are what is needed in most
soil. are lust what is needed One year will
do all this. If now well rooted, manure is
added in thefall, early, and worked close
| to the ground, as this correspondent recon-
Imends. there is. he saws, a combination of
circumstances, superior to any reached in
any other way. ~
| From all this we gather not only that ma
nure is good, but that the benefits of the clo-
yer are not vet fully developed. 1t is among
our greatest renovators of the soil, and get
ting in favor more and more every year.
How "A YANKEE RAISES PoTAToEs.-A
Vermont correspondent of the Ohio Farm
| er writes to that paper as follows: "The aim
which the growers of potatoes should con-
stantly have in view is three-fold: A large
yield, excellent quality, and tubers of good
average size, with few small ones Now l
am one of those who hold that with skill
and thorough culture, almost any end in ag-
riculture may be attained and there are
| few soils or locations in the northern states
where by these means such results may not
be secured. In a state of nature, the potato
| flourished best in soil made loose, rich and
moist by the vegetable mould of the origin
al forest. Such condition ofsoil it is de-
sirable to produce as much as possible by ar
tifcial means.
| By long cultivation and open exposure,
and by constant extraction of its vegetable
matter, the soil of our older fields has be-
come cOmpacted. This is especially the
ease of clay lands. Too many of our young
| farmers have accepted this condition as the
natural one, while many older ones only re-
gard it with idle regrets, when they remem-
| Der how much more friable and easy of til
lage were those Same fields in early days.
| The successful farmer, instead of abandon
ing these fields and going to the newer lands
Ofthe West, to exhaust those in turn by the
same improvident system, will seek to re-
store his soil to its virgin fertility, and thus
secure in good measure the great advan-
tage of the West in the very midst of the
older civilization, and at the very doors of
the larger markets.
Deeper and deeper blowing and working
of the soil, incorporating with it manure,
muck, clover, etc, will effect this and this
is just the condition OfsOil in which the pO-
tatO or any other crop will best flourish and
yield the fullest returns. Some white clays
and very light sands without such prepar-
alton are utterly unfit to grow potatoes, and
even with it, the profit may be doubtful.
| Wet and undrained soils should be avoid
ed as well, for though good growth is posi-
BILE in such situations, the crop will be eX-
tremely liable to rot, and the quality will be
poor.
Much manure, also, is Objectionable, as il
tends to excite rank and late growth of
stalks, at the expense of the crop, which will
also be of inferior quality and likely to rot
Manure your corn as much as you please
and let potatoes succeed the next year
The background, then, is such as is moder-
ately retentive, deep and mellow, well drain.
ed and not too rich On field of mine in
such condition, the fierce and protracteC
drought oflast season had hardly any effect
and the yield was very large and of the bes
quality.
With respect to planting, my practice is
after the field is plowed and lightly har
rowed, to mark off with commander, ont
: way, rows about three feet apart, then t.
follow these lines with ashOvel pillow. Thi
implement is better than common pillow
as it will run straighter and at more uni
form depth, and it will deposit the earth i
moves more conveniently. Unless thi
it may be put below the surface of tn,
lground, most soils will have settled ant
packed so much by the time the tube
stems have formed, that they will be unabl
to penetrate it to place the potatoes ia
enough below the surface. High killing
of course, is the remedy, but that is a prac
! tice to be avoided in our dry climate TIL
earth raised by the shovel pillow will b
Ixyar in, : h.
also, at the first hOeing, when the cultiva
tor and hoe Will leave tho ground noarl
level. This should take place as soon q
< the plants appear above the ground, Will
| the weeds are yet small. As frequent stil
y ring of the soil is better than any mulcl
and produces large results, would hav
the straw which Mr. j. speaks of, rotte
5 and placed beneath the surface, and woul
t give at least three hoeings, the last tim
with the assistance Of a shovel pillow, fiji
= ishing off low, broad hills.
! As regards the amount and kind of seet
g | maintain that the use of too much seet
5 and especially large, whole tubers, is tt
n main cause of a multitude of small pOtatoe
Too many stalks come up; each must set
number of tubers, and in the crowded COZ
/; ditiOn which results, there is neither roo
g nor strength of plant to develop all. On
p a certain amount of seed is required. an
, that should be distributed evenly over tt
- field. Thus we cut a potatoe into piect
containing one strong eye each, say as lars
n as a Brazil nut. These are placed in ii
It turrow about foot apart. Each eye pr
lduces one strong stalk, which having ju
room enough, becomes well developed al
o branches finely. 1t covers its allotted spa,
G in the row, so that the ground is as we
d covered or occupied as though there we
= a multitude of weaker stalks. 1t sets
tubers nearly all at the same time, and
y velops them alike. The consequence
it all are well matured and of good size. A
8 intelligent horticulturist remarked to II
4 lately that had the Early Rose proved
humbug in respect to earliness andqualit
y yet it would have proved a blessing to Il
l. country by teaching farmers that they b;
r, been using great deal too much seed
~ L may add that late hOeing, as il excit
! a renewed growth, generally induces sma
u late tubers as well as causing some eyes
d those already developed, to push out al
i form knobs.
&c BUTTER WITHOUT SALT.-On the que
g ton OF the proper proportion of salt in BIT
e ter, a correspondent of the Practical Farm
suggests that it is none He says:
Salt Is foreign element, and takes fro
d! its delicacy of flavor. One of the best arg
re ments against it, as matter of taste,
n that the French do not use it in butter al
10 any one who has been accustomed to Fren
butter for time, may recollect how dis
q greeable the change to sailed butter W;
IL until the palate became used again to t
ir grosser article.
&c Try tumbler of milk or a cup of crea
II with salt in it, and | think you will see VIII
= | mean by foreign element; and then t
n them with sugar, if you choose, and you s
is that it is not foreign I'a.-s
IN 1t happened that breakfasted, recent
for several days in succession, where butt
was taken from well known Chester cou
&c ty butter-maker, and what with the salt al
re colOring matter together, the material W
lr made anything but wholesome Or agreeat
a to my fancy"
If salt be foreign substance in butt,
,e why is it not equally so of food of any kin
* A tumbler of milk or cup of cream with S:
n in it would be Just as palatable as witho
10 the salt, If we were accustomed to using
in that way. We do not pretend to say til
y butter without salt would be any the |,
e. agreeable to us after change for lit
III time, but how with keeping butter swt
,o and wholesome for year, more or less wit
e out it. 1.-THE French choose to eat ranc
W sinking butter, there is no reason that
the rest of mankind should do the san
t. We are of that class of individuals who |
I'd lievesin salt for man and beast, and pre-