Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-12-02
A Wonderful Potato.

Some of our readers, or their
ncighbors may be in want of a form
of certificate to append to their de-
scription of some vegetable novelty,
real or ina gined, and we offer the
following as one of the best:
Mark Twain has been visiting
Bcechcr's farm, Grceley's farm, and
the farms of many of our leading
city farmers, so that he has fallen
completely in love with the business,
and especially with the part of it
which raises the wonderful new
Seeding. He started his agricultur-
al life by the announcement of a
new potato. He thus tells its ORR
gin: 81 obtained it by crossing
the yam of the tropics with the
Canadian thistle, and by carefully
selecting and cultivating the speci-
mems for several seasons, | have
secured product that permantly
combines the earliness of the
former and the endurance of the
latter; in other words, my new po-
tato is a rare combination of speed
and bottom, and it will do to bet on.
| have christened it the Early Stun
ncr-a name suggested by its ex-
traordinary qualities and perform
ances.'
Mr.. Twain, however, not having
had much experience in farming,
thought best to place it in the hands
Of some reliable men in whom the
public has confidence, and publishes
heaps of testimonials. We give a
specimen from Mr.. John Smith, a
respectable butcher, whose rcputa-
ton for variety is SO well known.
He says:
81! am perfectly satisfied with the
Early Sumner. The pound that |
purchased of you will do me. In
fact, it has already done me, so that
| shall not want any more. The
day after planted them, my swine
made a raid on the patch, and |
supposed had lost my crop. You
may imagine my disappointment,
when the foremost hog-after brisk
ly opening the first hill-suddenly
drop the slice of Summers he had
found there, and with an expression
Of disgust and modification walked
off on his ear, q sadder and wiser
hog, followed by the remainder of
the drove. My hogs usually range
my potato crop, and hogs-proof
potato has long been my hope.
hail the sumner with enthusiasm as
being just the thing for poorly
fenced fields"
DR.. Jones, the celebrated physi-
clan, also gives the following testi-
mony:
'IIaving no land of my own,
planted pound of early Summers
in the macadamized road, opposite
my residence. One of my neigh
bors recommended an application
of plaster, as he thought the road
had been summer fallered' too much
to raise crops without stimulant;
as this was my first experience in
agriculture, l acted upon his sug-
gestion, and applied one of Alcock's
porous plasters to each hill. The
result was amazing. On the first
Of July ( had ten bushels Of Buck
eyes; July second, 100 bushels of
Pinkeycs; July fourth, pair of
black eyes; July sixth, twins; July
seventh, had to dig my potatoes or
give bond to keep the peace.
Accordingly hired couple of
Irishmen, sunk a shaft in my front
yard, tunnelled under the road, and
soon struck magnificent vein of
potatoes. | shall never know how
many bushels there were, for a
rumor got abroad that there was an
Eruption Of predatory Fenians.
Before the next mornings sun
burst, the last potato had disappear
ed, and | was ruined"