Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-05-19

j We always plant, and would advise
Others to do so, potatoes about the size OF
hens egg-if they are little smaller it
is just as well. These are separated from
| the larger ones land smaller ones) in the
fall and put into barrels, SO that the eyes
are all good, and the tubers always sound.
! These we cut in two pieces always,
4 sometimes four, and after making fur
rows three feet apart-three and one-half
of light soil would be better-we drop
them, two pieces in hill, and two OF two
and half feet apart in the row. The
furrow should never be over three inches
deep il the soil is fairly moist, and when
covered to level with the ground the
work is done.
Bushing over the land afterwaid is not
bad plan, as it fills up the burrows if
the soil is very dry; but otherwise, the
lighter the surface the better.
The Utica (N. ~ Herald has the fol-
lowing:
The best success with potatoes is on
soil. Plow rather early IN the fall so as
TO give chance for rotting; plow and
cultivate and thoroughly raise and make
mellow in the spring. If possible, let the
land be plowed deep, which it may if
accustomed to il, and have itwell drained.
This drift soil viii be in general, and it
is perhaps the best soil for potatoes
only work in respectable matter.
You now have sufficiently rich, deer,
and deeply mellow and highly porous
soil.
This is precisely what the potato wants.
Il wants soil not too rich; it wants
soil not too cold, clay soil with hard
clay bottom); it wants no humps; but il
does want fair fertility TO give it both a
good stalk and good tuber. 1t wants
the mellow ground, especially deeply mel
low and drained for moisture; the potato
needs much moisture. And thiscondition,
of deep mellow soil, will secure it against
drouth, the great enemy of this plant.
If well drained, it will also secure it
against an excess of rain, which win some
times, if quite sudden, and change of
temperature follow, drench the tuber and
cause it to rot.
Then plant early-;llways plant early;
plant all kinds early. They will then get
Vic bAdll VII I1lO-Sullllltt DlOul1l, SDd0C
the ground after cultiyating has ceased,
and be secure. 1t is only on a southern
exposure and in excessive heat that they
would be made to suffer. And they will
under such circumstances; we have known |
whole crops to perish. 1t is prudent,
therefore, TO plant on the north hill-sides; |
this will secure the crop against all the |
evils. If your land is old-not new land |
ashes win be benefit. Apply on the |
hill.
Remember the cultivator or harrow |
should be kept going as much as can be,
as this moistens. and enriches the soil and |
keeps down weeds which, of all places,
thrive most among potatoes.
In drouth mulch is a help. Coarse |
manure or straw trampled in yard, or /
straw partly rotten, or even clean straw, |
may be used. When little damp with |
the juices of the barnyard, or mOistened |
in heap, it is found to answer good pur-
pose. 1t protects the ground from the
sun, reflects his rays, adds manure, favOis /
and is bar to weeds. Small /
plants may thus be treated, and large ones
with equal advantage where the material |
may be had, which is usually the easel
1t has been found by the experiment
with dear potatoes recently that less seed
should be used; single eye TO hill is
sufficient, and is an advantage over the
old mode, as it dispenses with the many
small supernumerary stalks and fruit, The
crop charging and improving in quality,
having room, whereas in the old way the
Vbers are crowded, and the number of
ma'u ones is legion. These are not
gantei, especially when VIC consider
hey M. hit have been converted into large
nd better ones.
1t will pay TO treat potatoes in this
yay-aud never so well as in bad year,
S in year before last, when few of the
lucky-ones realized
erge crops-and IS in such cases, good
prices. This is secret in farmmg-to
yuard against the mishAps of the season
Iy superior cultivation. Every good
farmer must know instances of the kind,
where q single crop, specially treated,
afforded unusual returns. This should be
made the rule. The farmer who has the
most to sell in the scant years in the lucky
farmer