The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-01-18


soil and climate, is very necessary. As rule,
but with exceptions, home raised seed will not
give satisfactory results. The Charleston
4 raised autumn cabbage seed Is one of these
and no foreign seed, either from the Northern
States or from Europe, will produce as fine
heads nor as well favored. Roots, however,
such as turnips of all kinds, beets, carrots and
the like, require, If we desire to have them In
perfection, to be grown from imported seed.
The spring and summer cabbage also must be
grown from seed obtained abroad. Even
Northern grown cannot be depended on for a
certain crop of heading cabbages.
Potatoes and potato culture, from its impor-
tanee, demands more at my hands than pass
ing note. No less than $4,000 barrels were
shipped from Charleston to Northern ports in
! the year 1869, and Il, 900 barrels in 1870
all the produce of cur immediate neighbor-
hood. Beside this large amount, q considerable
quantity was sent into the interior. Many
| new varieties Of potatoes have, within the last
six or eight years. been offered to the public,
most of them laying claim to superior quail.
ties over the older sorts, either as prolific
1869, with view to test the adaptability of
some of these to our soil and climate, plant
ed six varieties. in lots of from one to two
acres each, four Of them new kinds, the others
of the old established sorts which the farmers
had long been accustomed to plant Those
marked as prolific bearers, such as the early
Goodrich, Harrlsson's and Daviss Seeding,
badly affected with disease, to warrant
me in recommending them. The white
skins, particularly, appeared unsulted 10
this latitude The older kinds as the
Pink Eyes and Dykemans, are very shy bearers,
but delicate as table potato. OF the reds, I
can name the Chill Red, and Old Western Red,
as pre-eminently the varieties for us, especial
L. bnr rdu o1o
table, and always of fine size, even when not
stimulated by high manurlng. In the low
black lands the Western Red Is very prolific,
and will produce more to the acre than any
other. The Chilli seldom bear more than three
potatoes to the set, but the proportion of small
unmarketable potatoes is very trifing; they
therefore always command market and prove
profitable. From sixty to eighty barrels per
acre are about all we can expect from them.
The Early Rose, O new variety recently intro
duced, has not as yet been extensively cult
vated at the South, but 1t Is highly recon-
mended Experiments with them on highly
manured bluck lands would be worth
trying. They come into market several
weeks in advance of the general crop, giving
ceed we'll with lis on the dry light soils
OF the seaboard. Well drained black lands are
the only soils in which potato crop should
be SET with hope OF O remunerative return.
No amount of fertilization will supplya lack OF
necessary moisture, and drought in May and
June is almost certainty in this climate. Po-
tatoes are gross feeders, and require liberal
manuring with the best and most highly
stimulating manure which can be obtained.
have known large crops made with Peruvian
guano, applied In the drill at the rate Of eight
hundred pounds to the acre, and the sets
placed Immediately in contact with 1t. P0ta-
toes will bear and thrive on manure In con-
dition entirely unfit for any other vegetable
crop. Hot fermentlng stable manure strewn
able crops, but where it becomes necessary
to use this mode of fertilization, better plan
would be TO broadcast and plough under,
before the drills for planting are made. The
seed will be less likely to rot and rhe tubers
to be diseased: The potato delights in a soft
mellow, damp soil, and thorough plough.
ing and pulverizatton must be the 1rst
step In preparation Of the field. For the large,
growing sorts, three feet Is the proper distance
Tor the drills. The Early Rose, Goodrich and
Plnk.eyes may be put at thirty inches. The
alter cultivation will consist of frequent
ploughing and stirring to keep the soil loose
and open, and as near to the plants as posi-
BILE. The work Of cultivation must be done
early; so that after the tubers are formed they
may not be disturbed; OF course, oil grass ana
weeds must be scrupulously kept out OF the
.crop.
Harvesting is an important part of potato
culture, and many has been the crop COM
pletely ruined by careessness at this stage.
After clearing the field of vines by hand pull
ing, plough down the beds, either with sweep
or turning plough, II use the former, gather
the tubers in baskets, care being taken to
brulse and injure as little as possible, and pile
In the field, carefully covering the heaps from
the slln-rain will do them no harm, but the
sun, say, must not shine on them II you de-
sire them to keep even for o few days. Meth
er, in this climate. should you delay the
harvest until the tubers are entirely ma
ture They must be taken from the earth
before the vines even begin to turn yellow. II
this is done the crop will lay any length oil
time in the barn without decaying, and ship In
perfect order. The plan of Immediately bar
rellng them from the furrow, and leaving the
barrels exposed for hours to the rays OF a June
or July sun, Is without doubt the cause that
Charleston potatoes are reported in the New
York and Philadelphia markets 80 universally
in bad condition. Our climate Is not favorable
for potato culture. We must therefore take
particular care to expose them to its Influences
as little as possible by early planting, promot-
ing by all means rapid growth and Iudicious
harvesting. Going into market rs they do at
time when the old stock Is running low, and
the Bermudas are exhausted, they generally
command very fair prices, if they are market
ed la good condition. have seen sacks used
in harvesting, and they are very convenient,
the potatoes being moved In that way from
place to place, with very little handling and
brnislng.
The profits of market farming, when prop
erly conducted, are often very great; but at
the same time the cultivation Is necessarily OF
so expensive O Kind, and the outlay SO large,
that failure entails severe losa. The causes,
however of failure can usually be guarded
against By skill, and the occupation rendered
more certain than any other description of
planting. With proper preparation Of soil, and
choice and sufficient quantities OF manure,
want of moisture Is the chief difficulty to be
overcome, aud our operations will not be COM
plete without appliances for obtaining and dis
tributing water In seasons OF drought. Nothing,
believe, has been systematically attempted
on Charleston Neck to accomplish this. In
Italy, in climate very Similar to our own,
and liable to long -protracted 1rouShts, nume-
r0us wells and water tanks, located convent
emily. are considered necessary part OF the
utensils of the market farm, anu the water Is
run upon the crops by means of open
cutters of concrete bordering the fields and
garden beds. For our purposes, water-carts
and few hundred feet OF hose, with a small
force pump, would not be very expensive, and
would repay the cost many times even IN the
first season. To secure an early stand by the
rapid termination of seed, and stimulate and
advance the frlliting of melons, cucumbers and
the like, which, marketed q few weeks in ad-
vance of the general crops, would increase the
profit of the farmer many hundred per cent.
What is most needed on Charleston Neck to
render market farming profitable Is skill. Very
few persons engaged In the business possess