The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-04-01

TWO yCdIN VI ciONcT, lucu llc SrhSo sUWn
comes in. lie usually sows plaster every
year.
Prof. Collier said IA very large number
Of plants that under favorable circum-
stances aud in the fore part Of the sea-
son, grew large, seemed to have the pow
or to come to maturity very quick, and
produce vital seed late in the season, or
after one thought all danger of reproduce
ton had passed 1t was also interesting
to notice the different plants produced by
using different fertilizers, plaster, ashes,
and superphosphates, each seeming to Vi
talize different plants, aud bring them
prominently forward.
The last session Of the meeting, on
Wednesday evening, was opened by Mr..
Prindle Of Charlotte, who read very
interesting paper upon potato culture.
Mr.. Prindle commenced by noticing
the great importance Of the potato crop
at the present time, and compared it to
the Insignificant notions of the potato, up
to comparative recent date. The great
potato mania had made few men rich,
many men poorer, but the standard of
quality and amount of production had
been very materially elevated by the at.
tenton that had been called to the pota-
to by the excitement and speculation.
He had grown upon his place the past
year, the original variety from the Andes,
the largest tubers from which he had
raised were only one inch in diameter.
He had also raised another variety from
the Peruvian mountains, that was still
smaller in plant and tuber, and still anoth.
er variety from New Mexico, the tubers
from which were only onc-half to three
fourths of an inch in diameter. The
quality of all these varieties, notwith-
standing their small size, was very poor.
The introduction of the potato was at
first slow, the quality being so poor at
first, was greatly against it, rapid intro
duction, but continued cultivation and
constant reproduction Of new varieties
had SO improved the quality as to make
it of such universal use as to become one
of the most important crops in cultiva-
ton, and failure of single crop would
produce great suffering, and in some
countries starvation. 1t had become one
of the most valuable crops in Vermont,
the value per acre reaching 5000.
The most systematic efforts to improve
the potato were made by Rev. Chauncey
Goodrich, Of Utica, N. Y, who spent
many years in his efforts to improve, by
originating new varieties from the seed
balls Of the native South American, as
we'll as from our cultivated kinds, many
thousands of new kinds being thus pro-
ductd by Mr.. Goodrich's experiments. AL.
though subsequent experience had failed
to prove his theories correct, great bene.
fits had been realized from his expert
ments which, continued by Mr.. Bresee,
of Hubbardton, in this State, had result
ed in the originating of varieties so su-
perior as to make the improvement very
marked, and subsequent hybridization
had made it seem that improvement was
nearly at an end.
Mr. Prindle then went into an examin.
alton of the potato blight, or rot, which
he ascribed to fungoid spores, the seeds
of which were planted with the tubers of
the potato, planted for seed, and were de.
veloped by circumstances. He went in.
to minute description of the operations
of this disease, from the tops through the
roots into the tubers, through the glob.
ules, or grains, out to the eyes of the tn.
bers and back, coming safely out. but as
that road is not so familiar to us as to
Mr.. Prindle, we are afraid we should get
lost if we undertook to follow him, and
we leave this branch of his subject until
we have an opportunity to publish the
paper in full, WEIGH we hope may not be
at very distant day.
The selection Of healthy seed was one
great secret of success. Cutting off the
tops may be useful, but not sure pre-
tentative of the disease.
: Change of seed from one locality t.
another had proved very beneficial, Crop
5 in Connecticut from seed from Vernon
5 had been much larger thaa from seeC
: raised in Connecticut.
, Mountain districts gave the best re
!, suits, as might be expected, as the noun
a, tains had been the natural home of tn,
] potato. Science had given US the pow
t er to analyze the potato and the soil, ant
a enabled us to know what fertilizers wer,
p. wanting to produce good crops. Ashe
] and superpbosphate had both proved val
. liable manure for the potato leaves ant
] rotted straw were good, but green man
ure was not desirable. (Our own expe
S rience has led US to believe that greel
e manure was better than that that wa
# old and we'll rotted.-ED.)
!, Muriate of potash was good minera
= manures were used almost exclusively il
S Europe for the production ofpotatoes. 4
D northern exposure was best as a location
S In planting, medium sized, good shape
e tubers were best we usually plant to
: much seed. If planted in drills, the
will do best if seed is cut to one eye i
n piece.
c While growing, the weeds should b
Il kept down, that the plants may not b
choked, nor the soil robbed of the mate
l. rial to produce the tubers in perfection
y In storing they shoula be put in dry
c and not in too large quantities Tn
e English put lime in the center of pile
when stored, and hung baskets of lime i
II baskets in large pits.
j. Mr.. Prindle gave description of tn
IS Colorado potato bug, and his operation,
is remarking that he had proceeded fror
d the extreme west, and arrived as far cas-
:. as Eastern Ohio.
e Mr.. Prindle then proposed as question
l. OF the various methods of cultur
"a which produce the best results.
IS 2. What varieties shall we plant mex
IS spring?
D 3. Are potatoes not more profitable ft
d feeding stock than roots ?
q In answer to a question. DIR Hoskir