The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-11-19
The Culture of the Irish Potato
in the South.
Frnm the New OrIeans Times.

From the New Orleans Times.
Success in growing the Irish potato
is more certain to be remunerative by
a thorough preparation of the soil,
some months previous to planting the
crop. To this end we recommend
that the ground should be prepared
by thorough blowing, and draining,
if necessary, as early as the latter
part of October, and not later than
the 18th of November. This will
give the grass and other vegetation
an opportunity to decay, and the
soil is much easier and more expedi-
tiously prepared when the planting
season arrives.
VARIETIES.
The standard varieties heretofore
used by Southern farmers for an early
crop, are the Jackson White, Russell,
Peerless, Early Rose and Early Good.
rich. The three former kinds answer
in all soils, and conditions. The
Early Rose and Goodrich, seem to
delight in our lighter or more sandy
lands, and especially the hammock
lands of our pine wood parishes.
Among the new varieties which
have been tried during the past
season. the Snowflake, Beauty of He
bron and Early Vermont, have done
we'll, while Brownell's Beauty, an ex-
cellent late potato, has Tor some rea-
son, proved thus far failure.
SOIL.
A light soil, rich in vegetable mold,
il the one which will bring the largest
crop of potatoes. ALI wet, clammy,
dull, sour land should be avoided.
One otiths best preparations that We
know OF, is land on which crop of
pease has been grown the previous
season if the pease have been plowed
under, so much the better, as with
this crop may be made without any
special manure, though a fertilizer of
the proper material may be added
with profit.
PERTI LIZERS.
Barn-yard manure, long litter, the
scrapings OF the wood pile, ashes,
leached or unleached, decayed cotton
seed or hull, cotton seed meal and
raw bone superphospbate are excel
lent fertilizers for potatoes, and will
richly pay for their application. Hen
house manure, well composted, will
in many cases, more than double the
crop. One of the best fertilizers
homemade fertilizers-that we know
of can be made by gathering up for
est leaves, pine straw, bark Of trees,
pine cones, and other material OF like
character, so plenty in our forests;
and building a kiln something like
that for making charcoal, keeping it
we'll covered, until the contents are
thoroughly charred. Sawdust, from
an old mill, prepared in the same
manner, will prove satisfactory also,
the refuse charcoal from kiln OF fur
mace, where charcoal has been made,
will be found very useful in tighten
ing up the soil; or, what is better, if
composted with ammoniacal manures,
to retain the volatile gases, which
otherwise would be lost.
SEED.
From practical experience in plant
ing the potato, we recommend the
selection of seed from Northern lat
itude. The best seed potato in our
market last season came from Mime.
sofa, Iowa, Northern Illinois, Michi-
gan, Maine, and Massachusetts. That
grown in the valley of the Mississippi
river did not begin to compare with
the Northern seed in value. In fact,
we consider a barrel of potatoes
grown in the far North, worth two of
that from a more Southern locality,
for seeding purposes. They have, in
every instance, proved to be more
productive, earlier and entirely free
from rot.
SEASON FOR PLANTING.
AS an early crop always pays the
best, it is advisable to plant as early
as possible. If the land has been pre-
viously well plowed and narrowed,
this will be comparatively an easy
job. In the latitude of New Orleans,
most of the gardens manage to plant
during the latter part of December.
This can also be done in sheltered To-
cations north of the city of New Or
leans, where, from the presence of
body of water, or other suitable pro-
lection, the puny vines may be safe
from spring trosts. On the Jackson
,,o:l.ood o,s tba Moh;Ia ond Ohio +his