Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-04-09

There is scarcely any crop which shows so
much variation in price from one year to
another as the potato. We sometimes sue
coed very well in raising two or three good
crops and think we have the trade well learn.
ed then some variation in the season upsets
all our calculations. We had no sooner got
so that we could manage the potato bugs
without much difficulty, when the warm wet
weather brought ON the rot. People have,
we think, since the appearance of the bugs,
planted potatoes on better land than former
".
In regard to seed there is difference of
opinion as to the economy of planting large
or small tubers farmer who formerly liv-
ed in this vicinity, ON getting out his pota-
toes for planting, was asked by his hired man
if he was going to plant those little things.
"Yeth," he answered with his peculiar lisp,
''they aint good for anythin' eth" He shid
that their being small was like the Irishman's
horse that was blind-not their fault but
their misfortune. They were the younger
members of large family in straitened cir
cumstances, and, like some others, might, if
they had chance show a brilliant record.
Not willing to have all this lost on us, we
concluded to plant some neighbor, the
year previous, had MANFRED an acre of land
heavily and then planted to early potatoes,
and at the proper time had set cabbage be-
100 bushels of marketable potatoes averaged
81 per bushel, and the cabbage sold in the
market for $50. This was high farming
with which one could compete with the West
Easy to make the boys stick to the farm that
raised such crops Us this.
Being anxious to follow the example of one
so successful, we plowed under tt heavy coat
of manure on piece of ground that was al
ready good. Then with pillow we made fur
Co., f,,N In .1rilig fN1
quantity of tobacco stalks We're spread aud
uncut Dover potatoes about the size of hens
eggs, were dropped and covered After COM
ing up they grew so luXuriantly that they
soon covered the ground and left no room for
cabbage When dug they yielded at the rate
of a trihe over 400 bushels per acre of, almost
without exception, so far as size was concern
| ed, marketable potatoes. After being put in
the cellar, so many of them turned black aud
decayed that they did not prove profitable
| except for feeding. We learned from this
that it was possible to raise large crop from
small potatoes, planted at n good distance
apart
From observation and experience in cult
| waiting this crop, we have come to the follow
| ing conclusions: That where early potatoes
are wanted it is better to use large seed cut
SO that there shall be two or three eyes on a
piece that the size of the seed makes less
| difference with late crop; That potatoes
planted before they have sprouted and be-
fore the land has become warm throw up
less number of stalks than those planted later
! in the season that planting in rows two and
! one-half feet apart, with the hills three feet
apart, so arranged as to allow horse to pass
with q cultivator each way, is as near as is
profitable that it is paying invt stment to
| put tablespoonful of ashes and plaster in
each hill when planted that potatoes after a
time run out, as it is called, and need to be
replaced by new and for the time harder va
reties and that it is safer to plant on mod
orately dry and rich ground.-Homestcod.