Connecticut western news., 1885-05-13
FARM AND GARDEN,
ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM OUR EEK
 CHANGES.
Forcing Potatoes EarIy-COncIusions De- rived from Many YeRrs' Experience with Pens.

OhANU6Ss
 Forcing Potatoes EarIy-COncIusIons De-
 rived from Many Years Experience
 FORCING POTATOES EARLY.-Every owner of farm or garden should endeavor to start few hills of potatoes for very early use. Old potatoes often get to be very poor for table use the last of June, and the good housewife becomes i'm patient for the new crop. We have forced the crop by planting in hot bed early in April, and then transplant ing as soon as the weather becomes warm enough for open air culture. The sets can be laid in quite thickly, say, two or three inches apart in the bed, This will give from four to nine square inches of surface for each plant. The transplanting should be done before the root growth gets so large as to require much breaking of the roots when sepa- rating the sets as they are taken from the hot-bed. A very much simpler way of hastening early growth is to set few quarts of small-sized potatoes in warm, light room, 8 couple of weeks before planting. Spread them out singly, so the light will fall upon the whole of the potatoes, and if they are all set up so the seed end will be uppermost, there will usually be one leading center bud that will develop in advance of all the other buds. If the potatoes are planted with care, so as to save this center bud unin- iured, the other side buds or eyes will often remain dormant. Buds exposed to the full light grow short and stout, and when planted, throw out feediug roots immediately. A box two feet square will hold potatoes enough in Q single layer for raising all a large family would use in two or three weeks, and such box can be set in any sunny win dow in the kitchen or living room.-NelO Ealgla,ad Farmer.
 EXPERIENCE WITH PEAs.-An experi- ence of many years in ea.growing leads me to the conclusion that thesam varieties may vary so much in different years as to give the impression that they were different kinds. The American Wonder, for instance, did splendidly with me when raised from head-quarter seed, but when planted the seed I had raised myself from this stock, the crop was as early, but very unsatisfactory as to quantity, while the quality was ex- cellent. I never succeeded in producing single vines that would have more than dozen pods; but the pods were large and full, and the peas very sweet and fine-fayored. For the home garden they are excellent; they require no brush, and can be planted in rows one foot apart, or as near as bush beans. In raising peas for market have looked for quantity as well as quality. So my choice has fallen on some of the smooth white peas like Carter's First Crop, or Philadelphia Early for first, McLean's Advance for second, and Black-Eyed Marrowfat for late. The Eugenie and Champion of England are good second early peas. Dealers have a habit of affixing their own name to some early pea, which makes about as many kinds as there are pea dealers. Conditions of soil, vitality of the seed, time of plant ing, will make a difference in time of ripening in seeds from the same stock. Early peas are thus much like the scholars in the old-fashioned spelling class; they have turns of going to the head. A uniform condition of earliness and yield is the great consideration in 0 market pea. Some kinds should be planted thick and others thin. had an illustration of this last year with Car ter's First Crop peas that were in bloom and had pods we'll set with peas when the frost of May 30th occurred. The frost stopped the growth of the vines at that point and a few of the pods ma- tured. The peas should have been ready to pick June 18th. After the frost the vines threw up two to six new shoots from each stalk, and by July 11th the last of the peas from that growth were picked. The peas had sprouted from the root, blossomed and borne in forty-one days. Moreover, ] had. crop corresponding to the increase in vine. thirteen bushels from twelve square rods of vine, which goes to prove that some peas nay be planted very thick. My practice is to manure heavily for peas, while many of my neighbors plant after some well-manuret crop of the previous year, and without manuring the same year. I never brusl peas, not even the high-growing sorts they are picked twice, and then the vine are cleared off and the land plowed foi 8 second crop-sweet-corn, cabbage late beans, pickles, or turnips. have found the Champion of England to boi hard, instead of tender, after it had 1 passed certain stage, feature whicl I have not noticed in any other variety For that reason do not raise it. I hav' given up raising my own seed, as cal buy as good, or better, and as cheap, a can raise it, and what can buy is no generally affected by the weevil. M. idea of good market pea would be on' that had nice clump of pods, all ripen ing so near together that they could b picked all at the one picking, while non would be too hard nor yet too green.- American Garden.
 
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