ROOT CROPS. Committee-Hon. Orlando Allen, Benj. N. Huntington, Isaac Foster. Potatoes Quality considered. H. B. Bartlett, Paris Oneida co., (Carter variety,) 252 bus. per acre, 1st premium, $15. C. W. Eells, Clinton, Oneida, 2461 bus. 2d premium, $10. Potatoes Quantity considered. Martin Springer, Brunswick, Rensselaer county, 316 bus. per acre, $15. W. Green of Westfield, Chautauque county, having but 2184 bus.; no premium by rules of Society can be awarded, 300 bushels per acre being required. A. Killam of Mexico, Oswego county, presented thirteen varieties of potatoes raised by him from the seed; very fine quality and of vigorous growth. A special premium recommended of $10. Wm. Newcomb, of Pittstown, presented a statement of his experiments in the cultivation of potatoes, vol. Transactions. Ruta Bagas.-Joseph Hastings, Brunswick, Rensselaer county, 984 bus. per acre, 1st premium, $10. Carrots.-E. Risley & Co. Fredonia, Chautauque county, 941 bus. acre, 1st premium, $8. Same, 664 bus. acre, 2d premium, $6. L. B. Langworthy, Rochester, 574 bus. acre, 3d premium, $4. W. D. Osborn, Port Byron 520 bus. acre. Discretionary premiums.-John S. Gould, Albany, fine Cocoanut squash, and full grown Cauliflowers, $3. A. KILLAM, MEXICO. Mode of Raising seed Potatoes from the ball. I took the seed in the fall, put them in paper, kept them in a dry place. The first of April 1847, I planted the seed in fine rich earth in a box in the house, kept them there until the 10th June, occasionally in the open air, but not under glass, as I had not prepared the means to force them, which I think would be desirable to gain time and size. I then, (10th June) planted them in the open ground. I protected the vines the first year from frost, to obtain a longer season until the 1st of November. On digging them, I found some as large as hens eggs, the largest portion smaller. They produced seven varieties such as I now give you. 1. Like the English red. The second year 1848, I planted the seed raised, like other potatoes, but in rich earth, but did not protect them in the fall to increase the growth. The vines were killed before they were entirely mature. I dug them the 20th October when they were the usual size of potatoes. This year, the vines were killed by the frost as early as the 2d of October, when they were green and growing vigorously, and I believe they would have been larger. They were dug the 10th October. One weighed 1 lb. 10 oz. twelve others 12 lbs. 10 oz. The long potatoes are more mealy at one end than the other, which shows they have not their full growth. I do not know the kind of potato from which the "seed from the ball was obtained. Certificate as to measuring &c., by Asa Sprague and John D. Bouton. We hereby certify that we this day assisted Aaron Killam, Esq., in measuring the ground and digging, and weighing potatoes for him, with the following result. The first piece 16 feet square, weighed 175 pounds 13 ounces. We also dug at another place where there were long pink eyes and lady finger potatoes, and found them to weigh 170 lbs. 13 oz. We were particular to dig only what grew on the square rod, measuring to the center between the rows. The potatoes were fine, particularly those raised from the balls. They were very clean from dirt, and carefully weighed. We examined the potato patch and believe they will average as much per square rod, as those we dug and weighed. Mexico 21st, of September, 1849. A statement of the method of cultivation The land, half an acre was a pasture; plowed once, 1st of May, 1848; carried on eight loads manure from the cow stalls and eight loads of leached ashes, spread them even, then dragged it well, planted corn about the 10th May, had a good crop on the half acre, plowed it in the fall; about 12th May, 1849, plowed, dragged and planted the half acre without any manure. The soil is fine sandy loam, land rolling, very mellow. The following is the expense of cultivation; plowing and tilling the ground, $1.50 ;seed, 6 bush. $3; planting, $1.50; hoeing, $1.50; digging will cost about $3; also half a barrel plaster, when up, $1, making the whole expense, $10. I am confident that the half acre will yield at least 230 bushels, which at 4 shillings the bush. is,.. $115 00 Expense of cultivation,.. Which leaves a balance of, 10 00 $105 00 I am confident I could easily sell the potatoes for the above sum, which would be the nice sum of $210, per acre, for use of land and small capital invested. The following particulars I consider to be important in the cultivation of potatoes. I plowed the land six inches deep; planted the potatoes three inches deep, leaving the hills level with the earth, and I planted the rows 3 feet apart, and the hills two feet from center to center, making 44 hills to the square rod, which give 7,480 hills per acre. Allowing 14 hills for a bushel, (as some of mine yielded,) gives 500 bushels to the acre. I fully believe that if I had had seed from the balls, sufficient to have planted an acre and cultivated them, as I did what I planted, they would have produced at least 500 bushels this season. My land is mellow; did not plow between the rows, but hoed the weeds up, leaving the hills nearly level with the top of the ground until the potatoes grew, and then raised the hills above the level. I believe the usual way of plowing deep between the rows of corn or potatoes is a bad practice, especially in dry seasons; a small cultivator is much preferable. AARON KILLAM. WILLIAM NEWCOMB, PITTSTOWN, RENSSELAER CO. Potatoes. Experiments continued from last year. Soil a rich loam, from a sward lay inclined to moisture; planted 10th May, 10 bushels long Johns, and 3 bushels Fox eyes, Carters and English whites, and 1 lb. of seed of the variety exhibited, on half an acre. The fore part of the season was cold and wet, and the seed did not germinate and come up with the usual vigor; plowed and hoed them twice, but the principal part of the labor performed with the plow; planted in hills three feet a part, each way, no manure, except as follows: On four rods square, spread four large cart loads of barn yard manure; on the balance, used two barrels of slacked ashes, and two barrels of slacked lime; put no lime or ashes on the portion manured with the yard manure; the lime used on about an equal portion of the balance of the grounds, and the ashes on the residue. The tops of the potatoes continued green during the whole season, but no tubers formed until July, and then very small; continued to grow until the tops were cut down by the severe frosts in October, at which time the tubers were not yet ripened; commenced digging the crop on the 22d October. There was no diseased potatoes on any portion of the lot; but that portion manured with barn yard manure very much injured by being eaten by a large grub; fully one-fourth the crop lost by being eaten. A few of the potatoes eaten by the grub on the part manured with ashes, while the portion manured with lime, entirely es caped. Very little difference in the quantity of potatoes from the ground, except that portion manured with the yard manure, which was fully one-third less. The yield of Long Johns, one hundred and sixtyfour bushels, and of the table potatoes, thirty-one and a half bushels. Of the sample exhibited, two small potatoes weighing 1 lb. were planted and yielded thirty-seven pounds. As the grub mentioned has been exceedingly destructive to potatoes in this section, in some instances nearly destroying the entire crops; I recommend the use of lime freely in the culture of the crop, particularly as it is the best preventive of the potato disease, and also destructive to the grub in the pupa state; but it is also the best manure for the potato itself as it more largely enters into its solid parts than any other ingredient, and serves as a fertilizer to succeeding crops. The potato disease has not shown itself to any extent the past season, and I attribute its absence to the long and continued dry weather at the season of its appearance; from which we would naturally draw the conclusion that all manures attractive of moisture would be injurious, and that the disease is atmospherical and cannot exist without much moisture. FARMS. Committee. Samuel Cheever, Saratoga; B. B. Kirtland, Rensselear; David Sill, Washington. The committee upon farms respectfully report, that but two farms were presented for premiums: one by E. S. Salisbury, of Ellisburgh, Jefferson county; the other by Helim Sutton, of Romulus, in the county of Seneca. The farm of Mr. Salisbury is situated between the two creeks called Big Sandy Creeks, in the town of Ellisburgh, Jefferson county, and about four miles from where they come together and empty into Lake Ontario. It consists of 100 acres of land, of which 32 are in pasture; 6 in meadow; 311⁄2 under the plow; 3 in nursery and garden, and grounds about the house; 27 in wood and in lanes, yards, road and covered with buildings. A public road runs through it. The owner denominates it the "Green Valley Farm." The soil on a part is a mixture of clay and sand, and residue a gravelly loam. The sub-soil is mostly clay, but on some portions a hard pan, a mixture of clay, sand and gravel, overlaying a lime rock from 5 to 15 feet from the surface; but no surface rock appears on the farm. He says his best plan of manuring his clay soil is, to apply all his coarse manure and his dry straw by plowing it in, in the spring, to the depth of 6 to 8 inches, applying the straw of six acres of grain to one acre for corn. He takes the pains to rake it into the furrow as he plows. He applies his fine manure to the surface of his more sandy soil, and harrows it in. He sows plentifully of timothy and clover whenever he sows spring grain, and plows in the grass which he finds grown the spring after taking off the grain crop, which grass he says is 6 to 10 inches high. This he estimates as equal to a good coat of manure. The committee here take the liberty to remark, that however well this system of fertilizing may have succeeded on this farm, which is one, doubtless, of great natural fertility, they are not prepared to recommend it for general adoption. The straw, instead of being applied dry, should have been used for feeding and bedding the farm stock, either in the stable or in the yard, where it would serve as an absorbent for the liquid manure, and would then have carried nearly if not quite double its value to the soil. They also doubt the propriety of covering any manure so deep as 6 or 8 inches, to remain until a crop is produced. A large per centage of the fertilizing qualities of the manure pass downward on being dissolved, and when burried so deep, they go from the roots of the plant instead of going to them. Nor would the committee recommend for general adoption the plan of plowing in the grass the first spring after sowing; they think clover lays should have at least one years' growth. Plowing. His usual depth of plowing is 6 to 8 inches; but he plowed some land the last season, a gravelly loam, 12 inches deep. The effect was, the crops, barley and peas, were 50 per cent. better than those upon the ordinary plowing. They stood the severe drought better. He had similar results from deep plowing for winter crops. The committee remark, that the deep plowing was doubtless beneficial, as it afforded a deeper medium for the roots to take effect in and protect themselves from the dry weather; and whether the fertility was increased by the native richness of the subsoil or not, it would be sure to be improved by bringing up the rich parts of the manure which the owner had been for years burying there, six or eight inches deep. He has not used the subsoil plow. Native Trees and Plants. The trees on his farm are hard and soft maple, beech, elm, basswood, hemlock, ironwood, butternut, black and white ash, and birch. |