ness being the chief. Those exhibited at the fair, rival the French skins in both these respects; and in fineness of finish, excel them. Our bark tanned sheep skins are decidedly superior, both in beauty and intrinsic excellence. In japaned leather, the Germans and French still maintain their supremacy, but we are confident they must speedily yield it.

We deem it proper before closing these remarks, to allude to two specimens of band leather, each of like excellence, and both superior in every particular to any used in Europe. Indeed we know of applications from England for this very article, but owing to the fact of there being a heavy duty on "articles of leather cut into strips," which band leather is, we have not been able to introduce it there to any extent. We anticipate however, that it will find a market there before long, and to the mutual advantage of both countries.

We annex a table, showing the quantity and value of sole leather inspected in the city of New-York, from 1827 to 1846, inclusive. The quantity is taken from the returns of the State Inspectors, and the value is determined by estimating the weight and price, assuming as a basis, the average weight and price realized by one of the most extensive houses in that branch of business in the city of New York.

TABLE

EXTRACTS

From the Correspondence of the American In titute.

Mr. Townsend of Long Island, speaking of the potato disease so prevalent the past year, says:

"I have cultivated potatoes for sale in the market for thirteen years past, generally the Mercer, on the same ground. There is no black speck in them, nor do they degenerate. I attribute the disease to the peculiar season. My early planted potatoes are all good; some of my late ones have been bad. The long wet spell of weather last spring followed by long continued heat, injured the crop. Those which I saved from my early planting for seed, are as good as any I ever had. Some of my neighbor's potatoes always have black spots in them. I raise a thousand bushels a year, and they are always in demand. My method is to plant where corn was the year before, but I have planted the same ground for three years in succession. At the time when complaint was loudest of the destructiveness of the disease, my crop was as good as usual. The ground has all had poudrette upon it for four years past. I use also long horse manure in the drills, putting the potatoes on the top of it. As soon as the potato plants appear, I use a heavy bush drawn by two horses, and thus level the face of the field. I afterwards plow twice, once from the potatoes, next towards them; I hoe them well, but hill up very little. I always have changed my seed as much as possible, getting them from Maine, Vermont, &c.; I plant of these some bushels for seed of the succeeding year. My Mercer is as good as the Kidney, generally, and a greater crop."

DISEASE OF THE POTATOE.

In a communication made to the Institute, by Mr. J. Lodge, of Morrisania, he says: I have paid some attention to the many complaints that have gone the rounds of the papers, relating to the

disease in the potato, and truly it may be so called, as in all cases where lands are not tilled properly to carry out the work nature requires, disease will more or less follow; and here I beg leave to remark, that ever since the Solanum tuberosum was introduced into Europe, which is now only two hundred and forty-eight years, it has been improving in quantity and quality, and invariably best where most labor has been bestowed on the land. Our seasons vary, sometimes very hot and dry, followed by heavy freshets and floods. Lands thus drenched, and not drained by proper deepening and breaking through the hard pan, must suffer, and will inevitably cause curl in the leaf, premature in its growth, and stop the progress of the tuber, and in this tender state disease will follow. Some persons will say, ' my land lies high and dry,' and therefore does not require draining, but moisture. Then, I say, deepen your land, that it may receive rain when it comes, and by continually working the crop you will retain it.

This vegetable should be kept in constant cultivation until it is matured, or the crop will fall short. To do this work properly, turn your potato land in the fall, again as early in spring as possible, cross-plow with the subsoil or trench; manure broadcast, compost is best, charcoal, animal and street manure, ashes, sea sand, lime, soot, &c.; add to this as much vegetable and barn yard manure, and put fifty ox cart loads to the acre, and well attend your crops while growing, and you may expect to receive a full reward and no disease. Some will say my land is worn out;' this is oft times a fact. Then, again, I say, till and dress, for where the lands have been longest under cultivation, and most labor bestowed with good judgment, there are the best potatoes and best crops. If our wages are high, and we cannot work quite so close as in Europe, we can take the broad field culture, and the advantage of two hundred and fortyeight years of experience with one or two yoke of cattle and subsoil plow, will equal any of our wishes.

I will refer our farmers to last summer's dry weather; where lands were not tilled, it was as dry as though rain had not been upon it for years, and when the plow was kept constantly at work, the moisture was retained, the lungs, fibres and tubers fed, and a full crop obtained. And here I do not wish to leave you, for all esculent roots naturally require their soils tilled deep, to allow the frost, sun, wind, air and all other natural elements, with summer and winter fallowing, to cause a wholesome, good and full crop; and by strict adherence to labor and to nature, you may raise any quantity a rea