POTATO-GROWING EXTRAORDINARY.

Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 39, 8 April 1875, Page 3

POTATO-GROWING EXTRAORDINARY.

It will be remembered that, towards the end of 1873, we gave a brief notice of the extaordinary yields of potatoes which had been obtained in the United States tinder the stimulus of prizes offered by Messrs Bliss, the seedsmen, of New York. In that year the conditions were that the prize of 100 dollars should bo awarded to the cultivator who obtained the greatest yield irom lib of seed potatoes. There were two first prizes— one for each of two varieties of the tuber, and minor prizes for the second, third, and fourth in each class. The greatest yield from lib of seed was 60Plb, a quantity very justly regarded as extraordinary, and no doubt looked upon by gardeners and others in this country as a bit of Cousin Jonathan's "buncombe." However unjust may have been the incredulity of the " blue aprons " as to the 6091b, we can but acknowledge that, when they read the report of the competition for 1874, they, will be justified in refusing credence to the statements made until farther details are forthcoming. Nevertheless, it seems, from the abstract of the report published by the ' Tribune,' that the competition has been fairly conducted ; and, referring to the name of the committee who were intrusted with the awarding of the prizes, we must confess that we see no reason to doubt their bona fides, or the affidavits of. the competitors. The results are, however, fairly astonishing, and can only be accounted for—if they can be accounted for at all— by one of three propositions— either the potatoes grown must be wonderfully prolific, the soil in j which they were grown exuberantly i productive, or some method of cultiva- i tion unknown out ot the States must | have been adopted. Possibly, however, the effect is the joint result of the three causes combined in one happy man with the soil and the tuber.

The prizes offered last spring bv Messrs Bliss were open to the world, and amounted in the aggregate to 1500 dollars. Six prizes, varying in amount from 10 to 100 dollars, were apportioned to each of three varieties of potato— the Early Vermont, Compton's Surprise, and Brownell's Beauty — the conditions being that the largest yield from lib of seed of each sort, grown without any resort to forcing or any unusual method of multiplication, should receive the first prize of 100 dollars. There were prizes also for the largest yield obtained from a quarter of an acre, the same varieties of the potatoes being used. The entry for the competition comprised many hundreds of farmers and gardeners, nearly every State and territory of the Union, and some of the neighboring provinces, being represented. The competitors were compelled to find witnesses as to the truth of their statements, and also to verify them by affidavit. These statements were duly and promptly made, but owing to the illness of one of the committee the report has been delayed. We can only afford space for the names of the winners in each class : For extra early Vermont, Mr Alfred K. Titus, of Wilmington, Vermont, is first with 7081b ; for Compton's surprise, Mr P. C. Wood, of Esther, Illinois, wins with 900 lb ; and for Brownell's beauty, Mr H. C. Pearson, of Pitcairn, New York, is first, with 10181b. A yield of more than a thousandfold ! Besides the States mentioned above, prizewinners came from Minnesota, Kansas. Pennsylvania, and one from'Nova Scotia, with the not insignificant yield of 615£1b, so that this' extraordinary potato-growing is not confined to any special locality in the North American continent. astonishing productiveness, however, is not borne out by the results of the quarter- acre competition, for which there were so few entries that each was entitled to a prize, though from information which has reached the committee, there were many larger yields from quarteracres obtained by non- competitors. For \ extra early Vermont, grown on a quarter-acre, the first prize awarded to Mr D. Steck, of Hughesville, Pennslyvania, for 62471b ; the second and third prizes being awarded respectively to yields of 26421b and 25841b. The first prize for Compton's surprise was obtained by Mrs M. A. Royce, of Home, E. Tennesse, for 73501b; and Mr A. Rose, Pen Yan, New York, carried off the first for Brownell's beauty, with 88991b. Taking the last figures as a basis for a short calculation, it will be seen that they represent the very respectable yield of nearly 16 tons an acre, and although this amount has frequently been surpassed in this country, especially with certain sorts, it is, we believe, above the average of the regular potato cultivators. Jt is unfortunate that more results on tue larger scale are not forthcoming, for they would of course be considerably more valuable than those obtained from trials of " one pound of seed," because, we do not know what is considered an << unusual method of multiplication" ia the States. In favorable seasons, a pound of tubers can be made to cover a very large piece of ground by taking off apd~ planting tie shoots as fast as they grow, and by planting cuttings. The: tjuantity raised from a piece of ground of given dimensions is, caeteris paribtis, the criterion of the merits of a

potato. The committee (Messrs G Thurber, F. M. Hexamer, and P. T. Quian) are men well known throughout the United States, and they assure us ia their report that, while they abstain from comment on the " astounding yields from single pounds," a ''most careful and scrupulous investigation" has. satisfied them, of the " correctness of the statements made." That the skill of cultivators and the productiveness of the soil have had much to do with the result is tolerably evident, from the fact that two of the competitors obtained prizes for each sort, while three others obtained prizes for two sorts. The season is said to have been unfavorable, and that added to the ravages of the Colorado beetle diminished the crops of many intending competitors for the quarter-acre prizes to such an extent that they considered their chances of a prize as hopeless, and accordingly did not compete. The three varities mentioned above have been tried in this country, and received first-class certificates from the Royal' Horticultural Society. They are undoubtedly prolific even here ; but opinions as to their merits when on the table are divided, and, on the whole, are not very favorable. — ' English Mechanic'

Stack Burning.— Many farmers who have experienced sudden and destructive conflagrations in their haystacks, which could not be ascribed to any exterior agency Stacks have been known to burst into flame, almost without warning, save perhaps a significant odour, for a few days previously, around the places where the hay was, and a summer's harvest is swept away in as many minutes as it has taken days to gather it. These unexpected conflagrations are generally accredited to tramps who have made the haystack their sleeping resort, but it is now asserted that such calamities are frequently due to the spontaneous combustion of the hay, a circumstance theoretically quite possible, but rarely considered. Abbe Moigno, in 'Les Mondes,' gives the following as the theory of the phenomenon : Hay, when piled damp and in too large masses, ferments and turns dark. In decomposing, sufficient heat is developed to be insupportable when the hand is thrust into the mass, and vapour begins to be emitted. When the water is almost entirely evaporated, the decomposition continues, and the hay becomes carbonized little by little j and then the charred portion, like peat, peat cinders mixed with charcoal, sulphurous pyrites and lignite, &c, becomes a kind of pyrophorous, by virtue of its great porosity and of the large quantity of matter exposed to high oxidation. Under the influence of air in large amount, this charcoal becomes concentrated on the surface to such a degree that the mass reaches a temperature which results in its bursting into flames. The preventatives for this danger are care that the hay is kept perfectly dry, that it is well packed, and that it is stored in small henps rather than in large masses.

Erecting Fences. — Parties erecting post and rail fences should know of a simple contrivance which will help greatly in making mortices. It is represented by two uprights, set firmly in the ground, five feet apart; two smaller uprights, set back of main ones at sufficient distance to admit the post which it is desired to mortice, and which rests on the cross pieces, connecting larger and smaller uprights. A board is nailed on the front of the larger posts, with slots sawed down in it to admit the shaft of the auger, and a movable board, which moves around a pin. When boring a hole, this board is fastened down with a peg which holds the shaft of the auger. Take the handle of the auger and fasten on a crank firmly, with sweep according to size of auger and strength of arm, 15 inches being about the proper length for two-inch auger. Lay your post on cross-pieces and fasten with a wedge and you can turn out a good many holes in a short time with much more ease than with the common handle. The main posts should be as thick as the stem of your auger is long. The slots in front boards should correspond with the post so as to length of mortices and distances apart The remaining work on mortices after boring can be done with an axe or chisel. The arrangement is simple, and any one can make it who has ordinary sense, and it greatly facilitates the tedious work of morticing posts.

Oats should be cut before they are dead ripe. When ripe they shell badly and many are; lost. The straw is also better for feed when cut early. The use of damp' rye straw for bands in binding, will save time as well as oats, Hemp has th%property of repelling 1 the wevil even when itJias.taken possession of a heap of grain ; it has further been found successful in keeping away caterpillars ; a few plants sown where the insects have a tendency to come; oir at the foot of a tree, will prove "effrcacious.

Manure may be composted with muck/ in proportion of one- load to five or six of muck. No lime is needed in the compost, nor is water necessary to keep it moist, This mixture not heat injuriously. If it is evenly made lit will not need: -turning*, Tiie/ muck' alone is of very little use. Compost so imade is a' good- dressing for ineadows upon all sorts, of soils.