to the best and most valuable varieties, it is to be hoped that the farmers will abandon the cultivation of varieties, bad or indifferent-and devote themselves to the cultivation and improvement of the best varieties. Such will certainly be the course of all wise and prudent agriculturists; and it is reasonable to expect their example will soon be followed by all others, as well from considerations of interest, as from a desire to avoid the ridicule and reproach of persevering in error and folly. With great respect, yours, &c. JESSE BUEL, Esq. MICHAEL HOFFMAN. From the Quarterly Journal of Agriculture, &c. &c. of the Highland Society of Scotland, No. 19, December, 1832, p. 364. "On the principal varieties of the POTATO, cultivated in this country. By Mr. CHARLES LAWSON, Seedsman to the Society. After some general observations on the potato, in which he expresses a doubt of the correctness of the opinion that the new varieties become bad by the age of about 14 years, Mr. Lawson says: "No doubt extensive experience has proved, that the cultivation of any particular variety of potato, for a continued succession of crops, in the same soil and situation, injures the quality, and diminishes the quantity of the produce. But this is a law applicable to all cultivated plants, and only shows that attention to the change of circumstances and to rotation, is also necessary in the cultivation of the potato.* Note by the transcriber. Manure well to waste money; and at the same time in your garden always plant your potatoes on the same spot, and you will probably succeed in diminishing the quantity of the crop, and be about certain to change a good into a very bad quality of potato. Such is the common practice, and such in general the result. I proceed with further extracts: "What is wanted regarding the potato is,— "1. The fixed application of a particular name to each of the more important varieties; "2. The determination of those varieties, the cultivation. of which ought to be abandoned; "3. The indication of those more particularly adapted to particular soils, situations and purposes; "4. The knowledge of those to which we might look with most certainty as improvable by crossing. "With these views I have prepared the following descriptive table of the varieties which I had the opportunity of growing and examining this season. "There can be no doubt that a change of soil, climate and treatment, may alter the qualities of the tubers in a considerable degree; but it appears to me not less true, that no circumstances will very materially change the general tendency to being early or late, the general form, the colour, or the general habit of growth. "I have therefore noted these particulars as affording collectively discriminative characters of sufficient value. "The tubers are composed of water, starch, fibrous matter, mucilage and saline extract. It is probable that the mealiness depends, either upon a due proportion of these principles, or upon the mucilage of some being more or less coagulable by heat than that of others; or it may occasionally be affected by the acidity* of the spring water, in which they are boiled. However this may be, I have noted the qualities of the different varieties as to their being mealy or waxy. "The comparative liability to disease is the next circumstance attended to. The mode of growth of the stems whether inclined to be erect or drooping, has also been noted. "The flavor, I apprehend, depends very materially on the *Note by the transcriber. Roasted potatoes of the same variety are in general more mealy than boiled ones; and yet if the roasting be continued, it destroys the mealy quality as well as the flavor of the potato. Potatoes boiled in the waters impregnated with lime, as they are on the Mohawk, and most of the western counties, are mealy and good. 9 increased action of the vital functions of the leaves, and does not admit of being very intelligibly expressed. "The degree of productiveness is a matter of great importance, but can be expressed only by very general and rather vague terms. "Although the same variety of potato, cultivated under different circumstances, may yield different proportions of its component parts, yet, as a comparative view of that ingredient of most importance in its application as food, namely, the starch, from the different varieties cultivated under the same circumstances, will afford a good criterion as to their relative value. I have ascertained this by rasping eight ounces of tuber of each variety, which being immediately mixed with a sufficient quantity of water, was poured on a fine hair. sieve, through which the water passed, carrying with it the white precipitate. The weight of this sediment, deposited from the filtrated fluid, after being thoroughly dried, is marked in the table. In those cases where the difference was great, to prevent the possibility of mistake, I made second trials. I think it likely, that had the macerated potato lain for a day, and been frequently stirred, the quantity of starch would have been greater; but as the whole were done exactly in the same way, the products answer equally well, as affording a comparative view. "In the specimens of starch produced by the different varities, a considerable difference was perceptible, both as to colour and texture; and on trying the specific gravity of twenty specimens, I found it to vary from 1 to 8 per cent. "The fibres of eight ounces of tuber, when dried, weighed from 180 to 216 grains troy. "The specific gravity of the tubers themselves, is nearly in the same ratio as that of the starch, as above indicated. A cubic inch of twenty of the varieties which I tried, weigh Note by the transcriber. The very young potato is watery, and mostly destitute of flavor, and I believe nearly so of starch. Such is the quality of the tuber, while the stocks and leaves are in the most growing condition. After the leaves and flowers are perfected, and when they may be supposed most able to perform all their functions, the tuber improves and continues to do so, until the leaves die of age. ed from 295 to 312 grains. The comparison, however, requires to be made with greater accuracy than I can accomplish at present, in order to discover whether Mr. Knight's opinion, "that probably the nutritive property of the potato is nearly proportionate to its specific gravity"—be correct. In the mean time, however, my friend Mr. Macgillivary has obtained for me from Doctor John Murray, the specific gravity of six of the varieties, sufficiently adapted for contrast, namely: No. 45, Late field kidney, No. 36, Don, No. 53, Emperor, No. 24, Taylor's, No. 49, Ox Noble, 1051 No. 50, Yam, "From these it will be seen by a reference to the table of the quantity of starch yielded by these varieties, that the starch increases in nearly the same ratio as the specific gravity, and thus that the correctness of Mr. Knight's opinion is proved. "The potatoes in the list from No. 1 to 53 inclusive, were all grown on land of the same quality, viz. a rich loam of medium texture, and with decomposed stable manure. "The sorts from No. 54 to No. 73 inclusive, were grown on rich sandy loam. "In conclusion, I have only to express a hope, that the investigation of the qualities and capabilities of this valuable plant, will be followed out, so as to lead to important and practical results." Extracts from the LIST OF THE SPECIMENS OF POTATOES, with their characters, sent to the Highland Society, BY MR. LAWSON. Dutch early, Williamson's favorite, Early Early frame, Buff, Late Medium Round Long & flat Wh&pk Mealy Round Early Rd & small White Mealy Good White Mealy Good Mealy White Waxy Super'r Prolific 307 1279 Good Not v. prol 465 Dull red Mealy Super'r Prolific 235 Dkpurp Mealy Delicat Prolific 1383 Good Medium 244 Medi'n Prolific 441 Late Wellington, Late Oblong Dk red Mealy Super' Prolific 542 Don, Late Round W&pur Mealy Super'r Very prol 399 Scotch red, Late Round&flat Dp red Mealy Super'r Prolific 488 Perthshire red, Late Oblong Red Waxy Good Prolific 518 Kay's American, Veryearly Oblong Redish Mealy 390 Hopeton early, Early Early Champion, Round White Ash-leaved, Early Oblong American, Early Round Early Wellington, Early Round Early field kidney, Early Sutherland kidney, Medium Musgrove's G. kidney, Early Musgrove's snowwhite Early Scotch grey, Late Albany kidney, Late Late field kidney, Late Poor Man's profit, Late Lady Mary, Late Champion, Mealy Good Prolific White Waxy Inferior Vy prolific 363 Long & flat Wh&pk Mealy Super'r Prolific 295 232 Super'r Prolific Mealy Purple Mealy 595 306 Good Prolific 355 Vy prolific 390 Vy prolific 395 197 Ox Noble, Late Round White W&wy Indiffer Very prol 295 Yam, Cork red, Medium Round Red Wy&wa Indiffer Very prol 262 356 Onion Potato, Late Roundish Purplish Vy mly Good Prolific 304 Black Prince, Late Round Black Md mly Indiffer Prolific 345 Peruvian Potato, White Md mly Indiffer Prolific 1436 Biscuit Potato, Late Round Pink* Vy mly Super'r Prolific 1316 Prize of Westerfield, Late Mealy Super'r Very Prol 295 Chesnut Potato, Late Oblong Purplet Vy mily Super'r Prolific 397 Wakefield Potato, Late Oblong Red Rwxy Medi'm Prolific 325 Early pale red, Mid early Oblong Br red Vy mly Super Productiv [356 Early red, Early Oblong Marble Vy mly Vy myy Super'r Productiv 423 Super'r Productiv 305 Cup, Late Round Bread Fruit, Lt red Mealy Good Productiv 441 Super'r Prolific 395 Scotch black, Black Mealy Super'r Prolific 372 American black, Dkpurp Waxy Inferior Prolific 364 London kidney, Early Kidney White |