ef that all sandy land will bear good
potatoes, in the seasons when the disease prevails. The worst rot we
ever had was in 1855, on very sandy land. This year (1857) we have
witnessed the worst rot in open sand and gravel. Add to this, great care
in preserving the health of the tubers. Plant very early, only whole
potatoes, and of mature growth, thoroughly ripe; apply a little salt and
lime, plaster rather plentifully, and potash, or plenty of
wood-ashes--and you will succeed in the worst of seasons.

PRESERVING FRUITS, &c.

The essentials in preserving fruits, berries, and vegetables, during the
whole year, are, a total exclusion from atmospheric action, and, in some
vegetables, a strong action of heat. We have a variety of patent cans,
and several processes are recommended. The patent cans serve a good
purpose, but, for general use, are inferior to those ordinarily made by
the tinman. The patent articles are only good for one year, and are used
with greater difficulty by the unskilful. The ordinary tin cans, made in
the form of a cylinder, with an orifice in the top large enough to admit
whatever you would preserve, will last ten years, with careful usage,
and they are so simple that no mistakes need be made. It is usually
recommended to solder on the cover, which is simply a square piece of
tin large enough to cover the orifice. Soldering may be best for those
cans that are to be transported a long distance, but it is troublesome,
and is entirely unnecessary for domestic use. A little sealing-wax,
which any apothecary can make at a cheap rate, laid on the top of the
can when hot, will melt, and the cover placed upon it will adhere and
cause it to be air-tight. All articles that do not part with their aroma
by being cooked, may be perfectly preserved in such cans, by putting
them in when boiling, seasoned to your taste, and putting on the covers
at once. The cans should be full, and set in a cool place, and the
articles will remain in a perfect state for a year. The finest articles
of fruit, as peaches and strawberries, may be preserved so as to retain
all their peculiar aroma, by putting them into such cans, filled with a
sirup of pure sugar, and placing the cans so filled in a kettle of
water, and raising it to a boiling heat, and then putting on the cover
as above; the heat expels the air, and the cover and wax keep it out.
Stone jugs are used for the same purposes, but are not sufficiently
tight to keep out the