produce
better tubers for throwing the vines, in a twist, up over the top of the
rows. They will take root at each joint of vine, when undisturbed, which
roots will draw from the main tuber. These roots would be as good and
large as any, if they had time: hence, at the South, one half of the
crop is grown from sets, from cuttings of the ends of the early-planted
vines. At the North, where seasons are short, these joints must be
prevented--by throwing up, as above, or loosening--from taking root. The
tubers will need all the strength; the plant and tuber are tender, and a
little frost will kill the vines and cause the potatoes to decay. They
may be kept for use until January by packing, when dug in a warm day, in
the soil in which they grew;--kept through winter, packed in straw or
chaff, in boxes that will contain about two or three bushels each, and
kept in a room with a fire: the room should be at a temperature of from
forty to sixty degrees; fifty-five is best, though seventy will not
destroy them; more or less will cause them to decay. The boxes may be
placed one upon another, but should be left open, that their moisture
may evaporate. Dry sand (kiln-dried), sifted over and close among them,
will preserve them. Free circulation of air is indispensable. It is
usually cheapest to buy the plants of those who make a business of
raising them. They are very hardy--may be transported one thousand miles
and do just as well. To transplant with perfect safety in a dry time,
after the plant has been put in its place, pour in a pint of water, and
cover it with a little dry soil to prevent baking--and not one out of
fifty will perish.

These few brief directions will enable any one to be successful wherever
corn will grow. A new variety has just been brought into Alabama from
Peru, that is pronounced superior to all others; a prodigious bearer,
even on poor sandy land, and far more hardy than other varieties, the
root retaining its excellence as it came out of the ground till the
following May.

SWINE.

Hogs are evil in their propensities, mischievous and filthy in their
habits, and yet profitable to the farmer. Every farmer should keep a few
in proportion to the refuse grain and various slops that his
establishment may afford. Buying hogs and then purchasing grain on which
to fatten them in the usual way is the poorest economy. Such pork is
often made to cost from twelve to twenty cents per pound.

There are many breeds