138 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



ticed that the hills that had two or three stalks invariably- 

 yielded the most. This was yellow, loamy land. My process 

 •was this : I put on from twenty to twenty-five loads of good 

 hog manure, spread it over tlic ground, and plowed it in. I 

 did not harrow or brush ; I never do that for anything, be- 

 cause I think it is a waste of time and makes harder work in 

 cultivating my land. I plant not more than the thickness of 

 the potato below the soil, cover them deep, and I have inva- 

 riably got good crops in that way. 



Mr. Gould. I am unable to give you any information from 

 my own experience in relation to the deep planting of pota- 

 toes. With regard to the question of Gov. Hyde, it seems to 

 me that there must necessarily have been from the circum- 

 stances of the plowing, a very great degree of pulverization. 

 In that case, there would be an admission of air through the 

 interstices of the soil, which would, in point of fact, be equiva- 

 lent to planting the potato more shallow. The access of air 

 would be the same. Such would be my opinion. 



Mr. Yeomans, of Columbia. Perhaps the practice of a 

 neighbor of mine which I have noticed may throw some light 

 upon that question, and I will relate it as near as I can. After 

 the ground has been plowed, preparatory to planting, it is fur- 

 rowed rather deeply. Into this furrow he strews fine yard or 

 composted manure. Then I think he cuts his potatoes into 

 pieces, with from two to three eyes to a piece, and drops those 

 pieces from a foot to a foot and a half a part. Then he takes 

 his team and covers them with two furrows. In that condi- 

 tion the field is left, until the potatoes just begin to show 

 themselves above the surface ; then he talces a light harrow, 

 with short wooden teeth, from four to six inches long, and 

 harrows it over thoroughly, so that in fact it leaves the ground 

 level, removing the weeds ; and in hoeing, it is left as nearly 

 level as possible. So far as I have noticed, he invariably has 

 good success in raising potatoes. He always gets what may 

 be termed a large crop of good-sized potatoes — from 250 to 

 300 bushels to the acre. 



Perhaps a little personal experience that I had the past 

 season may apply to this same point. I planted some potatoes 



