THE POTATO. 271 



horse hoe (with the teeth removed) for the rows. I then 

 cross mark with a light hand marker and drop and cover the 

 potato sets at the intersection, making rows both ways about 

 two and a half feet apart. Most varieties I find produce a 

 larger portion of marketable potatoes by using large or me- 

 dium sized tubers cut from two to four eyes and one piece in 

 a hill. Early planting generally succeeds the best. When 

 about half have pushed their sprouts above ground I like to 

 go over the field with a good bush harrow and thus destroy 

 the first crop of weeds which by that time are generally just 

 out of the ground. After this and until the tops get too large 

 I do nearly all the cultivation with the horse hoe, it being so 

 arranged that by going between the rows both ways of the 

 field, I can hill up the plants as may be desired. But in 

 order to avoid having large weeds to pull at the time of dig- 

 ging it is usually necessary to go through the rows some two 

 weeks after the last time cultivating, and pull or destroy such 

 as may show themselves in or by the side of the hills, which 

 the horse hoe did not disturb. I have never tried any of the 

 potato diggers, but have found Hexamer's prong hoe the most 

 efficacious implement, if rightly used for taking out the crop. 

 I prefer to have the potatoes get pretty well dried before re- 

 moving to the cellar ; often, if the nights are not frosty letting 

 them lie till the next day before picking up. If they lie too 

 long the quality will be injured, but Early Rose can be left 

 out three days or more without injury. Varieties liable to 

 rot if wanted for seed can be almost entirely preserved by 

 leaving them scattered in the field a week or two and then 

 removing to a dry cellar. After potatoes for the table or 

 market are placed in the cellar, they should be kept in the 

 dark as much as possible, otherwise their quality will be 

 seriously injured. The varieties are so numerous and so 

 variable that it is difficult to decide upon the best. The 

 Peachblow perhaps is the best winter variety that has been 

 well tried. The Colebrook Seedling is also generally satis- 

 factory. For an early variety I think it will be long before 

 the Early Rose can be excelled. The King of the Earlies, 

 although the tops die sooner, cannot on account of smaller 



