28o AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



goes. This will save much trouble when I cultivate as the rows 

 will be straight and the cultivator will not dig the potatoes or 

 the plants out. I can go along swiftly with the horse without 

 taking so much care. I do most of my planting and work in the 

 old-fashioned way; I think I get better results by doing it this 

 way if I only have a few to plant. I generally get a birch tree, 

 not so very large, and drag it through the drills to mix the 

 soil and phosphate together and then the fertilizer will not 

 remain on top to burn the potatoes. If the seed should get 

 burned, the plants would not grow good for this rots them, 

 and then there would not be potatoes enough left to nourish 

 the baby plants till they got their roots and got their food from 

 the soil. If this should happen, I should not get as good a 

 crop as I would if I had been careful and not let this happen. 



In selecting my seed I pick out medium sized ones about as 

 large as hen's eggs. This is the same size I planted this year. 

 I shall cut my seed very small. I think I get better results by 

 doing this. I shall allow my seed about two eyes on a piece. I 

 shall be very careful in cutting my seed that there are no rotten 

 parts in them. If there is, this will cause waste of time as they 

 will not grow very good, if at all. It will prove very valuable 

 if you are careful in picking out your seed. I shall use Saga- 

 dahoc phosphate as I think this is the best; analysis, 4, 6, and 

 10. I shall use it at the rate of 1600 pounds, to the acre. I 

 shall strew it by hand. I am going to plant by hand, as I am 

 going to enter a contest, I would be out of it if half of the 

 potatoes were not planted as sometimes a machine skips, and 

 it will use the phosphate just the same. I' shall plant the pota- 

 toes from twelve to fourteen incheS) apart to give them plenty 

 of room to grow, for if they get mixed up in the hills, they 

 would not grow so well and then if I dug them by hand, I 

 would destroy half of them by forking them. I shall plant 

 flesh side up as I think the plants come up stronger. This is 

 only a boy's idea, only twelve years old and I shall have to live 

 and learn by experience. I shall plant Delaware^; as I have 

 been in the contest only one year and bought these last year, it 

 will save the cost of buying seed. If I think there is any danger 

 of scab disease, I will treat them for it by soaking them in 

 formalin as recommended by local leader this year. I did not 

 do this this year and they had a little s,cab on them but it is 



