SECRETARY'S REPORT. 237 



Product on other fourth — manure spread on top, thirty and three- 

 quarters bushels large, and three and three-quarters small. 



Besides the above I planted one-quarter acre without spreading 

 manure, and put in the hill one medium shovel full of muscle mud, 

 producing twenty-three and a half bushels large, and three bushels 

 small — twenty-six and a half bushels. 



The land last year was planted to corn ; was then planted on the 

 furrows after being harrowed and cultivated with a good dressing 

 in hill. The ground was plowed last fall and again cultivated with 

 an ox cultivator this spring, and then the dung was spread on to 

 each fourth as we planted. On the fourth acre where the dung 

 was spread on the surface and left, and the fourth cultivated, the 

 potatoes came up best ; on where manure was plowed in, did not 

 come up well or so soon ; on the fourth acre where no dung was 

 spread, and where the muscles were put in the hill, they came up 

 about the same as where the manure was plowed in. I attribute 

 this failure of not coming up, in a measure, to the ground being 

 just plowed and more cold, also to the muscles being of a cold 

 natui-e. The potatoes were very smooth on the muscles, and where 

 the dressing was plowed in, some hills were pronged ; where dress- 

 ing was on top or near, they were not pronged and smooth. Most 

 of the potatoes planted, were of the Jackson whites, some mixture 

 of State of Maine. They were cut, two pieces put in a hill, calcu- 

 lated to be two or three eyes in a piece. Land furrowed out three 

 feet, and chain drawn the other way about two feet apart. The land 

 I measured by a tape line used for measuring, the same number of 

 hills on each fourth acre. Each hill had two parts plaster and one 

 of guano mixed, and one large spoonful put in at time of planting, 

 except that fourth where the muscles were applied. Where the 

 manure was spread on the top, and where cultivated in, they 

 started first, kept ahead and ripened first. 



I am of opinion if the season had been wet, that the difference 

 would have been greater where the manure lies near or on top of 

 the ground. The whole piece was perfectly level, and has consid- 

 able witch grass, which injures the potato crop materially. 



I have not complied in weighing the crop, but was particular to 

 measure them exact in the same basket, at digging time. Not a 

 half bushel of rotten ones on the whole field— excellent quality. 

 I found upon looking more particularly to your circular, that I 

 did not comply with its requirements. Nos. one and two had 

 extra plowing, while Nos. three and four had none. I plowed 



