HOW TO RAISE POTATOES. 147 



Now, in regard to specialties in farming, — specialties in rais- 

 ing different crops. Every farmer here can probably think of 

 some person in his own town who is very successful in raising 

 potatoes, as an illustration. The first thing a farmer would say 

 is, " That man has a better soil on which to raise potatoes than 

 his neighbors " ; but you will find, if you look carefully, it is no 

 such thing. Perhaps that man has gone into raising potatoes 

 largely, and it becomes a matter of vital importance to him to 

 know how to do it in the best way ; therefore, the first thing 

 he does is to look up that matter. It is his trade to raise 

 potatoes, and he perfects himself in that business. Other farmers 

 assume that it is all owing to his soil, but it is not so ; he knows 

 how to grow them ; knows how to prepare the soil and the seed. 

 I have experimented with potatoes, although I do not raise 

 them much for market, for it pays me better to do something 

 else, and I know I can raise a good crop of potatoes at any time 

 if I will comply with certain conditions. That is, I know that if 

 I take a piece of grass ground, and let it run until the middle of 

 May, until the grass has got a good start (mind you, these 

 would not be early potatoes), then put on a heavy dressing of 

 coarse manure, and plough it in four or five inches, — four 

 would be better than five, — I have got the conditions requisite 

 for a good crop. What have I done ? I have done just what 

 has been recommended here. I have composted that manure 

 completely. I have turned it over with the grass sod next to it, 

 and piled four or five inches of earth on top of it. I have a soil 

 under it, which saves any gases that might otherwise be lost ; 

 I have a soil above it ; I have that sod lying there within five 

 inches of the surface. What have I got ? Why, gentlemen, 

 you will see at once, that I have made a perfect seed-bed to 

 grow those tubers in. Now, after turning that over, the sod not 

 being ploughed under very deep, you see it would become 

 necessary to roll that ground to prevent the harrow from pulling 

 up the sod. I do not want the sod in my way. I roll it down, 

 harrow it, or work it over with the cultivator or something of 

 that kind. Then I furrow it, and I have used, in addition to 

 the manure, superphosphate in the hill. 



You may talk about the necessity of potash for potatoes. I 

 am not going to dispute about that. But almost all soils in 

 Massachusetts, even the most sterile, have more or less potash 



