222 EXPERIMENT STATION— BULLETINS. 



" What is the custom in this neighborhood in regard to pasturing wood- 

 lots?" 



C. " Every one turns in his cattle, sheep, horses and hogs, or one or more 

 kinds of these animals. It affords some feed, and cleans out lots of rubbish 

 and makes the woods look like a park." 



B. " Yes, and it lets in the light, and with the light grasses will slowly 

 creep in affording more pasture, to be sure, but this will check the growth 

 of larger trees, and small trees are not allowed to follow on to take their 

 places. The man who has much interest in the future of his reserve timber 

 lot will not use it for a pasture." 



Header, if not already done, will you not plant a grove this year, or do 

 something to induce some of your friends to plant one? The writer will be 

 glad to give any further instructions in his power on this subject, and 

 would consider it a favor to receive a postal card from any who contemplates 

 a grove. 



Dr. W. J. BEAL, 

 Prof, of Botany and Forestry, 

 and one of the Directors of the State Forestry Commission. 



March 20, 1889. 



NO. 46.— FARM DEPARTMENT. 



POTATOES, ROOTS, FERTILIZERS AND OATS. 



POTATOES. 



The soil on which the potatoes were grown was a sandy loam, which had 

 been seeded five years and used for a meadow. 



The sod was heavy, containing June grass and Timothy with little clover. 



The plats received a good dressing of barn-yard manure before plowing. 

 The land was plowed seven inches deep, thoroughly harrowed with a spring- 

 tooth harrow, and marked with furrows four inches deep and three feet 

 apart each way, making 4,840 hills to the acre. This method of marking 

 both ways is necessary to insure the same number of hills in each plat with- 

 out the tedious method of counting each hill. No doubt larger yields might 

 be secured if planted in drills. 



The potatoes were cut in pieces, having from three to four eyes each, and 

 one piece placed in each hill. The seed was covered with about four inches 

 of earth, and then the whole field was rolled with a two-horse roller. This 

 firms the earth around the seed, and unless the ground is very heavy, will 



