PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 433 



In the course of ten clays or two weeks the potatoes will have 

 sprouted, but not yet through the ground. I then cut the top of 

 a well-branched tree, the body of which is about ten inches in 

 diameter; with a team I drag this across the rows of potatoes, 

 which at once clears Ihe field of all weeds, and leaves the ground 

 in a level and very fine condition. In about two weeks more, if 

 the potatoes are all up, the jilow should be run through and the 

 vines dressed with the hoe. I have now prepared and ready for 

 use five barrels of live wood ashes, with one barrel of plaster, 

 thoroughly mixed, which is applied by putting a small single 

 handful to each hill. The plow should be run through two or 

 three times more, l)ut not after the vines are in full bloom. A 

 fatal mistake is often made, thinking the crop needs no more 

 attention. In about two weeks from the last plowino;, the weeds 

 will begin to show above the vines; the potatoes must then be 

 gone over and all the weeds pulled out, and after two Aveeks 

 more, if the season and soil have favored the growth of v»'eeds, 

 and they appear above the potato vines, they should ao-ain be 

 destroyed. One man will weed an acre in a day, if attended to 

 at the right time. A few examples may more fully illustrate the 

 importance of keeping the potato field free from weeds. 



More Weeds than Potatoes. 



I have three neighbors whose farms join mine. The land of 

 each is about alike for productiveness. Neighbor A planted on a 

 piece of ground that had been highly manured and used for a pickle- 

 patch the year before, a variety of potatoes called Pink E3'e Rusty 

 Coat, whole, in hills, three feet apart each way; they were plowed 

 out four times and left in good condition. By the 15th of July 

 the weeds began to show above the vines. The 15th of Auo-ust no 

 vines could be seen; the weeds had taken possession of the field. 

 At digging time weeds had to be mowed off to find the hills of 

 potatoes. The yield from this field was about ninety bushels of 

 medium-sized potatoes to the acre. Neighbor B planted five acres 

 of the same variety of potatoes; they came up well and looked 

 very promising after they had been plowed out four times. This 

 field was planted in drills with whole potatoes, 15 inches apart in 

 the row, on ground highly manured for corn the year before, and 

 the potatoes received a top-dressing of bone. About the middle 

 of July, the weeds looked promising, and a month later they had 



