80 THE POTATO. 



stirred repeatedly to cleanse it from weeds. After this 

 it should be ploughed deeply for the winter. The plough- 

 ing depends partly upon the method of planting. Some 

 growers, who adopt the ridge system, ridge the land up 

 with a double-breasted plough in the autumn, in which 

 case it lies well for the winter^ and is easily worked in 

 the spring. Others plough it on the flat, cross-plough it 

 in February if dry enough, and cultivate thoroughly and 

 ridge it just before planting it. Those who grow on the flat 

 pursue the like course, except that, after cultivating and 

 harrowing, they plough or dibble the potatoes in without 

 ridging. If the land be at all heavy, the plan of ploughing 

 in February or later is a questionable one. It cuts thistles, 

 no doubt, but, unless hard frost follows, the land is not 

 in as finely divided a condition at planting time as it 

 would have been if not ploughed a second time, and con- 

 sequently it is not so well suited to the ramification of the 

 potato root fibres, while it does not resist drought so well 

 in a season subject to that infliction. Whatever method 

 of cultivation and planting is adopted, it is of the utmost 

 importance to obtain a good depth of fine mould, and 

 when the land is cloddy, heavy rolling and harrowing 

 should be perseveringly pursued until a fine tilth is 

 secured. The ridge system is probably the best for the 

 main crop, and certainly it has many conveniences; but 

 early potatoes are grown on the flat in Jersey and in some 

 parts of Great Britain, shallow planting being desirable for 

 them. 



Manuring;. Most of the great growers rely largely, 

 and some entirely, upon farmyard manure or town dung. 

 Where no artificials are used, twenty to thirty tons of 

 the natural manure, and sometimes forty, are applied by 

 those w T ho grow heavy crops. This manure is put on the 

 land before the first or second ploughing where the crop 

 is to be grown on the flat, and in some cases where it is 

 to be grown on the ridge system. Most of the Scottish 

 growers, who generally pursue the ridge system, however, 



