POTATO CULTURE ON FARMS. 83 



dry enough, which is not often the case. But in districts 

 more liable than these favoured ones to spring frosts, it is 

 not safe to plant before the last week of February or early 

 in March. In Jersey the very earliest open-air crops are 

 grown on slopes facing the south, and small pieces are 

 sometimes planted by hand, as in a garden. On larger 

 pieces of land, the tubers are usually ploughed in, a small 

 one-horse plough being used. The seed, invariably 

 sprouted, is planted in rows 14in. to 20iu. apart, the sets 

 being about 12in. apart in the rows. They are dropped in 

 every second furrow after the plough, which covers them 

 with only three or four inches of soil usually not more 

 than three inches. In Ayrshire early potatoes are planted 

 in drills, on the ridge system, these being often drawn by a 

 combined drill-plough and artificial manure sower, which 

 forms two drills at the same time, and sows the manure 

 within. The sets are covered up with a double-breasted 

 plough. The drills are usually 25in. apart, and sprouted 

 seed is used. As to the size of the seed tubers, in Jersey 

 they are as they are raised, unless very small ones are 

 sifted out. In Ayrshire sets of fair size are now generally 

 used. Whole sets are always used, and women generally 

 do the dropping. In the case of the main crop of potatoes 

 the ridges in Great Britain generally are made about 27in. 

 apart, and the sets vary in distance in the rows, from 12iri. 

 to 18in., partly according to the size of the tubers, and 

 partly in relation to the richness of the soil. Some growers 

 use seconds for seed, others large tubers cut or uncut, and 

 yet others a mixture known as " seed and ware," consist- 

 ing of the potatoes as grown sifted over sieves of IJin. 

 to Hiii. mesh, very large tubers being sometimes picked 

 out during the sifting. The most common method of 

 planting where the ridge system prevails is that of drawing 

 the drills and covering the seed alike with the double- 

 breasted plough. When grown on the flat, the potatoes 

 are most commonly ploughed in with ploughs which 

 will draw furrows wide enough to make two furrows 27in. 

 wide, so that the seed can be dropped in every second 



