92 



ELEMENTS OF FARM PRACTICE 



before it was plowed. A very excellent way to prepare 

 such land is to top-dress it with good stable manure in the 

 fall on the clover sod before it is plowed. Then disk it to 

 cut up the sod and mix the manure with it. Then plow in 

 the fall. This treatment gets the clover sod and the manure 



well pulverized and mixed 

 together and turned un- 

 der where the tubers 

 are to grow. It insures 

 them a rich, mellow 

 place. If soil is very 

 light and sandy, it 

 would be better to plow 

 the land in the fall 

 without manuring it. 

 Manure it during the 

 winter or spring and 

 disk the manure in, thus 

 keeping it near the sur- 

 face. 



If land has been treat- 

 ed as suggested above, 

 disking and harrowing 

 it a few times in the 

 spring will put it in excel- 

 lent condition for plant- 

 ing. 



If the land has not 

 been prepared in the fall, 

 then the same manur- 

 ing and disking should 

 be done before the land 

 is plowed. Then plow, 

 harrow and disk until 

 the soil is well packed 

 down. It is important that spring plowing be well harrow- 

 ed to assist in firming it, that it may not be so loose as to 

 dry out too quickly. 



Planting. — Potatoes may be planted from early spring 

 to early summer. Early planting is usually preferable so 



Figure 39. — Types of potatoes. 1 is a 

 rough, deep-eyed type, not desirable for 

 any purpose. 2. A good type of Bur- 

 bank. 3. A good type of Carmen No. 3. 

 4. A good type of early Ohio. Note 

 smooth surface and shallow eyes of Nos. 

 2, 3 and 4. 



