ESCULENT BOOTS POTATOES. 173 



covered two or three inches deep with decayed or 

 decaying leaves and brush, may count with confi- 

 dence on raising from it a good crop of Potatoes, 

 provided his seed be sound and healthy. On the 

 other hand, all authorities agree that animal ma- 

 nures, unless very thoroughly rotted and intimately 

 mixed with the soil, are injurious to the quality of 

 Potatoes grown thereon, stimulating any tendency 

 to disease, if they do not originally produce such 

 disease. I believe that Swamp Muck, dug in Sum- 

 mer or Autumn, deposited on a dry bank or glade, 

 and cured of its acidity by an admixture of Wood- 

 Ashes, of Lime, or of Salt (better still, of Lime and 

 Salt chemically compounded by dissolving the Salt 

 in the least possible quantity of Water, and slaking 

 the lime with that Water), forms an excellent ferti- 

 lizer for Potatoes, if administered with a liberal 

 hand. A bushel of either of these alkalies to a cord 

 of muck is too little ; the dose should be doubled if 

 possible ; but, if the quantity be small, mix it more 

 carefully, and give it all the time you can wherein 

 to operate upon the muck before applying the mixture 

 to your fields. 



Where the muck is not easily to be had, yet the 

 soil is thin and poor, I would place considerable 

 reliance on deep plowing and subsoiling in the Fall, 

 and cross-plowing just before planting in the Spring. 

 Give a good dressing of Plaster, not less than 200 

 Ibs. to the acre, directly after the Fall plowing ; if 

 you have Ashes, scatter them liberally in the drill or 



