ioo STATISTICAL SURVEY 



the fets into the dung, clofes the earth over them, and 

 breaks any lumps, that have been thrown up by the 

 plough. In attending to the culture of potatoes, I have 

 generally obferved, that in a ftiowery feafon a great 

 many feed weeds make their appearance amongft them, 

 before they are up, and make a confiderable progrefs, 

 before they can be deftroyed by the action of the ftrip- 

 ping plough, which cannot be ufed until the potatoes 

 are diftinftly feen ; to remedy this, I invented a fmall 

 hinge harrow, with handles like a plough, which is 

 drawn by one horfe between the drills, and completely 

 cleans both fides at once; exterminating the weeds, 

 and ameliorating the foil without injuring the plants, 

 except a few perhaps either juft up or near the furface. 

 The next operation is, that of the {tripping plough, 

 which is conftrucled with a narrow fole and mold- 

 board, that in taking the foil from the potatoes it may 

 go very near them, and leave the earth in a ridge ex- 

 aftly in the middle. If the feafon is moift, I allow it to 

 remain in that Hate for a week, or perhaps more, but 

 if very dry, they are covered up again in a few days ; 

 i>ut previous to this I harrow this ridge of earth with 

 a harrow of the defcription above-mentioned, but nar- 

 rower, which breaks the clod, and levels it for throw- 

 ing up equally by the double mold-board plough. 

 When the potatoes are pretty far advanced, and it is 

 time to give them the laft covering, I caufe the {tripping 

 plough to pafs through them again, taking a furrow 



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