Vegetables with Edible Tubers or Roots 257 



An inexpensive and efficient way of preparing the land 

 is shown in the illustration (Plate XIII). The beds are 

 thrown up with a two-horse disk cultivator. The vine 

 cuttings are dropped at proper intervals. The vines are 

 then pushed three or four inches deep into the loose soil. 

 A flat stick three or four feet long will be found convenient 

 for this purpose. Either an end or the middle of the vine 

 is pushed in the soil, according to the wishes of the planter. 

 The rows should be made 3^ to 4 feet apart and the 

 plants set 15 to 18 inches in the row. If the crop is to be 

 checked, the plants should be placed 3^ by 3^ feet, or for 

 the smaller kinds 2| by 2| feet. 



Cultivation. 



The soil should be stirred often enough to keep it loose 

 and free from weeds. If many and heavy rains fall, it 

 will be necessary to cultivate oftener than when there is 

 only a moderate amount of rain. All cultivation should be 

 shallow and no vines covered. After the vines begin 

 to run, it may be necessary to raise them with a pronged 

 hook, or an attachment to the cultivator. Such a device 

 may be made of ^-inch round iron about 4 feet long ; this 

 iron is bent into the shape of a letter J and a loop or eye 

 made at the end of the long arm. It is attached to the 

 cultivator by passing a half-inch bolt through the eye 

 and through the beam. The short arm of the bent iron 

 is placed down, and by varying the amounts of curvature, 

 and having the point more or less sharp, it will run under 

 the vines and raise them out of the way. Some adjusting 

 is necessary to adapt it to the particular implement and 

 to the particular field. (See lower figure, Plate XIII.) 



