THE POTATO 467 



times previous, but the weather conditions (con- 

 tinuous cloudy, sunless, rainy weather) made the 

 disease hard to combat. Had the temperatures 

 been high, it would have been a terrible disaster 

 to the British potato industry. The early growing 

 sorts are more susceptible than the more hardy 

 main crops. When the disease strikes a district it 

 spreads with the fierceness of a prairie fire. It is 

 one of the very great problems to contend with 

 where there is such a rank, rapid growth of vege- 

 tation. I am inclined to think there is greater 

 danger from their very close planting. The thick, 

 dense foliage completely shades the lower leaves 

 and soil from the little bit of sun that they do have. 



As everywhere else in Great Britain, they rely 

 on barnyard manure, with occasional crops of 

 clover, for humus. The idea is to keep as great an 

 acreage in potatoes as possible and yet keep up 

 their yields and freedom from disease. About 

 one third of their arable lands are kept in potatoes, 

 or potatoes two years out of six, with clover and 

 other grasses one year; and for the other three 

 years wheat, oats, barley, white mustard, man- 

 gels, and Swedes for their cattle. I saw some good 

 fields that had grown potatoes twelve years out of 

 eighteen, and one farm that had been in potatoes 

 twelve consecutive years. Here the land was fall 

 plowed as deep as their big three-horse Shire 

 teams with present style plows could turn it. 

 They often plow twice between crops. When this 

 is done one of the plowings will be shallow. 



For early potatoes they thoroughly harrow and 

 lay out their lands. The rows are twenty-five 

 inches apart, hills twelve inches apart in the row. 

 Late potatoes are planted 27 x 14 inches, and in 

 the fens or peat land, 30 x 12 inches. ^ Their peat 



