CHAPTER XIV. 

 Potato Growing. 



The most suitable soil for potatoes is a thoroughly cultivation and 

 rotted clover sod. This is prepared by plowing Potatoes, 

 shallow in the autumn, then rolUng, harrowing and 

 cultivating alternately until October. Then cover 

 with well-rotted farmyard manure, and rib as in the 

 preparation for mangel-wurzels. In the spring the 

 cultivation must be thorough. If the soil is a cla^^ 

 it should be subsoiled as deep as possible to let in the 

 air, warm the soil, and assist in the decomposition 

 of vegetable matter. The drills are opened out with 

 a drill plow, with marker thirty inches wide (see 

 III. ij), or with ribbers attached to the frame of 

 the stiflf-tooth subsoiler (///. 48). The drills should 

 be made about four inches deep. Plant medium- 

 sized potatoes, cut in sets, ^vith from two to three 

 eyes in each. Drop the sets in the drills twelve 

 inches apart; then cover with the drill plow or 

 ribbers, and after ten days harrow down nearly level, 

 and smooth with a Breed weeder (///. 66). The 

 weeder should be used freely at this stage, and even 

 after the potatoes have made considerable growth. 

 Use the horse hoe frequently during the growing 

 season. The cultivation should be on the level, and 

 on no account must the potatoes be banked up, but 

 the last time this work is done the teeth of the 

 scuffler may be changed so as to throw the earth 

 towards the potatoes, and thus prevent their being 

 sunburnt. 



While there are machines for cutting potatoes How to Cut 

 for seed, and some of them do the work fairh- well, and Time to 

 the ordinary- farmer is content to cut the sets by ^'*°*" 

 hand. To do this work properly, cut off the stem 



