THE POTATO 83 



implement admirably adapted to working on side 

 hills. Some growers like their hay fields to stand 

 a second year before plowing, but rarely longer 

 than that, for the land is in too much demand for 

 potatoes to continue it in grass more than two 

 years. 



"The sod, usually containing a large amount of 

 clover which was plowed the previous fall, is har- 

 rowed in the spring as soon as the season permits, 

 usually being worked over thoroughly four times 

 in all with a disk harrow followed by a spring- 

 tooth harrow. 



"Planting is done from the 15th or 20th of May 

 to the 1st of June, using about five barrels of seed 

 to the acre that is, thirteen or fourteen bushels. 

 The seed is cut by hand into pieces containing 

 about two eyes and of such a size as to feed readily 

 through a planter, and is dropped by the planter in 

 rows about thirty-three inches apart and from 

 twelve to fifteen inches apart in the row, so that 

 the ground is entirely occupied with the crop, and 

 the vines in midseason meet in the rows. 



"There are two prevailing types of planter, in 

 one of which the seed pieces are distributed by 

 steel forks or pickers, and in the other by pockets 

 in a revolving disk. Both types are two-horse 

 machines, the former being operated by one ma'h 

 and the latter requiring a second man to attend to 

 the seed distribution. Either type will plant 

 about five acres per day. The planter at the same 

 time distributes the fertilizer, from 1,200 to 1,500 

 pounds per acre usually being applied. This 

 amount of fertilizer can be safely used directly in 

 the drills. The fertilizer commonly used contains 

 about 3 per cent, of nitrogen, 7 or 8 per cent, of 

 phosphoric acid, and 9 or 10 per cent, of potash. " 



