THE POTATO 461 



He plants 27 by 9 inches. I did not see a weed 

 on the farm. He has grown Langworthy exclu- 

 sively for eight years, and selects the seed per- 

 sonally. No rogueing (going through field and 

 pulling out other varieties) is necessary here. 



IN LINCOLNSHIRE, ENGLAND 



Lincolnshire is one of the largest shires or coun- 

 ties in England. It vies with Yorkshire in its 

 area in production and yields of agricultural prod- 

 ucts. The lowlands next to the sea are known 

 as the fens. In former years they were bogs that 

 were affected by the tides. They were reclaimed 

 by the Dutch. Now it is one of the most fertile 

 lands for grazing, growing grains and potatoes. 

 It is the largest potato district in England. 



The fens are drained by large canals. At one 

 time the drainage water was pumped out by wind- 

 mills, but now steam power is used. The water 

 is raised ten or twelve feet. In the rainy season 

 the expense of this is much greater, but in some 

 seasons they pump only about four months, just 

 enough to hold the water table from two to five 

 feet below the surface. Some of this land has no 

 fall whatever, while the higher lands are drained 

 by large canals, which empty into the sea. These 

 have a fall of about four feet in six miles. The 

 canals are seventy feet wide, from ten to fifteen 

 feet deep, and from three to five miles apart. 



In dry seasons the drainage canals that are not 

 affected by the salt water tide are allowed to fill 

 up to furnish sub-irrigation to the growing crops. 

 From my experience in England with the cloudy 

 weather and excessive rainfall, I would not think 

 there would be any necessity for sub-irrigation 



