POTATO CULTURE. 41 



keeping a crop clean without any hand-hoeing, and to do it 

 more cheaply, as will be told of later on. So there is no need 

 of hilling any longer to keep weeds down. By planting four 

 inches deep, and the slight hilling spoken of, we get a depth 

 of underground stem sufficient for throwing off roots and 

 tuber-bearing stems, just as practically as though we planted 

 shallow and hilled up. It may occur to you, whether deep 

 planting and hilling would not be better yet, as furnishing 

 still more underground stem. No, not practically, because 

 you can not use any more plant-food than there is present, 

 and my plan will use it all up. We want a proper balance 

 in all these things. I should say right here, that I am writ- 

 ing with reference to drill culture, which I consider best, 

 and will speak of in another chapter. For hills three feet 

 or more apart each way, possibly deep planting and high 

 hilling together might give a better return than deep plant- 

 ing and slight hilling, notwithstanding the injury done by 

 hilling to roots, and waste of water, etc. But it will not, as 

 a rule, give as good results as proper deep drilling and slight 

 hilling. All good things need to go together. It is a deep 

 study, their relation to each other. 



You will notice I do not speak of "level culture." The 

 term, although in common use, is misleading to those not 

 posted. Exactly level culture is not at all practical, except 

 during the first part of the season. A little earth must be 

 worked in under the plants, for reasons given, usually ; and 

 then, again, the expanding tubers will crack the soil and let 

 in light, to their injury, if the surface is entirely flat. I ad- 

 vocate exactly what I practically do, and have briefly given 

 you the reasons for our practice. I could fill page after page 

 with experiments in different lines, but they are dry reading 

 to the ordinary farmer. He wants conclusions just what 

 to do just what the man he is reading after is doing. This 

 I give you. It is not all right, doubtless, but it is the best I 

 now know. Reader, if you still hill up potatoes, as your 

 father did, can you not see from this chapter that my reasons 



