POTATO CULTURE. 15 



dined to think that right at this point is where common 

 subsoiling is lacking. 



Harrowing. 



After the ground is plowed in the spring, work it down 

 moderately fine soon after it is turned over, before.it has 

 time to dry out. It will work easier and better then than 

 ever again, particularly if there should be drying winds and 

 no rain. I have got caught this way, haven't you? I have 

 had to wait for a rain, or do a great deal of work to properly 

 prepare a seed-bed. It is not best to work down potato-land, 

 before planting, as fine and firm as you would land for wheat. 

 It is better to do a part of the working and pulverizing after 

 the crop is planted, and before it comes up. You kill two 

 birds with one stone, and you do not get the land packed so 

 solidly. Years ago I used to prepare my soil very thoroughly 

 before planting ; then alter planting we harrowed, say, three 

 times to keep weeds down ; and the result was, ground very 

 solidly packed before the crop came up. This was wrong. 

 Potatoes do best in a fine but loose, light soil. It must not be 

 packed as wheat likes to have it. I now prepare land partly 

 before planting and partly after, and keep all weeds down at. 

 the same time. There is less tramping and packing of the 

 ground, and still as perfect preparation, and weeds as well 

 kept down. 



A favorite way with me to prepare a field for potatoes is 

 to attach three horses abreast to a Thomas smoothing-har- 

 row, which will be described in another chapter ; put a plank 

 across the three sections, and get on and ride. This weight 

 sinks the teeth in to the woodwork, usually, and does a large 

 amount of pulverizing at a rapid rate, in going once over the 

 ground, and it pulverizes quite deeply. The harrow takes a 

 sweep of some ten feet. All my potato-ground has been 

 prepared in this way, some years. The work is done soon 

 after plowing, before the ground becomes dry and hard. 

 This is the great point. After the lumps once become dry 



