12 POTATO CULTURE. 



the last of April. Some of that fertility I should not have 

 if I had not sown the wheat, and had its live roots constant- 

 ly on the watch to catch up any stray drop of fertility. 

 When I turn under the wheat it will quickly become plant- 

 food again, for the potatoes to use. 



All About Plowing. 



A deep soil, deeply plowed, is undoubtedly best for pota- 

 toes ; but this deepening should be done very gradually, say 

 an inch once in two or three years, until you get your soil as 

 deep as you can turn over with a plow. Drought is one of 

 the greatest enemies of the potato crop ; and a deep soil 

 will the best withstand dry weather. Again, potatoes are 

 naturally a deep-feeding crop. We have land we plow 8 

 inches deep, and some even more than this. The soil we 

 turn is now about twice as deep as when I began farming 

 here 23 years ago, and I feel certain 1 am working in the 

 right direction. I use an Oliver chilled 40 X walking-plow. 

 In fact, we have two of this size. It is the only plow I could 

 find at the time that did the work to suit me, and to the 

 depth I want. There are plows that will turn a smoother 

 furrow, and lay it over flat and nice ; but this isn t what I 

 want. I want lap-furrow plowing, the furrows on edge, and 

 just over a little, so they will not fall back, I do not want 

 the surface of sod turned over flat on to the subsoil, by any 

 means, but scattered through the soil, where the roots will 

 grow. A plow of this kind will not draw as easily as one 

 with a longer and less blunt mold-board; but it does the 

 right kind of work. Of course, there is a jointer on the 

 plow, and a wheel to regulate the depth. These are as 

 necessary to me, almost, as the plow itself. Without the 

 jointer, the grass on the upper edges of my lap furrows 

 would make trouble ; as it is, there is only mellow soil there. 

 The jointer, or little plow, attached in front of the large one, 

 cuts a furrow about two inches deep, and throws it into the 

 big furrow, where it is covered by the furrow-slice from the 



