POTATO CULTURE 



CHAPTER I. 



Soils and Their Preparation. 



The very best soils for potato-raising, perhaps, are those 

 varying between a sandy or gravelly loam and a clay loam, 

 although they can be raised, of course, with more or less 

 profit on lighter ones, on black soils, or almost any kind of 

 land, even on quite heavy soil if tile-drained. But, do not 

 risk them on heavy land that is not underdrained, as you 

 may lose more than the cost of draining in a single year. It 

 may be wise to think twice before deciding to tile-drain your 

 land in order that you may devote it to potato-raising to 

 think whether it may not be more profitably used, all things 

 considered; but if you have determined to raise potatoes 

 any way, then underdrain thoroughly the first thing you do. 

 "Lock your barn-door before your horse is stolen." Hun- 

 dreds and hundreds of acres of potatoes are destroyed every 

 wet season by stagnant water. Underdraining would have 

 prevented this for the most part. Thirty dollars' worth of 

 tiles and labor to the acre might have saved $50 or even $100 

 worth of crops. Sometimes a half or even a third of $30 

 would have done the necessary draining.* Portions of the 

 field were wet, and the farmer could not get on to harrow 

 and kill weeds in season, and perhaps the seed rotted in the 

 wet spots. I have seen just this occur on large fields, and a 

 practical failure come from want of tile-draining on only a 

 part of the land. I have known of cases on land quite simi- 

 lar to rriy own, where the farmer met with failure for lack 



* Witli friend Terry's permission, I want to suggest, right here, that 

 before you commence tile-draining, the investment of 40 cents in the 

 little book by W. I. Chamberlain, entitled "Tile Drainage," will enable 

 you to start your work right, and to save both money and labor in doing 

 it. See last pages of this book. A. I. ROOT, Publisher 



