POTATO CULTURE. 97 



that? Why, as we do have enough weeders to go over 

 your field on time. We have two, and can stir the surface 

 of our field in less than five hours, if necessary. 



If it is cloudy, and not drying very fast, we have done this 

 way : My son and man cultivate each with his horse and one- 

 horse cultivator, and I follow with the weeder. As they 

 take a row at a time, each of them, and I two at once, you 

 see I just keep up with them, and we can go over a dozen 

 acres in a day, and cultivate and hoe them most perfectly. 

 We continue to use the weeder until the tops are quite large. 

 When it pushes them over so as to do real injury, one or two 

 teeth can be taken out over the rows, but we have not done 

 this. We can use it about as long as it is needed, without. 

 When the tops shade the earth under them where it can not 

 be stirred with the cultivator, the weeder is no longer needed. 



You will notice we use the cultivators in connection with 

 the weeder, even if the latter on fine soil might do alone. 

 One can hardly overdo this matter of tillage, and there is a 

 great deal in having the surface fine, as well as freshly stirred. 

 Don't you forget this. You may tear it up roughly on half 

 a field, with cultivators having large wide teeth, and I will 

 use these implements on the other half, that just rake the 

 surface, leaving it fine and level, and some years, at least, I 

 will leave you away behind. After we stop the use of the 

 weeder we continue the cultivation, narrowing up the culti- 

 vator as the tubers begin to grow. I like the Planet Jr., 

 with the IHnch steels, for this purpose. 



In the cut you see the Planet Jr. as it is usually sold, with 

 wider teeth in three places, and side-shovels on, which are 

 used to throw a little earth in under plants. With these on 

 it is called a horse-hoe. For simply stirring the surface 

 after potatoes are well started I take all these 5 teeth off 

 that are shown in the cut, and put on 5 teeth that are only 

 li inches wide. You can buy these narrow teeth as extras, 

 and you should not think of doing without them. 



About the time the tubers are beginning to form, or just 



