POTATO CULTURE. 103 



I have said that all cultivation, after the first time through, 

 is shallow only about H inches deep. Now, I want you to 

 know that I am &ow, and tending to th's m tter. I know 

 that no careless man is " riding " the cultivator and sinking 

 the teeth three or four inches. 1 will have i o boy work in 

 this line, but a good man, and he is plainly told that he might 

 ten times better be sitting in the shade than running a cul- 

 tivator deep in my potato-field. Roots pass all through the 

 soil, searching for food. The soil was made for them to 

 grow in. The more they can have, the better But practi- 

 cally they can get along without H inches of the surf ce 

 pretty well, and we must have about that much to move 

 to keep weeds down and check evai oration. We do not 

 need more, and it is senseless waste to taSte it. Deep culti- 

 vation diminishes the feeding-ground, or destroys masses of 

 fibrous roots and puts the plant to the expense of growing 

 them over. I prefer to have my vines growing tubers. With- 

 out having to stop to repair damages. This matter of d:m 

 age, however, will be governed somewhat by the weather, 

 that follows the tearing-off of the roots. If it s hot ;<nd dry, 

 it will do more damage than if wet and showery. 



I have a neighbor who is a first-class farmer. One year 

 our potato-fields were side by side. We both planted at the 

 same time, in the same way, the same variety of potatoes, 

 lie began planting next to my line, while I began on the side 

 of my field farthest from the line. We were a' out a week 

 planting. This made my potatoes next to his about a week 

 behind. They came up Liter and kept just so much behind 

 in spite of the best care we could give. I couldn't get ahe id 

 of my good neighbor in tillage. Really my Held averaged 

 about like h's, but it troubled me to have them a little be- 

 hind where they were side by side don't you see V I u.sed 

 to go out every evening and look at them, but his kept the 

 start they had. One day when I was cultivating I looked 

 over and saw a young man cultivating in the next field. As 

 I watched him it seemed to me as though he was bearing 



