118 POTATO CULTURE. 



into my wagon in a very few minutes, and the boxes are left 

 ready to be filled again. This, for drawing to market. If 

 drawing to cellar or barn or pile, for storage, we would set 

 the boxes right into the wagon, and, after emptying them, 

 put them back in and return to the field and scatter them 

 along as we drive down toward the back end ; then turn 

 around, and two men will put filled boxes in as fast as I can 

 possibly set them up, and in a very few minutes another load 

 is on. We have handled a good many thousand bushels in 

 this way. For field work I consider boxes far better than 

 sacks, although some use the latter. They will wear out 

 fast. Our boxes have been used some 15 years, and are not 

 used up yet. But when it comes to loading a car from 

 cellar or barn, I prefer sacks. We shovel a bushel, as nearly 

 as we can (where a load is to be weighed), into a two -bushel 

 sack, give the top a twist, and toss them into the wagon. 

 It would surprise you, perhaps, to see how quickly two men 

 will toss 100 bushels into our wagons, while I load them, in 

 our barn, and how quickly I put them into the car while 

 they empty them. One man at home can fill sacks for two 

 more loads while we are gone. This is the best way I have 

 found to load potatoes on to a car. I have drawn them 

 from the field to the cars in boxes, but it is almost too much 

 dead weight, and boxes are in the way at the car after they 

 are emptied. Perhaps I may as well say right here, before 1 

 forget it, that you want nice wooden shovels for handling 

 the crop, if they are put into the wagon in bulk, or for tak- 

 ing them out of the cellar. 



You will find these boxes equally nice for handling apples, 

 and for several other purposes. They are just the thing 

 when we are planting, too, to handle the seed and cut pota- 

 toes in. 



Now we have the handling improved on, we want wagons 

 for drawing the potatoes to market, handling the boxes, etc., 

 to match. We will take up this subject next. 



