130 , POTATO CULTURE. 



yield large, nearly 400 bushels per acre, where he did his 

 best day's work ; and the man was a real expert. He dug 

 nearly all of my 24 acres alone, getting done by the middle 

 of October, besides helping some at other work. I know just 

 how hard it will be for some farmers to believe this ; but it 

 can easily be proven, and isn't exaggerated in the least. I 

 have seldom had a young man who, after a year or two of 

 practice and showing,, could not do pretty nearly as well. I 

 saw last fall not a few fields where weeds were mowed off (a 

 regular weed sod), and raked into windrows, and dried and 

 burned, or drawn off before digging. Under such conditions 

 my boss digger might have thrown out 50 bushels a day, as 

 he was very quick and strong ; but I doubt it. I have seen 

 less than 25 dug by an ordinary man not on my farm. 



I wonder whether I can tell you how to use the fork so as 

 to help you any. Set it into the ground just back far enough 

 to never " stick "any tubers, and just deep enough not to 

 miss any, and then, with a quick curved and backward flirt, 

 scatter the earth and leave all tubers in sight. The ground 

 should be mellow, so this can be done without putting the 

 foot on the fork. With one-eye seed, in drills, my boss dig- 

 ger would walk right along and nearly always throw out a 

 hill clean with a single motion. He had excellent judgment, 

 skill, and great strength. It was very seldom that he 

 " stuck " a tuber, and it seemed to hurt him when he did, 

 and he wouldn't leave a bushel in the ground on ten acres. 

 I consider the fork as far ahead of the hook or any other 

 implement, for hand-digging, and with good help I would 

 to-day take it in preference to any cheap digger I have used. 



A Successful Digger. 



Eight years ago I wrote that we should soon have a suc- 

 cessful digger it was only a matter of time. Soon after the 

 first edition of this work was issued, one was brought out 

 that, although not perfect, was good enough, so we used it 

 to advantage. Soon another was introduced, made on the 



