154 POTATO CULTURE. 



to about one and a half tons of Mapes complete patato- 

 manure, costing (this year) $41 per ton, and 1 have got it 

 without any loss of use of the land for a crop, and at almost 

 no cost only care and attention. I believe I haven't told 

 you that, since writing about fertilizer, I have bought 1400 

 pounds of Mapes potato-manure, to use in experiments on 

 an acre of ground, this year. (The publishers calling for 

 this book a few chapters at a time, as fast as written, makes 

 it quite possible I may repeat some things, from not having 

 the manuscript all- before me. If so, you will know the 

 reason.) Now, in the light of the above figures you can see 

 why Mr. Mapes wrote me that it would seem almost like 

 carrying coals to Newcastle to put fertilizer on my clover 

 land. It will probably so turn out, as it always has ; but I 

 want to know this, and am intending to use a large amount, 

 you see. 



There are many points I should like to speak of about 

 clover, that have been jumped over. Here is one : I said 

 timothy feeds in the soil directly, etc. Notice the timothy 

 sod, or the red-top or blue-grass sod, or a wheat or rye sod, 

 for that matter. If a heavy growth, the soil is full of roots, 

 enough to hold it together as you turn it over, and it takes 

 an implement like the cutaway harrow to make a seed-bed. 

 Now notice the growth of clover roots. The tap-root goes 

 right down through the soil, taking only enough to support 

 it till it gets down. Then it sends out its fibrous roots, far 

 and deep, to gather up fertility, which is stored in the large 

 tap-root, near the surface and in the top. When I plow a 

 good clover sod, on any reasonable soil, it all falls to pieces, 

 mostly from the absence of fibrous roots. The Thomas 

 smoothing-harrow will take hold of it nicely, if not too dry. 

 The clover has practically given the soil a rest, and shaded it. 

 If you will drain land that needs it, and then grow clover 

 systematically, and help it all you can, in many cases it will 

 just put one more farm right into yours. Without any more 

 plowing or working, or seed, taxes, or labor, to speak of, you 



