POTATO CULTURE. 173 



Each year we had one soaking rain, and all other showers 

 were too light to do much good, and potatoes grad ually yield- 

 ed to drouth, in spite of all we could do. In 1881 we had 

 869 bushels of potatoes on oi acres, in our best lot, and this 

 year 912 on 5-^j acres. In 1881 we had 531 bushels on the clay 

 lot, from a perfect stand. This year we had 520 bushels on 

 about five sixths of the same lot, one-sixth of the stand being 

 lost from the seed rotting. 



TILLAGE. 



The tillage on the field next to neighbor Croy's was perfect, 

 FO far as we know. I can not look back and see where we 

 could at any time have done any better than we did. No 

 weeds stole either plant-food or moisture from the crop. No 

 water evaporated directly from the soil that we could pre- 

 vent. We made the spring moisture serve us just as long as 

 possible. Of course, in time it gave out mostly, and potatoes 

 suffered and died in spite of all man could do. We actually 

 stirred the surface of the field between the rows an inch 

 deep after the vines were half dead, and it paid. Every 

 drop of water we could keep from evaporating went to help 

 make tubers. 



CULTIVATORS. 



I think I mentioned that we should try the Planet Jr. cul- 

 tivator and harrow with 12 teeth, of which you have a pic- 

 ture in another chapter. We did. It is a grand good little 

 tool for fine surface tillage. With the pulverizer on in the 

 rear I found I could set it so a man could not run the teeth 

 too deep. The wheel in front and pulverizer in the rear held 

 the teeth up so one could easily do perfect work. This is a 

 tool that has come to stay. 



FERTILIZER EXPERIMENTS. 



You will remember what I have said about how these 

 turned out in previous years. But I felt anxious to try them 

 once more this season. So I bought 1400 Ibs. of one of the 

 best brands of potato-fertilizers on the market. I bought 



