POTATO CULTURE. 181 



you a place to hitch a draft-chain to. Draw by a forked 

 chain, one end being hitched to each draft-rod. This is a 



CLOD CRUSHER AND LEVELER, MADE OF 4x4 SCANTLING. 



very simple and cheap leveler. After leveling we harrowed 

 with a Thomas smoothing-harrow, and rolled ready for 

 drilling. As it was very dry still, and while we were wait- 

 ing for rain, we then worked the land some more, although 

 friend Root was here when we were going over the field with 

 the leveler, and thought it was wonderfully fine and nice 

 then. You notice I am a little careful about working land 

 very much in the spring when it is moist, but I tell you we 

 grind it down fine when it is dry and we are preparing for a 

 crop. We can not overdo the matter then, unless a heavy 

 rain comes right after we put in wheat, and we try not to get 

 caught that way. Our soil would not go through that 

 Bordeaux-mixture sieve, quite, but it would not lack much 

 of it. Now, this is not talk, friends. I do it have done it 

 for many years. It pays grandly. Be sure to use wide teeth 

 on the cultivator. This will stir the soil more bring new 

 particles in contact more. Now, don't half prepare your 

 potato-stubble for wheat any more. Don't do it because you 

 are in a hurry to get the wheat in. A good point was made 

 in the Practical Farmer lately. A friend said that one day's 

 more work in making soil finer would put a crop ahead ten 

 days before winter. Several chapters might be spent on this 

 subject, but it is a little outside of potato culture, so I have 

 given only a few brief pointers. 



With very early potatoes the vines will decay so as not to 

 be in the way of preparing for wheat. Of course, you won't 

 have any weeds. For potatoes that ripen later, like the 

 Freeman, we find it best to rake up the vines after digging, 

 and draw them off. Later they are spread on the poorest 

 places in clover field, where potatoes are to be planted the 

 next year. Don't burn them. Some do. I saw some burn- 



