190 POTATO CULTURE. 



Koot will get stuck again!), and by running around the 

 dead-furrow two or three times with this, we throw in earth 

 enough to practically fill the furrow, and have the whole 

 field for a crop as three years before. But now the head- 

 lands : 



We plow these all one way (drawing the plow back u emp- 

 ty," in the furrow), and, of course, throwing earth out toward 

 the ends of the fields, tilling the furrow as at the sides. 

 There is a very little tramping at the corners, of course, but 

 not enough to be mentioned, if head-lands are plowed when 

 rather dry. Practically we have this field in as good, un- 

 tramped condition as it was three years before when back- 

 furrowed. I have been able to study out no better way to 

 get level fields, with no waste or unproductive places, and 

 no injurious tramping. 



Friend Root's plan of back-furrowing, so as to plow all the 

 time and not run across the ends empty, is pretty good; but 

 when plowing sod deeply you will have some piled-up ridges 

 from the four corners in, where you turn, much more trou- 

 blesome than the one straight ridge I have across each end 

 at the tlotted lines a and c, and far worse-looking. And then 

 in no way can you get that land back level the next time 

 without great pains at the corners, and very serious tramp- 

 ing. If stubble, you can plow up these corners that you 

 have tramped down, after the field is plowed, and help mat- 

 ters some ; but with sod you can not do this. 



Let us now figure on these points a little. Of course, I 

 did this years ago, and changes have been made as a matter 

 of business, as well as looks. Friend Root says there is a 

 deal of running across the ends with plow and team without 

 doing any work, and why not make narrower lands? In 

 plowing the lot represented by Fig. 1, as it was plowed this 

 year, the average distance that we went light on each end 

 was 8 rods, or 16 rods at each round. We aim to plow but a 

 foot wide. We could turn wider furrows, but do not wish 

 to, as, at a foot wide, it pulverizes the soil more perfectly. 



