KITCHEN-GARDENING. 113 



' 3. Mark out, as for corn, three feet apart each way, opening 

 the furrows eight inches deep. 



" 4. At the intersection drop a whole potato, the largest you 

 have, and spread upon it a handful (about forty bushels per acre) 

 of a compost made of eight parts of wood-ashes, four of bone 

 phosphate of lime, four of fine-ground plaster, two of finely 

 slaked lime, and one of salt; or, if preferred, three ounces of 

 artificial fertilizer per hill. Then cover, roll, and spread 1,000 

 Ibs. per acre of good artificial fertilizer. 



" 5. As soon as the young plants appear, run the cultivator 

 close to and between, but not over them, in each direction. 

 Afterwards, and before the weeds come up, cultivate, both ways, 

 with Knox's horse-hoe so arranged as to cut as shallow as 

 possible, and keep the surface entirely flat. Repeat this, at 

 short intervals, three times. Then hand-hoe three times, still 

 keeping a flat surface. Allow no hilling at any time, nor any 

 weeds to grow. 



" 6. As soon as the tops are dead, dig in clear dry weather 

 with heavy five-tined digging forks; spread, under cover, to 

 dry, and store in a cool, dark, dry, airy cellar, spreading half a 

 pint of freshly-slaked lime in powder on each bushel of pota- 

 toes. 



" 7. Gather and compost the dry tops, for application next 

 autumn ; then plough and subsoil-plough as before, for next 

 year's crop. 



" The following are the advantages of this system of culti- 

 vation : 



"1. No possible entire failure of the crop. 



" 2. No rot in healthy varieties. 



" 3. The largest yield, the soil and variety are capable of. 



u 4. The largest proportion of large potatoes. 



" 5. No degeneracy of varieties, but continued improvement. 



" 6. No necessity for rotation of crops : the potato can be 

 thus grown almost indefinitely on the same land, with, perhaps, 

 at long intervals, a seeding to clover to maintain the supply of 

 vegetable fibre in the soil. 



