160 Our Farming. 



grow a great crop. But in an excessively wet time, long-con- 

 tinued, although the drains may prevent a drop of water stand- 

 ing on the surface, the crop doesn't look quite right, and the 

 yield is apt to be disappointing. They are more apt to rot, too. 

 Then we have some heavy clay soil, some we would like to give 

 away if we could get it out of the lot and not spoil the shape. 

 On this potatoes never pay any profit. It would be exceptional 

 to get 100 bushels per acre from this land. I presume it might 

 be lightened up by plenty of vegetable matter, but I haven't tried 

 much to make potato land of it. It will grow clover and wheat, 

 as fine as need be, and usually potatoes will grow so as to not 

 look badly, but it is too solid for good results. And it is a great 

 deal of work to prepare it for a crop and work it during the sea- 

 son. A friend of mine was here lately \vho has all heavy clay 

 soil. He said he did not believe he ever in his life had more than 

 100 bushels of potatoes per acre. He came here with the idea of 

 going into potato growing more largely, buying a planter, digger, 

 etc., and making more of a business of it. He has .his land tile- 

 drained, and he has a fine herd of Jersey cows. He thought that 

 by plowing under clover he could lighten his clay soil enough for 

 potatoes. Well, I discouraged him from trying. I told him to 

 not only not go into the business, but stop growing the two or 

 three acres that he now did. There had been no money in it for 

 him, and with great labor there never would be any certainty of 

 good profits. He had better by far grow products for the dairy, 

 and push that further and higher. That pays him and is better 

 suited to his soil. In these days, where one has an outlet to good 

 markets, as most do in this State, it is far wiser to grow what one's 

 soil is best fitted for, and a good deal of it, rather than partly 

 something in which there is no profit to him, but which may pay 

 another man, on suitable soil, grandly. 



If you haven't a soil reasonably suited for potatoes, don't 

 go into the business; don't be led into it at all by what you read 

 of my success, for you will only meet with disappointment if you 

 do. The most of my soil is fairly well fitted for the business. 

 Rather say to yourself : ' ' Terry had a potato farm and he found it 

 out and pushed it and made it pay. Now what can I do best 

 on my farm, and push as he has his potatoes? " With this spirit 

 read on and get all the inspiration you can, and success to you. 



Except for raising very early potatoes for selling green, I 

 would prefer that part of my land that has an easterly slope, or even 

 a northerly. Some years the crop with a southern or southwestern 

 exposure suffers more from the heat. Really I fear an excessively 

 hot week without rain, say when the thermometer gets to 95 or 

 more often, than I do six weeks without rain if it is only moder- 

 ately warm. Extreme heat is bad for the potato, and one is 

 powerless to do any thing to help in such a case, as he is in the 

 case of extreme wet ; but with proper preparation, we can stand 



