168 Our Farming. 



I had little faith that any machine could drop one-eye pieces of 

 potato. But it did, and went so nicely that I laid my machines 

 aside and did not even put in a row with them. After a few years 

 I began to think, and then experimented some, and then found 

 that my old way of planting would prodtice a decidedly larger 

 crop every time. I do not know just why. For several years I 

 have been studying and experimenting to find out, but am not yet 

 satisfied. Probably the extra or peculiar tillage given by the plow- 

 ing out of furrows and the mixing and pulverizing done by 

 scraper cause the increase. The planter makes a furrow with a 

 wedge-shaped plow tnat packs rather than pulverizes. Could I 

 fully decide where the gain comes from, the planter can doubtless 

 be changed so as to do about the same work. I have taken time 

 to fully describe this plan of planting, because there is certainly 

 something in it. You have heard of the trench system brought 

 out by Mr. Carman of The Rural New Yorker. This way is quite 

 similar. Mr. Carman does not know just why his system should 

 yield better, as he has found it does. Large fields will be planted 

 by machinery ; but there is a hint here that may be of value to 

 the small grower who cannot afford the tools. Plow out good 

 furrows and scrap the earth back and drop and plant with care, and 

 you can grow enough more per acre to more than make up dif- 

 ference in cost, perhaps. The scraper is a cheap affair, but requires 

 two horses to draw it. The furrows can be made with a hand 

 plow, although not as well. I have experimented with different 

 ways of planting again this season. Will be able to put in result, 

 perhaps, later. I intended to put in more than half my land by hand, 

 but the weather was so unfavorable that when we could plant I 

 put all hands to cutting and used planter mostly. But you can 

 pick out every hand planted row at a glance. They are several 

 days ahead of machine planted. The extra cost to me is say $i .25 

 an acre that it costs to get them dropped. Mr. Carman's trench 

 system is simply making a trench somewhat wider than I do and 

 then filling it, after putting in seed and fertilizer. My plan is 

 practically the same, as nearly as could well be in field culture, 

 and came about in the way I have told you of. I had then never 

 heard of the trench system. I was selling potatoes in large lots to 

 grocers with a good class of customers and at a fancy price, and 

 I must have the very finest potatoes. To be fine, they must grow 

 down in the ground enough to not get injured by light. The 

 plow would make a deep enough furrow, but other ways of mark- 

 ing would not. Therefore I went back to the plow, but to do it 

 faster and better (reduce cost of production) ran two plows at 

 once held by the sulky. I should have said that the scraper has 

 a piece of band iron on front lower edge of plank, to prevent wear 

 of wood. With the handles one can bear on or lift up. Quite a 

 quantity of earth is constantly rolling and tumbling ahead of it. 

 In the picture given the scraper stands upon two bushels boxes, 



