Planting and Culture of Potatoes. 183 



bushels in this way for many years, and practically we have no 

 green ones. This is a fact that I know, and knocks a car load of 

 theory out of sight. Let me explain just what is meant by level 

 culture. It is not absolutely level with us. Earth will work 

 towards the drills in cultivating so many times, and we throw in an 

 inch or so towards the last, usually. At digging time the ridges 

 may be raised a couple of inches. Now, if they were planted in 

 hills three feet apart, there would be more tubers in a place and the 

 ground would be cracked and raised more and injury might result 

 with our method of culture. (I call it ours ; we are not alone in 

 it. Hundreds cultivate the same way.) With one-eye pieces 

 every foot there is no trouble this way, fewer potatoes being in a 

 place. You ridge up potatoes high and the tendency is for them 

 to set towards the surface and the ends work out of side of ridge, 

 unless it is wide, and, perhaps, the top cracks and lets tubers get 

 injured, unless earth is hoed up over them. A man finding it 

 thus with hills can hardly believe that there will be less trouble 

 with good, level culture. But I have grown them both ways, and 

 know what I am writing about. It is some like harrowing pota- 

 toes or corn. One who had never seen it done would be certain 

 it would work great injury. I was myself once. But the fact is 

 it doesn't under proper management. It is hard for us to get over 

 old notions. 



Now, a narrow high ridge, such as the tubers would stick out 

 of some, might be easier digging than our low ones. A broad 

 high hill I do not think would be. There is about the same 

 amount of earth to be moved in either case, and with our culture 

 I do not think there is enough of a hole to ' ' excavate ' ' to make 

 any difference. I have hired many acres dug by hand, planted 

 in both ways, and I have hired men to dig in level culture who 

 had been digging hills, and I am unable to see any increase in 

 cost of digging from level culture. But most growers will soon 

 dig with a machine anyway, when it does not make any practical 

 difference, any more than it does whether they are in hills or 

 drills. You must bear in mind that I have no possible interest in 

 pushing these points ; in fact, it is for my disadvantage, slightly, 

 for I shall help some to grow larger crops and diminish price I 

 can obtain, perhaps, by increasing supply. I have found ways 

 that were better than the common ones and changed to them, and 

 it is entirely for your good that I tell of it. I might write and 

 not tell the best I know ; but I never have done so yet. Another 

 common notion is, that we must stop all cultivation at blossom- 

 ing time, Can you not see that was right once, when the work 

 was done with plow, or shovel plow, or even deep running culti- 

 vators? Observing men noticed that later working injured the 

 crop. Even blossoming time was too late for deep work. Notic- 

 ing it they quit working then and there, and it was handed down 

 from father to son as the proper thing to do. There was another 



