Other Points in Potato Culture. 205 



they were not put in the cellar until cool weather, and then from 

 heaps. Would hardly want to pile them so deeply in August, 

 fresh from the field. Planting as early as we do, there is danger 

 of frost catching the young plants. It is so small a risk that we 

 think it best to take it and plant as soon as the ground works 

 nicely every year. One year only have we suffered much. Then 

 we had twelve acres cut down into the ground on the 29th of May, 

 after they were some four inches high. For several weeks after 

 we had no rain. Between the two we probably lost half the crop. 

 Another field coming up just after the frost yielded very much 

 better. But I have always thought that if we had had plenty of 

 rain, the injury would not have been anything like as serious. 

 We have farmers who think they get as good crops when the 

 plants are frozen down, and, possibly, they may under the most 

 favorable conditions, as they may from using sprouted seed, but 

 the rule must be the other way. It is a serious check to freeze a 

 plant into the ground after it is well started. A frost that only 

 blackens the leaves a little I should not mind much. But when 

 the stem is destroyed into the soil and an inch or two below the 

 surface, I had much rather it was in some one else's field. In 

 such a case, harrow the ground all fine on the surface, and wait 

 patiently for them to come on again. They will grow even from 

 one-eye seed, but not from the seed piece. A side sprout comes 

 out of the old stalk. The potatoes with me matured about as soon 

 as if they had not been frozen down and lost that much time 

 what it took to renew the frozen-down growth. This shortening 

 of the season must work injury, more or less, according to the 

 amount it is cut down, seems to me. We have saved potatoes 

 from injury by frost when just coming up by throwing a little 

 earth over them. This was done with Planet Jr. horse hoe. The 

 rows were so straight we covered a row each side at once, but 

 needed some one to lead the horse. Of course, every plant did 

 not get perfectly covered; but most of them were saved, and the 

 covering of six acres, I think, was done in half a day. I did not 

 like the ridging up so early in the season, but we were sure it 

 would freeze, and chose the lesser of two evils. We did not har- 

 row off the dirt, but let them grow through again, and then used 

 the weeder, but, of course, we could not level it down again 

 entirely. 



You have heard farmers say, doubtless, that their cattle were 

 not doing well because they were lousy. But, really, were they 

 not a little mixed ? Wasn't it this way ? Were they not lousy 

 because they were not doing well , at least usually ? So it is in 

 potato culture somewhat. The beetles attack the weakest plants. 

 Haven't you noticed it ? Go through the field and notice. The 

 little, weak, feeble plants are most all eaten up, perhaps, and large 

 thrifty ones scarcely touched. The beetles choose these feeble 

 ones to lay their eggs on. They are much like humans, ready to 



