THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. 22? 



1 5th of March, and I never had a finer yield. I 

 observe that Mr. Harris strongly indorses this 

 plan. 



Nearly every one has his system of planting. 

 There is no necessity for explaining these methods. 

 I will briefly give mine, for what it is worth. I 

 prefer warm, well-drained soils. Plough deeply in 

 autumn, also in spring ; harrow and pulverize the 

 ground as completely as possible ; then open the 

 furrows with the same heavy plough, sinking it to 

 the beam, and going twice in the furrow. This, 

 of course, would make too deep a trench in which 

 to place the sets, but the soil has been deepened 

 and pulverized at least fourteen inches. A man 

 next goes along with a cart or barrow of well- 

 decayed compost (not very raw manure), which is 

 scattered freely in the deep furrows; then through 

 these a corn-plough is run, to mingle the fertilizer 

 with the soil. By this course the furrows are par- 

 tially filled with loose, friable soil and manure, and 

 they average four or five inches in depth. The 

 sets are planted at once eight inches apart, the eye 

 turned upward, and the cut part down. The sets 

 are then covered with three or four inches of fine 

 soil, not with sods and stones. When the plants 

 are two or three inches high, they receive their first 

 hoeing, which merely levels the ground evenly. 

 The next cultivation is performed by both corn- 



