Potatoes. 275 



furrows are then dressed with manure on which sprouted sets 

 are placed as before and the soil split over them. Planted in 

 this way they are practically on fresh soil. The plants are 

 quickly through and in a few weeks appear quite as forward as 

 unsprouted sets which were laid in at the usual time. Although 

 there are heavy expenses for manure and labour in connection 

 with this system it is said to be very profitable, and might be 

 tried in other districts not liable to late frosts. 



THE FLAT SYSTEM. Planting on the flat is mostly followed 

 on light land which is apt to dry out quickly if laid in ridges. 

 The land is previously manured and brought to a good tilth, 

 and the rows are marked out at the required distance apart. 

 Shallow holes are then dug along the first line, one for each 

 set, which another person following drops in the holes. The 

 soil from the second row of holes is used to cover up the 

 sets in the first row, and so on to the end of the plot. An 

 active man can in this manner spade-in an acre of potatoes in 

 a day. Dibbling-in is performed in a somewhat similar fashion 

 except that holes, about 4in. deep, are made with a Potato 

 dibber and the sets are covered by hoeing. This method is 

 only suitable for very light soils, or such as are in a good free- 

 working condition, otherwise the pressure required to make 

 a hole with the dibber so compacts the soil surrounding the 

 set that the roots are unable to run freely, to the detriment of 

 the crop. When planting is done on the flat the spading-in 

 method will be found the best. After cultivation consists of 

 hoeing and gradual moulding-up. 



THE LAZY-BED SYSTEM. This system is useful on soil where 

 the water level is near the surface, such as newly-reclaimed 

 bog land. It consists in making beds 4ft. to 5ft. in width with 

 deep trenches between, which serve to drain away superfluous 

 moisture. The sets are placed on the surface, one row at each 

 side of the bed. Soil is taken from between the beds to cover 

 the sets and again to earth up the plants, and in this way the 

 trench is formed. The system appears to serve the particular 

 purpose for which it is intended very well, and is in common 

 use in the west of Ireland where, however, probably from the 

 force of habit, it is also frequently met with on soils where it 

 serves no particular purpose and where other methods might 



