156 IVIECIIANICS. 



and harrowed only, tlie driver forming the drills by the 

 eye, as the planting proceeds. Straighter rows may be 

 made by first marking the land with a good corn-marker, 

 and thien employing a small boy to ride, directing him to 

 keep the horse on the line. The driver has then only to 



Fig. IGO. 



Trucks Potato Planter. 



watch the working of the machine before him. If the 

 ground is rough, or rather dry, it is better to furrow the 

 land previously with a single horse, running the planter 

 in these furrows. 



For using this machine successfully, the seed potatoes 

 must be previously assorted, so that those of nearly equal 

 size may be used at a time. It is common to assort them 

 into two sizes, which may be done in winter, or on rainy 

 days. Each potato passes the throat of the hopper sin- 

 gly ; and if one in a bushel happens to be too large, it 

 will choke the opening. After passing the hopper, each 

 potato is sliced into pieces of the desired size, which 

 then, one by one, drop down the hollow coulter, and are 

 buried. The throat of the hopper is readily contracted 

 or expanded, and adapted to any assorted size of seed. 

 One man, with a liorse, will plant several acres in a day, 

 and if the ground be in good order, with nearly or quite 



