the Cultivation of Potatoes. 223 



the level, after every third and sometimes second turn of the plough. In hoth these 

 ways there will be great irregularity. Besides, as the planters, who arc gi.nerally 

 women or children, have to exert their judgment as they go along, respecting the 

 distances at which the sets are to be planted in the rows, they are a much greater 

 time about the work than they would be, were they able to proceed without 

 puzzling themselves to know when they were right, or when they were wrong. 



The method I have practised, and which from experience I can recommend, is 

 this: The Jand, being previously made fine by the plough and the harrow, is 

 marked out into drills nine inches asunder. The implement I make use of for this 

 purpose is what is called Ducket's drill-marker with five shares ; an implement too 

 well known to require a description. The drills being formed, an implement con- 

 sisting of a pairof wheels, not quite twelve inches in diameter, fixed upon an axis 

 at nine inches apart, and having on their circumference a tooth or projection at every 

 nine inches, and so placed as that the wheels shall mark alternately as drawn along 

 two of the drills, and makes an indenture in each drill at every nin« inches. It then 

 misses one drill, and returns. When I do not use Ducketi's marker, I have two 

 marking wheels, which occasionally fit upon the axis of the implement above 

 described, each of which is set at nine inches from the indenting wheels. Wlier 

 the person who mnnages the implement returns to the right, the right hand wheel 

 repeats its former track ; when to the left, the left hand wheel. In general, how- 

 ever, Iprefer marking out the land by Duckett's marker, the drills by that instru- 

 ment being deeper and more defined than by the indenting implement alone. 



The indentures being made, the planter then follows and drops in the sets, planting 

 both drills as he goes along. In chusing the sets, large or good sized potatoes should 

 be preferred, and only one eye left in each set. 



The planting being finished, die field is run over with a bush or other light harrow, 

 and then rolled. As soon as the young plants art three or four inches high, the 

 ground is flat-hoed. When the plants are advanced in growth three or fonr inches 

 more, the whole has a top-dressing o[ any manure which can tic vobtained suitable for 

 the purpose, such as chandler's graves, soot, malt dust, Sec. &c. 



The next operation is the earthing up, which immedi ncly follows the top dressing. 

 The implement I make use of is M'Dougal's expandinjj hoe, which I have drawn 

 by that useful, but despised animal, an a.ss. And here I miiM observe, that for an 

 operation of this kind both the ass and the mule are particularly adapted, not only 



