FIELD CROPS. 51 



aod rot before cold weather, then in the spring I manore with well-roited 

 mannre on the surface, and harrow thoroughlT till the manure is com- 

 pletely incorporated with the soil; then I mark one way three feet apart 

 and plant two pieces in a place about one foot apart, about four inches deep. 

 Then, ju3t as the potatoes begin to break ground, I harrow thoroughly, then 

 cultivate till it is time to lay by; then I use a single-shoTel plow to hill them 

 with; keep all weeds down— they are death to poutoes. I hare raised from 

 450 to 500 bushels to the acre in favorable seasons. 



Now, as to the seed: I cut to a single eye; I wotild as soon think of plant- 

 ing a whole ear of com in a hill as a whole potato. I have often, in case of a 

 new kind, cut the eye cltister into three or four pieces, and had a good hill 

 from each piece. As to time of planting, I always try to get my whole crop 

 in for early potatoes. I believe the earlier they can be got in the more cer- 

 tainty of a good crop. As to kinds, I have raised legions of them, but for 

 early, the Beauty of Hebron; for medium, the Burbank's Seedling and the 

 Mauimoth Pearl; and for late, the Belle and the Late Boee. Of oouree, 

 others are good and may do better in other places. 



Xeiw Remedy *br Potato Bo^*. — A farmer successftQly tried a remedy 

 for potato bugs, as follows: He procured a number of boards and placed 

 them here and there among his potatoes, and on these boards were placed 

 raw potatoes sliced. At noon on the first day of the experiment he and his 

 hired men found every piece of potato covered with bugs. The men killed 

 this crop, and at night another crop was killed, though not so large, and in 

 a week not a bug could be seen, and his trouble with bugs after this was 

 comparatively smaU. He thinks it would be a good plan to dip the pieoea 

 of potato in Paris green, as it would save the work of killing the bugs. 



Potatoes In Winter. — Potatoes stored in cellars, in some cases, rot. 

 To check or prevent this, keep the cellar as cool as possible without freez- 

 ing. Then scatter quick-lime over them. This is of threefold benefit. It 

 keeps them from rotting, makes the potatoes dryer and better, and disin- 

 fects the atmosphere, preserving the family from malarial fevers. 



Experimenta in Plo^rin^. — Mr. Enox, a veteran plow-maker, has 

 called our attention to the effect of deep plowing of some soils to offset 

 the danger from lack of rains in dry seasons. Some years ago an experi- 

 ment was made by a Western Massachusetts farmer in plowing portions of a 

 large field at varying depths. One part was turned over seven inches deep, 

 another ten inches, and a third, after being plowed ten inches, was sub- 

 soiled to the depth of ten inches more, making a soil comparatively loose 

 to the depth of twenty inches. The next year, which was a dry one during 

 the summer, com was grown upon the whole field, which was treated uni* 

 formly throughout, and the yield of the three divisions carefully measured. 

 The seven-inch plowing yielded as well as the ordinary fields in the vicinity. 

 That part plowed ten inches deep was greener all through the season, and 

 gave decidedly better yield, but that which was plowed ten inches, and sub- 

 soiled ten inches in addition, produced jtist one-third more com than that 

 plowed in the usual way, seven inches deep. The next year the whole field 

 was by agreement sowed to oats, as a continuation of the experiment, the 

 season proving even drier than the preceding one, when com was grown. 

 When the oats were about ready to cut, ilr. Knox, being in the neighbor- 

 hood, called to see them. Before reaching the farm, the field came in 

 view from the car windows, and ilr. Knox, who was on the lookout, said to 



