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the acre. The rye made a strong, thick growth ; and the 4th of May 

 last I ploughed it in seven inches, harrowed thoroughly with Acme 

 harrow, and marked in rows three feet apart. The 6th of May I 

 furrowed six inches deep, planted halves of potatoes, eighteen inches 

 apart, and covered them with two or three inches of soil by hand 

 hoe. May 15th I spread along the furrows about three cords to the 

 acre of well rotted compost, worth, say $24, and harrowed the whole 

 piece with a smoothing harrow covering the manure, and partially 

 filling up the furrows. May 28th I sowed along the furrows 668 lbs. 

 of superphosphate (costing $11) per acre, and harrowed the piece 

 again, this time with a rotary harrow, completely filling uj) the fur- 

 rows and leaving the whole surface clean, level and mellow. The 

 potatoes now came up with a rush and took possession of the land ; 

 they received no further attention till July 1st, when we cultivated 

 and hoed them, and afterwards applied 200 lbs. of plaster and 2 lbs. 

 of paris green per acre to kill the bugs. August 3d, dusted again 

 with paris green and plaster, and pulled out the few weeds we 

 found. I had a very fine crop, smooth and even, and seven-eighths 

 of them good marketable size. The rod selected and dug by the 

 committee in September 3'ielded at the rate of 454| bushels to the 

 acre. I have always thought it important to plant potatoes earl3- ; 

 but an acre planted on better land April 21, and in every respect 

 treated as well or better than the piece above described, did not 

 yield one-third as much. 



John C. Dillon. 



Hadley, Mass., Oct. 31, 1885. 

 F. E. Paige, Secretary of H. C. A. S.: — The field of potatoes 

 I entered for premium was plowed in October, 1883 eight inches deep, 

 and in May, 1884 at the rate of fifty-two horse loads of manure was 

 spread on and wheel-harrowed in and set to cabbage the last of June 

 with enough phosphate dropped on the cabbage to kill the green 

 worms. In April, 1885 ploughed again, and aliout the middle of 

 May it was harrowed and furrowed about five inches deep and at the 

 rate of 1800 lbs. per acre of fertilizer sown broadcast, and Pearl of 

 Savoy potatoes were cut and dropped about eighteen inches apart 

 in the row, making about sixty hills to the rod, and covered with a 

 horse-hoe. As the potatoes came up the ground was bushed to kill 



