LARGE PROFITS IN POTATOES 105 



form to the slope, so that in case of heavy rains the water 

 will run off without washing out the crop. If mulching 

 is thought to be unnecessary the tract must be cultivated 

 two or three times. 



The studious farmer tills the soil in an intelligent man- 

 ner, knowing the reason for and the effect of every opera- 

 tion. He aims to get water into the soil and hold it there 

 for future use. Certainty of crops depends almost abso- 

 lutely on proper handling of the soil. Without it the 

 soil moisture is not stored in proper quantities and is 

 allowed to escape, and drought gets the crop that other- 

 wise could be saved and made profitable. 



A study of the potato question will be a good thing 

 for American farmers, especially those who are just en- 

 gaging in agriculture. The whole subject of supply and 

 demand, of production and selling, is opened by the 

 existing potato problem. 



Here are a couple of good axioms which apply to the 

 situation: Never trust to one crop for success, even 

 when prices are high; do not devote all your land and 

 effort to a single interest, no matter what the rate of 

 profit was in a previous season. One reason is that you 

 may fail to produce a satisfactory crop, and another is 

 that thousands rush to raise a product for which there 

 seems to be an unusual demand. This breaks the market. 

 It would be easy for American farmers to raise so many 

 potatoes that they could not get fifty cents a bushel for 

 them. However, when the market gets too low to afford 

 a profit, this product is excellent food, when boiled, for 

 poultry and hogs. 



