34 THE POTATO CROP. 



summer following. When the field is quite cleaned of all 

 the weeds, perennial and annual, the ploughs may be sent, 

 and the land left with a good, deep, winter furrow. Manure 

 is rarely applied to the potato land in the autumn, but 

 reserved for the planting time in the spring. No good 

 reason, however, appears to support this practice, neither 

 is there one reason why the manure, when applied before 

 the winter ploughing, should not exert the same good in- 

 fluence on the succeeding potato crop, as we are inclined 

 to allow that it does when preparing the land for beans 

 or for mangold. If the stock of farmyard manure will 

 admit of it then, we should recommend that it be applied 

 at the time of winter ploughing, rather than in the spring 

 at planting time remembering always, that as potatoes 

 are almost invariably planted on ridges, the manure used 

 should be in such a state of decomposition as to get 

 thoroughly incorporated with the soil, and offer no resist- 

 ance to the ploughs in forming the ridges for planting in 

 the spring. If the manure were applied in a fresh or 

 green state, its decomposition would go on so slowly in 

 the soil, during the winter months, that it would turn up 

 with the plough and spoil the work of ridging; whereas, 

 if well rotted before it is ploughed in, a turn across the 

 farrows with the grubber or cultivator in the spring would 

 insure its distribution through the soil, which, at the same 

 time, would be opened and dried by the operation, and 

 generally in a fit state for ridging up at once for the crop. 

 In the north, and in the well-farmed potato districts 

 generally, it is customary to manure heavily for the 

 potato crop 20 to 30 tons of farmyard dung and from 

 3 to 5 cwts. of Peruvian guano being frequently applied. 

 If the dung be given, as recommended, in the winter, the 

 guano or other artificial manure would be all that would 

 be given in the spring, and this may be applied broadcast 

 on the surface previous to ridging. In all cases the guano 



