46 THE POTATO CROP. 



be used, it requires to be held considerably on one side ol 

 the row of plants, otherwise it must return down the 

 drill to throw out the tubers on the other (land) side. The 

 work, however, may be effected by the double mouldboard 

 plough at one operation, which, passing down the centre, 

 opens up the row equally, and throws out the tubers of 

 both sides at the same time. 



An improvement in the plough for potato lifting was 

 devised some short time since by Mr. Lawson, of Elgin, 1 

 who substituted for the ordinary shaped mouldboard a set 

 of six iron bars, joined together in the form of a gridiron or 

 " brander," and of the same size as the mouldboard. This 

 skeleton mouldboard, when the plough is in motion, allows 

 the soil to pass partly through it, instead of being all turned 

 aside as by the ordinary mouldboard, and thus leaves the 

 tubers uncovered and exposed at the side. This arrange- 

 ment may be applied equally well to the double mouldboard 

 plough as to the single. A machine, " Hanson's Potato- 

 digger/' has < recently been introduced to public notice, 

 for the express purpose of lifting the tubers from the soil. 

 The working parts of the machine, which is carried on a 

 pair of large wheels, with a small steerage pair in front, 

 consist of a flat broad share, cutting below the soil hori- 

 zontally, close above which a set of revolving forks, 

 actuated by the driving-wheels, and working at right 

 angles to the share, catch hold of and throw out the tubers 

 with which they come in contact. A strong net is attached 

 to the side of the machine to catch the tubers, which, fall- 

 ing to the ground, are left lying in a row, following the line 

 of movement of the machine. The work performed has 

 been considered highly satisfactory by those who have 

 witnessed its operation in the field. 



When the plough is used for turning out the potatoes, 

 it should be followed closely by the harrows, for the pur- 



1 Drawing and description given in Farm Implements and Machines, p. 202. 



