TAKING-UP OF THE ROOT CROPS. 359 



the plough. The work of the women is to take each one 

 row, and put the potatoes into baskets, having two or 

 three men to empty them into the cart ready for taking 

 them to the place of storing, generally called a pie or a pit. 

 Formerly most potatoes were put in a hole a foot deep, 

 hence I suppose the reason they are called pits. But I do 

 not approve of that plan, as the potatoes at the bottom 

 often rot, caused by the wet. The best way is to have 

 them made into a pie in the shape of a roof, on a piece of 

 dry level ground, and covered with straight wheat straw, 

 and about 3 in. thick of soil, except on the top, which 

 should be left a few weeks without any. If the pies are 

 made in warm dry weather, and covered with 4 or 5 in. 

 of soil all over, they would probably heat and many of 

 them rot. This was the case in many places this year. 

 Potatoes were ripe in September, and growers were anxious 

 to have them stored during the fine weather, which, it will 

 be remembered, was very hot; consequently those potatoes 

 which had too much soil put on them, before the heat had 

 got out of the pies, were in some instances completely 

 spoiled. The best way of getting the potatoes taken up 

 is to let them to people to get out of the rows and put 

 into the cart, which will cost from 12s. to 15s. per acre, 

 including harrowings and pickings twice over. After they 

 are got out of the rows, the land should be harrowed, and 

 the tops taken away to the compost heap, and afterwards 

 I would have it harrowed across, so that all those potatoes 

 which are near the surface may be gathered and saved 

 from injury by the frost. There will be a few left which 

 may be picked when the land is ploughed. When the po- 

 tatoes have been in the pies three or four weeks, I would 

 have another covering of soil put on all over, to protect 

 them from the weather; or, if there were any diseased, it 

 would be wise to turn them over, and sort out all bad ones 

 to be used for cattle and pigs, and pie the good ones down 

 again to remain until they were sent to market." 



156. The following on the same subject from another 

 authority will be useful : " Before the appearance of the 



