THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



211 



the converse is true, necessitating a distance of three 

 feet to give room for the luxuriant growth. The differ- 

 ence in soil has much bearing upon this part of our 

 subject. Heavy land has a tendency to produce a small 

 growth of tops, while sandy land is usually productive 

 of a more vigorous growth. Where potatoes are planted 

 in hills or checks, the distance is usually from thirty 

 to thirty-six inches each way. The great difficulty of 

 planting in checks by machinery will gradually dis- 

 place the practice for drill clilture. 



When planting by hand a double mould-board 

 plow is best for opening the furrow. Baskets or sacks 

 strapped over the shoulder render the work as easy as 

 possible. For covering, a plow will answer in absence 

 of a Victor Coverer or Planet Jr. Horse Hoe, both of 

 which are good tools. 



Hand planters are used to some extent. The land 

 is prepared by marking the field both ways. As with 

 hand corn planters, they are pressed into the ground 

 at the intersection of the marks. Although a load of 

 potatoes has still to be carried, the work of covering 

 is done away with. 



Planting by machinery. In modern potato cul- 

 ture the Aspinwall Planter is regarded as indispensable. 



Figure 7. POTATO PLANTER. 



The scarcity and high price of labor has made it 

 a necessity. It enables planting the seed at any depth 

 required, which is also uniform. This is scarcely pos- 

 sible with hand methods. Another important feature 

 is, covering the seed with moist earth. Cut seed unless 

 so covered will often fail to come up when the weather 

 is dry. Unlike whole seed, the pieces contain pro- 

 portionally less nutriment for supporting the sprouts, 

 which in dry soil receive nothing through the young 

 rootlets. With very small pieces (such as contain but 

 one eye) the nutriment frequently becomes exhausted 

 before sufficient, moisture is supplied by rain. In any 

 event, many of the plants from small and withered 

 pieces are feeble as compared with those of larger seed. 

 When one can ride and plant five acres per day in rows 

 beautifully straight, the seed deposited at a uniform 

 depth, and distribute fertilizer if desired, it is an ap- 

 peal to every intelligent potato grower, especially when 

 a large saving in expense is presented, besides personal 

 comfort and ability to accomplish the work when de- 

 sired. Cultivation of the crop is rendered much easier 

 where the seed is planted straight, also the driving 

 where machinery is employed to harvest the crop. Al- 

 though the Aspinwall Planter has given almost uni- 

 versal satisfaction for twenty-five years, the change in 

 planting from small to large seed has necessitated 

 greater capacity of the pickers in the handling of large 

 seed. The Aspinwall Planter No. 3 fulfills this re- 

 quirement perfectly, and, withal, will drop ninety-nine 

 per cent good. In this age of technicalities, potato 



growers everywhere are demanding better machinery, 

 as well as methods of culture. 



The cultivation of the crop has materially changed 

 within twenty-five years, hand work being almost super- 

 seded. Under present methods, the first operation is 

 to harrow the field about one week before the potatoes 

 come up, using a light harrow or weeder. If, when 

 planting, the planter coverers have been set to ridge 

 the rows, the harrowing will destroy all weeds and level 

 the ground. The best plan is to traverse the field 

 lengthways, keeping the horses between the rows so as 

 to avoid treading on the potatoes, which are soon to 

 emerge from the soil. If possible, the work should be 

 done in pleasant weather, when a few hours of sunshine 

 will destroy most of the young weeds. 



In about a week the plants will appear in clean 

 rows, when the cultivators should be brought into use. 

 With machine work, the potatoes are planted in a per- 

 fect line, which enables setting the cultivators much 

 closer than for hand methods. Close cultivation not 

 only destroys weeds but admits air and light near the 

 plant roots. It is the practice of some growers to har- 

 row once or twice after the potatoes are up. By using a 

 light slanting tooth harrow or weeder, and traversing 

 the field crossways, but few plants will be injured. The 

 complete destruction of young weeds will more than 

 compensate for the slight injury. Between each har- 

 rowing, deep cultivation is necessary, though less close 

 to the young plants each time. Keeping the soil loose, 

 not only admits air and moisture, but allows the earth 

 to expand for potato growth. Among the many valu- 

 able wheel cultivators it is difficult to decide which 

 is best. Where level culture is the practice, the last 

 cultivating should be substantially as the first, except 

 to set the cultivator so as to hill the row sufficiently 

 to cover any weeds which begin to appear. A moderate 

 quantity of earth is also necessary to protect those po- 

 tatoes nearest the surface from becoming sunburnt 

 or green. For hill culture the cultivator should be set 

 to draw the earth toward the rows. By hilling potatoes, 

 the late growth of weeds is more effectually destroyed 

 than with level culture. Ordinarily the last cultivating 

 should not be later than when the field is in bloom, 

 however it is advisable whenever young weeds are nu- 

 merous, or the ground hard. Clean and deep cultiva- 

 tion should be the motto of every potato grower. Clover 

 sod is generally productive of fewer weeds and less 

 likely to become hard than land which is heavily 

 manured from year to year. 



DESTRUCTION OF THE POTATO BUG AND TREATMENT OF 

 THE BLIGHT. 



Figure 8. BUG AND LARVAE NATURAL SIZE. 

 A. EGGS. B. EGGS MAGNIFIED. 



Spraying potato foliage with Paris Green or Lon- 

 don Purple to prevent (its destruction by bugs, and with 



