344 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



&c. The state of perfection you must aim at, is to make your 

 land as dry and free as oatmeal ! About the begining of follow- 

 ing April, you harrow the land, then plow it again in a dry time 

 always, and harrow it. If it is not yet reduced to a fine tilth, you 

 must plow it again ! Now no harrowing ! Set your potatoes for 

 sprouting — the earth being left as light as possible. When 

 sprouted set them in your field, by means of a spade, making a 

 two inch deep place for them. When a tuber has many sprouts 

 cut them in two lengthwise, never crosswise. If the land be not 

 rich enough, put a little guano below the potatoes, not on them. 

 Some of your folks never use a line, they take great pains with 

 the first furrow, and then keep an eye to it. About a fortnight 

 after the setting, a small light harrow is drawn over the field to 

 kill weeds — the teeth of this harrow are iron, about three inches 

 long, set in wood, and is drawn by a man instead of a horse. 

 When the plants are distinguished in the rows, flat hoeing begins. 

 In fine weather once, if showery two or three times ! 



When the land is clean of weeds " moulding" begins — lately 

 done by a small iron plow with moulding boards, drawn by one 

 man, while another holds the stilts, (plow handles). The best 

 time for this operation, is either early in the morning or late in 

 the evening — say before 8 o'clock A. M. or after 6 o'clock P. M., 

 for then the plants have drawn up their leaves, and so escape in- 

 jury from the operation ; for if done in the heat of the day, the 

 rootlets would be scorched and the plants would droop. 



To ensure success and command high prices, the sprouts should 

 be at least one inch long, and strong, as large as the stem of a to- 

 bacco pipe, with their tops just covered with green buds, and just 

 bursting into leaf! 



You must keep this crop free of weeds if you have to hoe it 

 every day ! 



Let this sprouting system be tried and the saving of food will 

 be enormous ! 



On Farm-yard Manure, Drainings of Mariure Heaps, and the ab- 

 sorbing properties of Soils: by Dr. Jlugustus Voelcker. 

 It is a prevailing opinion amongst farmers, that the peculiar 

 smell which emanates from dung-heaps, is caused by the escape 



