Tillage, Fertilizing and Eolation 93 



tion down through the middle of the stick. This will 

 leave jaws on either side that stand erect but are readily 

 clasped together. On being released from the hand, 

 they assume their natural position. An instrument 

 known as a shovel or punch may sometimes be used. 

 This may be made from a narrow board with the ends 

 somewhat sharpened, with which a hole is punched, the 

 root inserted in the hole and the ground packed around 

 it. 



When a large acreage is planted, hand-setting is too 

 slow and expensive, and transplanting machines are 

 used which are capable of setting several acres of plants 

 in a day. With these machines it is not necessary to 

 wait for a rain, as they automatically throw a small 

 quantity of water around the roots of each plant as it 

 is being set These machines will set from three to five 

 acres a day. 



Cultivation. (Figs. 8-11.) 



After the potato plants are set in the field, ordinary 



Figure 8. — Five-tooth cultivator. 



