Foe the Southern States. 85 



results. When ploughed at thdt season, the sod has ample time to 

 decompose before planting the crop, particularly if slaked lime at the 

 rate of one to two barrels per acre be spread broad-cast before turning 

 the sod under. With new land, it is to be observed, that lime is even 

 more necessary than with old, not only to facilitate and hasten the 

 decomposition of the vegetable matter in the soil, but to neutralize the 

 acid which prevails to a greater or less extent in all new lands except 

 limestone formations. Moreover the potato requires time in some 

 form to absorb any excess of moisture. It has been observed repeatedly 

 that, where lime has been applied to the land before planting, the 

 potato is rarely affected by disease ; and tubers produced on such land 

 are preserved much more easily and for a greater length of time. In 

 the North the question of preserving potatoes, provided they be fully 

 matured, presents no difficulty ; but in the South, where the crop is 

 harvested much earlier, few persons attempt to keep potatoes from one 

 season to the next, unless they be from a very late crop gathered in 

 autumn. But, as will be seen further on, there is no great difficulty 

 about it, although few seem to be aware of it. 



The land should be thoroughly prepared, as for any other crop, by 

 thoroughly ploughing and pulverizing it. The fertilization of the soil 

 is of the utmost importance ; and I have found that one-half of the 

 fertilizers should be applied broad-cast before planting, and ploughed 

 under. 



Supposing that you have in August or September scattered one or 

 two barrels of lime, after it has been slaked, per acre on your sod or 

 new land and turned it under, it should remain till about the first of 

 February in this section. Then scatter broad-cast one-half of your 

 fertilizer and plough the same in, and harrow until the soil is well pul- 

 verized. Open deep furrows about three and a half feet apart, by running 

 the turn-plough first one way and then the other. Now drop your cut 

 potatoes about tvv^elve to fifteen inches apart, and on toj) of the same 

 scatter pine straw or leaves to the depth of about two inches. Oak 

 leaves from the woods are better than pine straw, but not so readily 

 obtained in large quantities. But even pine straw is a fertilizer not to 

 be despised. In the absence of leaves or pine straw, wheat chaff, rice 

 chaff, or wheat straw will serve admirably ; and if partly rotted they 

 will be the better. Then all act as a mulch to keep the potato-roots 

 cool and moist. The next step is to cover the potatoes lightly, not over 

 three inches, by running a small turn-plough on one side only of the 

 furrow, thus throwing back less than half of the soil turned out in 

 making the deep furrow. As soon as the potatoes commence to break 

 through the soil, scatter one-fourth of your fertilizer along the drills 

 or furrows on top of the potatoes ; then with the small plough throw 

 over the potatoes and fertilize the soil from that side of the furrow 

 which was not touched at the covering. In a short time the potatoes 

 will again break ground, when the remaining fourth of the fertilizer 

 should be scattered over them, and covered by a furrow on each side 

 of the row. When the potatoes appear for the third time and grow to 

 be six or eight inches high they should again be hilled up with a large 

 plough or sweep, so as to leave but the ends out of the ground. This 

 is all the cultivation required, except to keep out any grass that may 

 make its appearance. In the rows tufts of grass can, it will be found, 



