38 SWEET POTATO CULTURE. 



back, working the rows in which, the vines were first 

 placed. To turn the vines, our men use a stick about 

 fire feet long, with a hook, to save the labor of stooping ; 

 with this they pull the vines easily, without bruising 

 them, from one valley, or balk, to the other/' (A light, 

 f our-tined, pronged hoe, used as a rake for destroying in* 

 cipient weeds, is also used for this purpose). 



"In a very short time, the vines run from one ridge 

 or hill to the other, and cover the whole surface, and the 

 land will, or ought to, be nearly level as soon as the loose 

 earth settles. The potato roots ought to be so near the 

 top soil that, in August, when we walk over the patch or 

 field, the ground can be seen cracking, where the roots 

 are forming around the stem of the mother plant. 



"My impression is that too deep covering of soil will 

 injure the development and size of the roots ; and fail- 

 ure is often attributed to soil when, in truth, it is due 

 to improper management and cultivation. 



"It frequently happens, in cloudy and rainy seasons, 

 that the vines root of their own accord in the balks, 

 forming little clips, so that many persons go over the 

 ground and break their connection with the soil." 



New Jersey Culture. — The cultivation should com- 

 mence just before the weeds make their appearance. For 

 this purpose some recommend a one-horse Thomas' 

 Smoothing Harrow, "a round" to a row ; sometimes it 

 is best to remove one tooth, to allow the remainder to 

 straddle the row at that point. This is Mr. Allen's mode. 

 He recommends for the next working the use of a broad- 

 toothed cultivator, and the next also, and a careful hoe- 

 ing between these two operations. Soon after the last 

 working, if the growth of the vines is rampant, it will 

 be necessary to turn the vines out of the way, as prac- 

 tised by Dr. Briggs, working every other balk, and turn- 

 ing back and finishing. ("Balks, or middles, are the 



