POTATO. 



195 



four inches deep, at sixteen inch intervals, in rows three feet 

 apart. This work may be done by furrowing out with the plow 

 or horse hoe, planting by hand and covering the sets with the 

 plow, though when planted on a large scale the work is generally 

 done by a potato planter. There are several excellent potato 

 planters on the market. Some good growers prefer to plant the 

 sets in check rows three feet apart each way when the land is 

 weedy, but so much space between the plants is not generally 

 desirable, since under ordinary circumstances thorough harrow- 

 ing when the crop is young will destroy all weeds. If the sets 

 are planted four inches deep, very little hilling up is required; 

 if planted much deeper the digging is quite difficult; if planted 

 nearer the surface, the tubers are liable to push out of the 

 ground and require to be hilled up, ^ which is not desirable. The 

 land should be harrowed or thoroughly cultivated with a Breed's 

 Weeder as soon as the smallest weeds can be seen or a crust 

 forms on the land after planting. It is entirely practicable to 

 harrow potatoes at least three times, the first time just before 

 the plants show, the second when they are just above ground 

 and the third when the plants are three or four inches high. 

 Little if any harm will be done the plants by this work, provid- 

 ing a slanting tooth harrow is used. Such treatment will do 

 more to remove weeds than a good hand hoeing, and the expense 

 of the operation is almost nothing. If the work is properly done, 

 there is seldom any need of hand work with this crop. Subse- 

 quent cultivation should consist in keeping the soil loose between 

 the rows, and a little earth should be thrown against the plants. 

 For this purpose a good horse hoe will do excellent work, but a 

 still better implement is a two-horse cultivator that works both 

 sides of the row at one operation. It is not a good plan to hill 

 up potatoes, and it should not be done unless they are pushing 

 out of the ground, when they will turn green if not covered up. 

 Cultivation should be thorough when the plants are young but 

 is not desirable after the tops have made most of their growth. 



Digging Potatoes. — Early potatoes are generally dug as soon 

 as they are big enough for cooking if there is a good market for 

 them; for winter use it is very desirable to have the tubers well 

 ripened; if not ripe the skin will peel off when handled, and 

 they do not look well. When potatoes are high in price it may 



