Tlieie is no farm crop which needs soil so thoroughly worked and kept loose and porous as the potato. Plow deep, usingasubsoilplowto follow 
ordinary plow if you have one, and take pains to work the ground up light as possible, and keep it so while crop is growing. 
We would cut the seed to not more than two eyes to a piece, and if an expensive varietj', to one eye only, taking care at all times to leave as 
much flesh of the potato on each cutting as the tuber will admit, and plant in drills three feet apart, dro'])ping one piece in a place, say 16 inches apart. 
Cover seed from three to five inches deep according to soil, whether he.-ivy or light. This, if your drill has been properly made, and deep enough will 
leave the centre of drill directly over seed a little below level of the field, which howeverwill be leveled up during cultivation. Never do any hilling up 
during hoeing or cultivating. Keep the ground as near level as possible at all times, thus preventing the ground in the drills from drying out and 
getting the natural and full benefit of all rain fall, which cannot be had where hilling up is done. Three or four daj-s after planting, it is advisable to 
go over the field with a smoothing harrow, to perfectly level and smooth the ground, and in about as many daj's more go over it again keei)ing horses 
each time between the rows so as not to tread on seed, which will loosen up the soil nicel3', and kill an3- weeds that may have started. The next thing 
will be to cultivate, which should be done soon as potatoes are up so rows are plainly seen, and give them the cultivator once a week until blossoms 
set; or oftcner in case of a heavy rain to pack the ground. 
KEEPING POTATOES THROUGH THE WINTER. 
The best plan is of course to store in a cool, dry, frost proof cellar, excluding all light, and keeping temperature as near 38 degrees as jjossible. 
Many farmers however haven't cellar capacity, in which case the next best plan is to bury them as follows: Put them in piles, first covering with 
straw, and let them sweat out, and when placing in the pit for winter, sec that no unsound ones get in to pollute othere. For your ijermanent winter 
pit, select a cool dry spot where no water will stand. Uetter if it is on north side of buildings or hedge, so it will not thaw so readily. Select a cold 
morning when cloudy and just above freezing. The ground is then cold, and you can also cool the potatoes off nicely as you get them ready for the 
covering. For a hundred bushel lot, make a pile thirty feet long ami fom- feet wide, and pile as high as possible on this base. Pile potatoes right on 
top of ground (don't dig any hole or trench for them.) The pile made, put on a good layer of straw, laying around the base first and then above, 
lapping over and finalh- topping out with a layer of forkfuUs. The idea is to so place the straw as to shed water. Now on top of this covering of 
straw, place four inches of earth. This earth should be taken out 2Mi feet back from the base of the potato pile, all around, leaving this 2\<i foot base 
to build the cover on. When this four inches of earth is partly frozen, and before any risk of a heavy freeze, put on another layer of straw same as the 
first, and on top of this one foot of earth, making it all even thickness all the way, and thus keep your pile steep enough to shed water. Spank down 
all around smooth and solid with shovel. Now, let it stand this way until the ground is frozen up. This aecotniilished, cover the whole pile four to 
six feet thick with another eovei-ing of straw and four feet out all around from the pile. This will keep the frost in your layer of dirt which is securelj' 
covered with straw, and cold nor heat can get at your potatoes. They arc in an air tight space. You can, by leaving the straw on, keep them very 
late in spring. 
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