52 BULLETIN 320, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 
This is primarily a potato-growing section, with a sandy or sandy- 
loam soil 8 to 12 inches deep, underlain with a heavier sandy-loam 
subsoil, which is often gravelly. This area is almost level, and since 
the soil is of a sandy character practically no drainage is required 
except on the low lands, where big drainage ditches are cut every 
mile or so. 
The leading roads have been macadamized, and the country is 
fairly prosperous. Practically all the farms are worked by their 
owners, with some hired labor for harvesting crops. The farms 
range from 150 to 200 acres in size, with 125 to 150 acres tillable, 
but a considerable part of this area is usually in pasture. 
As a general rule no definite rotations are practiced, but usually 
potatoes are planted on sod land, and corn is either grown on sod 
land or follows potatoes. Corn is followed by rye or oats, and 
potatoes, when not followed by corn, are followed with rye or oats. 
Timothy and clover is often sown with rye and oats. This crop is 
cut for hay the first year and allowed to stand another year for 
pasture. Hardly enough fruit or truck is grown to supply home 
demands, but the muck areas are well adapted to trucking, and 
cranberries are grown in favorable sections. 
The principal sources of income are from potatoes and grain. 
Enough dairy farms are maintained to supply local demands, and 
enough hogs are produced to supply meat for the local markets. 
The tillage methods are exceptionally uniform in this region. 
About half the corn land is broken in the fall and half in the spring 
with 2-horse and 3-horse plows. Then, before planting, the land is 
harrowed once with a disk and once with a spike-tooth harrow. 
Practically all the corn is planted level, and about half the planting 
is in checks 3J feet apart each way, with two stalks to the hill. 
About one-half is planted in drills 3^ feet apart, with one stalk every 
10 or 12 inches in the drill. Most of the planting is done with a 
2-horse 2-row planter, but some farmers in checking plant by hand. 
After planting, the field is gone over with a spike-tooth harrow 
once and with a weeder once. After this most of the cultivating 
is done with a 2-horse 6-shovel cultivator. The 2-horse 8-shovel, 
the 2-horse 10-shovel spring-tooth, and the 5-shovel 1 -horse culti- 
vators are used by a few farmers. After going over the field twice 
with the spike-tooth harrow or weeder, usually three cultivations 
are given. 
Practically no cover crops are grown. Xo commercial fertilizer 
is used. Stable manure is usually applied to the sod land before 
breaking for potatoes. 
The early white dent varieties of corn are principally grown. 
The most prevalent weeds are foxtail, wild buckwheat, ragweed, 
quack-grass, and pigweed. 
