POTATOES* 
$3 
way, the earth boards on either sides of this plough can 
beset wider or narrower by screws ; it is also adapted for 
hoeing cabbages, or any other crop in rows, at a proper 
distance ; he reckons to grow from 300 to 400 bushels 
per acre, of 80lb. to the bushel; and has grown annually 
about four acres; sold them, in 1806, at £0l. per acre 
growing; the buyer getting them up, but he drawing 
them to Birmingham, about six miles distance. 
Mr. Carpenter says, potatoes were known in England 
a little before the year 1600; they succeed on any soil, 
but best, both in quantity and quality upon light land; 
lie prefers growing them after turnips, as they want no 
other manure, and it ensures a clean crop. The mode 
he adopts is to give the land a first ploughing and har¬ 
rowing, and then to plough the -whole field in two fur¬ 
row ridges, the furrows of a moderate breadth ; women 
and children then drop the seed in each opening at six 
inches a part; this done, draw, with one horse, a light 
pair of harrows across the furrows to cover the sets ; 
the land being in a clean fertile state requires hoeing or 
moulding but once; and at gathering the crop, there 
being no weeds, prevents much trouble and expense. 
In addition to these methods, large quantities of po¬ 
tatoes are set by hand in holes made by a dibble or 
setting stick, both after digging and the plough. Mr. 
C. relates a case of two day labourers, who, in his 
neighbourhood, in the spring of the year 1800, gave a 
guinea for an acre of waste land to plant with potatoes ; 
they pared and burnt it by moonlight after their daily la¬ 
bour, spread the ashes, and paid for ploughing them in; 
the crop proved so good, and the price of potatoes so 
high, that they shared 4(1. between them, besides re¬ 
serving plenty of potatoes for their families. 
USES 
