Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1873-04-04
AGRICULTURAL
Potatoes in Drills.

Eos. COUNTRY GENTLEMAN--Mr. W J.
planting for potatoes.
Ny method is-plow the land in the fall :;
as early in the spring as possible, draw on
harn-yard manure, twenty-five horse loads 10
tile acre, spreading from the wagon harrow
well; then with two-horse hoe drill the land
thirty inches apart in these drills drop the
seed (cut some time previous into two eyes to
a.seD, twelves inches apart; cover the seed
withthe two-horse hoe, by splitting the ridges
turned up in making the drills, using no hand
labor, unless the end of the drill comes up to
the fence--in that case the end of the drill
to the length of the team; should the potato
patch be away from the fence, there will be no
necessity for using any hand labor.
So much for the paintings. Now for the
process of cultivation. Use a one-horse cult
vator once a week, as soon as the potatoes ap-
pear above the ground, which will be in about
three weeks; cultivate as close as possible to
them, removing with a hand-hoe the weeds in
the rows between them; when large enough
TO hoe, take a two-horsc hoe and hill up mod
erately, not so high as to cover the potatoes
at the same time let man pass along the rows
and wherever any are covered let him remove
the earth from them, and if there are any
weeds between the potatoes in the rows, clean
them out also this does the first hoeing.-
When they require second hoeing, repeat the
process, this time bringing the earth well
about them. After this, | do not touch them
again till harvesting.
This is done with pair of horses and a
small double mould-board plow Run the
pillow only low enough to go below the pota-
toes, which will turn them out of the ground
and bring them to the surface. Pillow out only
every other row and pick up the potatoes from
these rows before blowing out the alternate
ones. After all are plowed and picked up, to-
wards evening harrow over the ground and
pick up those that are turned out with the
harrow, which will be few, if the blowing is
thoroughly done.
/ eglected TO mention that before | begin
to pillow pull the tops if they are large but It
small, they are not in the way and will not
trouble you.
The method of picking is Two boys take
n bushel basket and pick two rows at once
picking only the large or merchantable ones,
leaving only the small ones on the ground,
which are picked up by one boy with half
bushel basket. BY this method the potatoes
are asserted in the field, the merchantable ones
going either to the cars for market or into the
cellar the small ones are drawn to the pig
pens for the pigs, or to the COW stable for the
mich cows.
Last season had four acres of potatoes har-
vested in the manner here described. a la
borer who assisted at the digging requested
the privilege of following the pillow and pick
ing what he could find; this was granted him
and the result to him was one and a halfbush-
els when the land was plowed for the next
seasons crops (all kinds, small and large),
from the four acres.
Iconsider each horse and the plow as good
as man each at the digging My trouble is
to.get'a sufficient number of boys to pick up
J would as soon have boys as men; they will
pick as many bushels each as man, and their
labor does not cost over one-third as much.