The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1874-05-14
Potatoes IN Drills.

MY methOO lS-plOW IN Lne AalI % carly
in the spring as possible draw on barn
yard manure, twenty-five horse loads to
the acre, spreading from the wagon; har.
row we'll; then with two-horse hoe
drill the land thirty inches apart; into
these drills drop the seed (cut some time
previous into two eyes to set) twelve
inches apart; cover the seed with the 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 must be covered by hand tor a dis
lance equal to the length of the team;
should the potato patch be away from the
fence there will be no necessity Tor using
any hand labor.
So much for the planting. Now for the
process of cultivation. Use a one-horse
cultivator once week, as soon as the
potatoes appear above the ground, which
will be in about three weeks. Cultivate
as close as possible to them, removing
with hand hoe the weeds in the rows BE-
tween them. When large enough to hoe
take two-horse hoe and hill up moder-
ately, not so high as to cover the potatoes;
at the same time let man pass along the
rows and wherever they are covered let
him remove the earth from them, and II
there are any weeds between the potatoes
in the rows clean them out also; ms
does for the first hoeing. When they re-
ouire second hoelng repeat the process,
this time bringing the earth we'll about
them. After this do not touc b them again
till harvesting.
This is done with pair of horses and a
small double mold board pillow. Run the
1ovr rn rot hpInw 1hQ
potatoes, 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 before plOw-
ing out the alternate ones. After all are
plOwed and picked up, toward evenin G
harrow over the ground and pick up those
that are turned out with the harrow,
which will be few, if the blowing is thor
oughly done. pr
I NEGLECTED to mention that before be.
gin to pillow pull the tops, if they are
large, but if small they are not in the
way, and vii; not trouble you.
The method of picking is: Two boys
take q bushel basket and pick two rows at
once, picking only the large or merchant
able ones, leaving the small ones on the
ground, which are picked up by one boy
with half bushel basket. By this method
the potatoes are assorted in the field, the
merchantable ones going either to the
cars for market or into the cellar. The
small ones are drawn to the pie pens for
the pigs, or to the COW stables for the
mich cows. i-@
Last season had four acres of potatoes
harvested in the manner here described.
A laborer who assisted at the digging re-
ouested the privilege of following the
pillow and picking what he could find ;
this was granted him, and the result to
him was one and half bushels when the
lard was plowed for next seasons crop
fall kinds, small and large) from the four
acres. - f1f ~.
consider each horse, and the pillow, as
good as a man each, at the digging. My
trouble il to get : sufficient number OF
boys to pick up. I 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.-
Country Gentlemen.