Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-05-29

before The plants were up, doing the cuI-
tfvating e the rate Of twelve acres
day, and the dragging at the rate Of
twenty acres q day. Next, IS the tops
were fairly showing above ground, ran
the dOuble-shovel plows once over the
lot. which earthed the rows up into fair
ridges and covered about two inches 81
earth over the growing plantR. This is
the most important and particular work
that the crop win require this season,
for On its thoroughness viii hinge the
question Of weeds or no weeds for this
whole crop. II 8 spot as large a nv
hand Is left which Is neither cut nor
covered by these pIows there win prob.
ably be from one 20 half dozen weeds
there to be destroyed il some other way
in the course Of the summer but Il
sure work Is made Of this Job Il viii be
almost impossible for ever 50 weedy
land to produce one of its kind with
this crop, provided, Of course, that the
after (hoTse) tillage Is properly done.
And as for the potatoes, they viii very
soon after this push their heads mp
through this light, fine earth, and in
fact really stand as well hilIed up and
the plants as nicely surrounded with
fresh, fine earth as the best workman
would do the same by hand. And as /
run two such plows at q time amounted
same as the cultivators) doing at the
rate Of twelve acres day, reckon that
/ can do more and better work of this
kind in a day than twenty-five men
could do with the hoe at the same time.
These plows being held and gagged so
true to their work by the machine are
pretty sure 70 make thorough job Of
this. About q week after this was done
they were cultivated as before, and 10
potato bugs were seen on the vines, but
as never use the poison remedies for
them, went q few days later, July 5,
just month from the time of planting
them, the potatoes standing now ten
inches high, taking narrow single in
each hand between which to crush every
bug ! could find in the field. but gave
up the job after going three or four
rounds, finding ne'er bug.
But four days later Ia passing over the
field again with the cultivator / saw q
few hills with their Larvae on, so to-day,
July 10, armed with pair Of leather
mitts and garden trowel went through
the field In order, taking two rows at q
time, and with the trowel taking out any
thistle or freweed or milkweed that
might be N the hills and also with il
crushing any potato beetles or slugs that
Knight find, and found three Of the
old bugs and six or eight hills infested
with some OF their young. To make q
thorough cleaning Of the three-acre field
both for bugs and weeds required about
three-fourths of days work. AS for
all ordinary, annual weeds it is impos-
sible for them to ever obtain footing
so as to grow in crop that is given such
tillage. This have proved by years OF
practice and with hundreds Of acres Of
crops, but with the three weeds above
mentioned, and possibly with some
others growing similarly, If they come
up in the hills they must be removed by
hand, for no implement can discriminate
between them and the potatoes.
After q week or two / shall look
through the field again to destroy any
stray bug or weed that may there be
found, and that. with two or three more
jobs of proper tillage, will be expected
to insure good clean culture, and IS good
q crop of potatoes as this field under the
most favorable conditions of manage
ment and tillage will produce. AS to
the efficiency OF machine cutting and
planting OF the potatoes / refer the al
most daily inquirer 10 the field, which
shows for itself. / would say to the
reader that look over the field shows
it to be q very good stand of potatoes
for crop, and by counting along differ
ent rows to see how many hills would be
missing ] counted $50, again 160, and
again 112 continuous hills without one
missing, and then with one hill gone;
the vacant space being forty inches was
but little more than is ordinarily left be-
tween hills, and leaves for the field
nearly twice as many hills to Ike acre as
ia ordinary row planting. This. as well
as am able to state il, Is my best man
agement Of the potato crop.