First you get a sharp knife and cut each potato into at least six pieces, being sure each piece has at least two eyes. In harder times it has been known to just plant the peels, and eat the rest of the potato. If the potato has a dark ring inside, discard this one, because your mother will tell you that this potato is diseased and if planted the disease will spread the rot to the whole field.

        Cut these potatoes until the wash tub is filled with seed. Then hitch up old Dick the horse and take him and the potatoes to the garden, which has been tilled and ready. A one horse plow is then hitched to the single tree and your father will guide the plow and Dick up a straight course.

        Gather up your 10 kids, in a row, each with a bucket full of seed potatoes and instruct them to take their shoes off and walk in the deep furrow. Take a step and drop one potato and step on it and continue on until you reach the next kid, who are all stationed up the furrow.

        The plow, coming the other way will cover the seed, and this process, coming and going, will get the job done. The kids will enjoy the cool damp earth on their hot feet, that have been confined in their school shoes all winter.

        After the weather warms up the potatoes will sprout and put out nice green clumps of leaves. Then take the hoe and cut out any weeds that want to compete with the new plant. The mother is usually the one that does most of this work, I think because it is a way to get away from her 10 kids for a while.

        Occasionally the potatoes should be irrigated with the water that has run through the cow barn. One should be cautious, however, not to fertilize to heavily, or this will burn the new potatoes and leave ugly scars on the skins.

        In October, during school break, usually teachers convention and deer hunting time, and after the potato vines have frozen down, gather your 10 kids together for the harvest.

        Since this is usually deer hunting time it is hard to find enough grown boys to help dig potatoes, because they are out hunting deer.

        In this case it is nice to have at least 7 girls--this will do nicely. Then hitch up old Dick again. This time to the potato digger, which is a plow with a gadget that throws the potatoes out on top of the furrow. The kids often call this a clapper, because it makes a clapping sound as it goes up the furrow. Then instruct your 10 kids to follow the plow and fill their buckets with the beautiful big potatoes and pour them into the nearby wagon. Some kids will be instructed to come along behind, on hands and knees, and dig the sides of the furrow towards the center. This is just like treasure hunting because they often find lots of potatoes that the first crew have missed. When you have 10 kids to feed through the winter it is wise to not let any of the potatoes stay out in the garden where they will freeze, and won't even be fit for the pigs.

        Then a team of horses is hitched to the wagon and the potatoes will be carried to the cellar where they can be emptied down the chute, into the dark damp cellar, where the sow bugs reside.

        This whole process will probably last all day, with time out for a good dinner, served by your mother. Mothers are very nice to have around, for all purposes. A family of 10 kids shouldn't be without one. Now the winter supply of potatoes is safe from the cold frosts of winter, and when spring comes this process is repeated, year after year. Thank goodness for GOOD FARM POTATOES.