SECOND REPORT ON POTATO CULTURE. 



In Bulletin 130 of this station was published the results of experi- 

 ments in potato culture for 1895 and 1896. Those two years were 

 remarkable in that the potato crop was an enormous one, the supply 

 being far greater than the demand. Farmers were unable to dispose 

 of all of them at satisfactory prices, and many bushels were fed to 

 stock or allowed to go to waste. With these conditions prevailing, it 

 was not remarkable that a bulletin telling how to increase the yield of 

 potatoes should not awaken great interest on the part of the farmers. 

 They felt that already too many potatoes were being grown, and that 

 information as to how the yield could be increased was not neces- 

 sary. 



During the present year the conditions have radically changed. 

 Owing to the ravages of the potato blight over nearly the entire state 

 it was found upon harvesting the potato crop that in certain localities 

 from 50 to 75 per cent, had rotted. The effect of this upon the 

 market has been very decided. The prevailing price, instead of being 

 from 10 to 25 cents, is from 50 to 75 cents per bushel. 



In spite of adverse conditions, the potato crop on the station 

 grounds was one of the best grown during the three years' trials. 

 Whiie the average crop of the state this year was only from 50 to 65 

 bushels per acre, the yield on the station ground was over 300 bushels 

 per acre. This yield was obtained not by the liberal use of fertilizer 

 or manure, as two forage crops and one corn crop have previously 

 been removed from the land since the application of any manure or 

 fertiHzer. The soil, instead of being naturally more fertile than 

 ordinary soils, has been found by analysis to be carrying only about 

 one-half the total amount of plant food carried by the average soil 

 (see Bulletin 130). The satisfactory results obtained can only be 

 ascribed to the culture and treatment given as described in this bulle- 

 tin and in the former bulletin, No. i 30. 



