298 ANNUAL REJPORT OP THB Off. Doc. 



cind cavities undeiiieatli, which otherwise would tend to cut off the 

 moisture from working up into the surface soil. Such an operation 

 will also make it comparatively easier for the implements of surface 

 tillage to do perfect work, and will increase the Avater-holding 

 power of the soil. The spring-tooth harrow is a good implement 

 to be used after the roller, and should not be spared until the 

 soil is thoroughly pulverized to almost the depth plowed, and 

 until it has attained the proper tilth and texture necessary for 

 a growing crop of potatoes to do its best. For common field 

 culture, medium early potatoes planted not later than the 25th 

 of April always gave best results for me. A variety that is natu- 

 rally inclined to grow vigorous, heavy stalks, with such an abund- 

 ance of leaf surface, when full grown, as to cover and shade the 

 ground between the rows to the greatest possible extent, is the 

 most desirable and will generally produce the heaviest yield. The 

 ground being thus shaded, the hot rays of the sun and the drying 

 v.'inds will be more or less excluded, and prevented from licking 

 up the soil moisture so requisite to transform organic matter into 

 available plant food, and convey the same into the living plants, 

 not to mention the effect it will have in smothering the young weeds 

 that would otherwise be tempted to grow up and rot the potato 

 plants, both of moisture and of plant food. 



However, to still further promote thj chances of securing a crop 

 attended with such characteristics, I usually apply a complete com- 

 mercial fertilizer, especially rich in potash and nitrogen, with a 

 fair proportion of available i)hosphoric acid. 



I want to emphasize the fact that you can hardly furnish your 

 potato crop with too large an amount of plant food, providing it 

 consists of the three principal ingredients, balanced in conformit}- 

 with the requirements of the crop. 



For the last five or six years I always had my fertilizer mixed 

 ;tt the factory, according to a formula of my own, furnishing a 

 guaranteed analysis of 4 per cent, nitrogen, 7^ per cent, available 

 phosphoric acid and 10 per cent, actual potash. The nitrogen is 

 equally derived from nitrate of soda and high grade dried blood; 

 the phosphoric acid from dissolved South Carolina rock, and the 

 potash from high grade suli)hate. The nitrogen will furnish an 

 ample supply of immediately available plant food to push the 

 growth of the young plants onward until the more slowly acting 

 organic nitrogen, in the form of dried blood, becomes available, 

 and will carry their thrifty growth to the end of the growing- 

 season. Suli)liate is preferable to muriate of potash, inasmuch 

 that a large percentage of chlorine or common salt is combined with 

 the latter, whirl) exerts a vcn-y deleterious effect on potatoes, by 

 impairing quality and uniformity of size. 



