?2e ANNUAL REi'ORT OJF ThE Off. D06. 



case of ordinary soils, proix^rlj haudled, drilling is to be preferred. 

 Good tillage at the right time gives control of weeds, and the better 

 distribution of the plants gotten by drilling favors the }-ield of crop. 



Applying Fertilizers. — Theoretically all fertilizers should be dis- 

 tributed throughout the soil. The plant roots go everywhere, and 

 the feeders are formed chiefly near the tips of the roots. When avail- 

 able fertility is supplied close to the base of the stalk and there 

 only, the plant roots do not spread as rapidly throughout their whole 

 feeding ground as they should. In a loose soil that demands no deep 

 tillage after the potato plants are up, the fertilizer should) be broad- 

 casted and worked into the ground before planting, or else applied 

 with a fertilizer drill. But experience with rather heavy potato 

 soils leads one to practice some row fertilization. The tillage must 

 be deep later in the season than is favorable to wide root growth, 

 and there should be a full supply of plant food in the row. In such 

 cases it may be a good plan to use the fertilizer drill as a harrow in 

 preparing the seed bed, applying one-half of the fertilizer. The other 

 half may be applied in the row when planting, or later if the deep fur- 

 row with light covering be used. In the case of early potatoes it is 

 often advisable to put all the fertilizer in the row. Planters have 

 fertilizer attachment©. When the planting is done by hand, and tihe 

 fertilizer is put into the furrow before the seed is dropped, it is a 

 good plan to go over the ground with a two-horse wheel cultivator 

 and mix the fertilizer in the furrow. With one narrow shovel on 

 each side of the cultivator, tw^o rows may be prepared at a time. It 

 will be found that a trace chain, fastened to eacJi shovel and let drag 

 behind in the furrow, will push little clods aside and assist greatly 

 in securing an even depth for seed and straight rows. The seed can 

 be dropped by hand in such furrows in lines nearly as straight as 

 those made by a planter. 



But when the deep furrow with light covering is used, the fertilizer 

 for the row may be effectively applied after the planting, and my 

 individual preference is for this way. The potato needs no fer- 

 tilizer for two weeks, or even longer, in the cold spring, because the 

 sprout is fed by the seed piece. If there be nitrate of soda or other 

 soluble carrier of costly nitrogen in the fertilizer, rains waste it. 

 The available phosphoric acid, in my opinion, is most effective when 

 first applied to the soil. There is no better time to apply such fer- 

 tilizers in the row than when the sprouts are ready to come through 

 the little soil that covers the seed pieces. It falls where some of the 

 roots will form, and is ready to push growth. It is practicable to 

 apply with a grain drill having a fertilizer attachment, spreading the 

 horses with long neck-yoke and double-tree so that they have two 

 rows between them. All holes in feed-box may be closed except the 

 ones over the two rows. The drill should have extra large capacity, 

 as is now provided for distribution of ground lime, and then the fer- 



