■Rural School LeafleI". 



log: 



properly and some of the ears may thus be spoiled. Six weeks of good 

 autumn weather will cure the corn shocks sufficiently for husking. 

 If one does not care for the fodder the ears will be better if left on the 

 standing stalks until the latter are dead and dry and the ears are thor- 

 oughly ripened. After husking, corn ears should be stored where air 

 can circulate between them but where rats and mice can not get in. 



-Q^ 



GROWING POTATOES 



J. L. Stone 



Potatoes will grow on a variety of soils but they thrive best in a deep, 

 rich, mellow loam. Avoid clay and sand, though good potatoes may 

 be grown on sand if it can be made rich enough and does not get too dry. 

 Land for potatoes should be plowed deeply, but in the case of land that 

 has had only shallow tillage in the past, it is not safe to turn up more 

 than about one inch of " new dirt " at a time. 



An inverted clover sod is excellent, as is also a corn stubble that was 

 heavily manured for the corn crop. It is best to manure heavily the 

 previous crop, but it is better to apply manure directly to the potato 

 crop rather than to plant on an insiifficiently manured soil. Plowing 

 should be done as soon after oat-sowing as the conditions of soil will 

 permit. Then the soil should be harrowed to make a deep, mellow, 

 seed bed. 



Unless the land is abundantly fertile it is well to use commercial 



fertilizers on the potato crop. On the sandy soils of Long Island and 



New Jersey a ton per acre of a fertilizer containing 4% nitrogen, 8% 



phosphoric acid and 10% potash is frequently applied. On the richer, 



loamy soils of New York 125 to 200 pounds of the following may be 



applied on the quarter acre: 



20 lbs. nitrate of soda 

 30 lbs. "dried blood 

 120 lb.s. dissolved rock 

 30 lbs. muriate of potash 



