Several experiments have been tried on the use of 

 Nitrate of Soda as a top-dressing for early potatoes. 

 This was applied at the rate of 100 pounds per acre, l6 7 

 after the potatoes were up and started to growing. One 

 year this treatment increased the yield of merchantable 

 potatoes 100 bushels per acre, and ^he average of sev- 

 eral years was 20 per cent, increase. 



A private experimenter obtained results as below: 



1. 400 pounds superphosphate and 300 



pounds sulphate of potash 245 bushels per acre. 



2. Same as plot 1 with the addition of 200 



pounds of Nitrate of Soda 348 bushels per acre. 



It is evident from the fact that the addition of 200 

 pounds of Nitrate of Soda produced 103 bushels more 

 than the superphosphate and potash alone, that pota- 

 toes must have Nitrogen, and that in greater quantities 

 than is supplied by the ordinary so-called "Complete 

 Potato Manure." 



Although the United States is a vastly larger 

 country than Germany, we raised a potato crop in 

 1905 of only 260,741,294 bushels, as compared with the 

 potato crop of 1,775,579,073 bushels which Germany 

 raised. These bushels were 60 pounds each. The 

 explanation of so immense a production of potatoes 

 by Germany is found in the fact that the free distilla- 

 tion of alcohol for use in the arts has been a powerful 

 stimulus to farm industry. Farming in some districts 

 of the empire has been made possible only because of 

 the ability of the people to produce cheap alcohol, and 

 many farms owe their very existence to their distilleries. 



Sweet Potatoes. 



This crop prefers a soil lighter than Irish potatoes, 

 but the preparation of the soil is much the same. It 

 is an underground crop, and must not have to mine 

 room for its roots. It should follow a clean cultivation 

 crop, and be kept very clean itself. Too much am- 

 moniate fertilizer interferes with the maturity of the 

 crop, producing not only a large crop of useless vines, 



