IRISH POTATOES 253 



That is, the average potato fertilizer would have supplied only 44.4 per 

 cent, as much potash as was used with profit in these trials, while it would 

 have supplied 148.8 per cent, as much phosphoric acid and almost exactly 

 half as much nitrogen. This shows that for some soils the usual potato fer- 

 tilizers are not properly compounded, and makes it all the more evident that 

 the farmer should test the needs of his soil by experiment. The bulletin 

 well remarks that the conducting of an experiment involving only the use of 

 eight small plats, and not necessarily continued more than a year or two, 

 would be a small price to pay for knowledge which may save the unnecessary 

 expenditure of large amounts of money for fertilizing ingredients already 

 present in the soil in more than sufficient quantity. No farmer can afford 

 to spend his hard-earned dollars to purchase fertilizing materials without 

 knowing, first, that he receives the value of his money in a commercial sense, 

 and second, that the material which he buys at a fair commercial price is the 

 exact material needed for his soil and crop. 



At the Kentucky Station it was shown that an application of acid phos- 

 phate alone made a smaller crop than on the the plat where no fertilizer was 

 applied. Potash applied alone greatly increased the yield, as did nitrogen 

 alone to some extent, but the best results were from nitrogen and Dotash 

 mixed. 



At the Ohio Station a comparison was made between the second crop 

 seed potatoes from the South and Maine potatoes. The potatoes from Maine 

 and Wisconsin were considerably sprouted, while the second crop seed hardly 

 showed any signs of sprouting. They were in excellent condition and of the 

 best quality. The yield was slightly in favor of the Southern second crop 

 seed except in the case of the Early Rose. The general average was a little 

 in favor of the Northern seed, the average yiejd from the second crop seed 

 being 170 bushels per acre and of the Northern seed 171 bushels per acre. 

 In 1894 the average from the Southern seed was 105 bushels per acre and that 

 from the Northern seed 102 bushels per acre. It seemed that for that lati- 

 tude there may be no advantage in the Southern seed, provided the Northern 

 seed is as well kept. 



In regard to the use of fertilizers on the potato crop this bulletin says: 

 "In the use of fertilizers the lowest cost per bushel of increase in crop has 

 been attained in the use of superphosphate alone, but the greatest gain per 



