POTATOES 113 



acre may be used. The heavier applications should be made on 

 the heavier types of soil. On land which has not grown clover 

 or alfalfa the previous season a fertilizer containing two to four 

 per cent nitrogen, eight to twelve per cent phosphoric acid, and 

 at least four per cent potash will be desirable. The rate of 

 application of a complete fertilizer should be from five hundred 

 to one thousand pounds per acre. Unleached wood ashes used 

 at the rate of five hundred to one thousand pounds per acre will 

 supply a considerable quantity of potash and a small amount of 

 phosphoric acid. 



TIME AND METHOD OF APPLICATION 



Manure. — Stable manure will give the best results when used 

 on sod-land if applied in the fall. The best time to make the 

 application of manure is just after the hay crop is removed. 

 Manure applied at that time will stimulate the growth of grass, 

 including the roots of the plants, and thus add organic matter 

 indirectly to the soil. Except on land which is subject to surface 

 washing, it is better to apply manure for potatoes during the 

 winter months than in the spring. If the application of manure 

 is delayed until spring the earlier it is applied the better it will 

 be for the potato crop. AVhenever applied it should be spread 

 as it is hauled and not allowed to remain in piles. Manure 

 applied as a top dressing on potatoes does not, as a rule, give 

 satisfactory results. 



Commercial fertilizers. — To get the best results from the use 

 of commercial fertilizers they should be so applied that they 

 will be incorporated with the moist soil. The time of application 

 should be either before or when the planting is done. The most 

 common method of application is through the fertilizer attach- 

 ment of the potato planter. Where hand-planting is practiced, 

 or when the horse planter has no fertilizer attachment, the fer- 

 tilizer may be applied Avith a grain drill having a fertilizer 

 attachment. A\nien such tools are not available the fertilizer 

 may be spread by hand evenly over the field and thoroughly 

 disked or harrowed into the soil. When the fertilizer is applied 

 primarily for the benefit of the potato crop the best results will 

 be secured by making the application of all of the fertilizer in 

 the furrow or drill. If, however, it is desired that the fertilizer 

 benefit the following crops equally with the potato crop, a por- 

 tion or all of the fertilizer should be applied evenly through the 

 soil. When applied in the furrow the residue which is not used 



