160 POTATO CULTURE. 



field is partly clay, and timothy will do well in some spots 

 when clover does not do its best ; and with spring sowing, 

 timothy will not get started so as to injure the growth of 

 clover materially. I sow about six quarts of clover seed per 

 acre, and always very early. I have not had a failure to 

 "catch" in 24 years. I might tell you that a crop of 200 

 bushels of potatoes per acre takes from the soil $12.12 worth 

 of fertility, at market rates ; 83 bushels of wheat per acre 

 takes $7.09 worth of fertility from each acre. Say I sell off 

 in the three-year rotation, then, $19.21 worth per acre. Com- 

 pare this with what clover furnishes. It takes some to grow 

 the vines, of course, and all the food furnished can not ever 

 be used in one season ; but isn't there quite a margin V 

 What I am trying again this season to find out is whether 

 any more fertility can be added in the shape of fertilizers so 

 as to pay. 



I may add now, that, since the above was written, we have 

 planted the crop and used the fertilizer. In round numbers 

 we put at the rate of 500, 1000, and 1500 pounds per acre, on 

 plots containing four long rows each. We tried this on our 

 best land, where there was at least two tons of clover hay 

 besides a great growth of roots plowed under. This was 

 selected, extra choice soil. It is good for 150 to 300 bushels 

 of potatoes per acre, without fertilizer, owing to the season. 

 Again, we selected the poorest land on the farm, where the 

 growth of clover was, of course, lighter, and used on the 

 same number of plots the same quantities of fertilizer. Some 

 of these experiments were duplicated still again. Every care 

 possible was taken to get every thing just right. For exam- 

 ple, it would be no accurate test to put in one row, or two, 

 with fertilizer. Rows each side might steal from it or them. 

 With four rows in a plot we will dig and count only the two 

 in the center, which will be exactly fair. I was putting on 

 fertilizer broadcast, with my Empire grain-drill, when it 

 occurred to me that the extra tillage from going over the 

 land with- drill might have some effect. I thought just in 



