THE POTATO 



should never be used just before planting but 

 it may be applied to a stiff soil which should be 

 plowed in the fall, and left in the rough. In 

 the spring, stir the soil to a depth of five to 

 six inches and plant the seed. If stable ma- 

 nure is used it should always be well decayed 

 and well incorporated into the soil before 

 planting the seed. 



Stable manure in the decayed form is not al- 

 ways available to the small gardener, so that 

 it is necessary to resort to specially prepared 

 commercial fertilizers. 



A commercial fertilizer having from three to 

 five per cent of nitrogen, from six to eight per 

 cent of phosphoric acid, and from eight to ten 

 per cent of potash should be combined in such 

 a way as to supply the necessary plant food. 

 This fertilizer may be applied at the rate of 

 about one-half when the soil is cultivated, and 

 the remaining half in the furrows three or four 

 days before planting. 



It is difficult to advise as to the amount of 

 any one fertilizer to a given space because of 



129 



