Fo pf f< J r acteristics of quality cannot be secured in crops grown 



on heavy soils, nor on sandy soils too liberally supplied 



62 with Nitrogen. 



The fertilizer may be applied at the 



ft tice ° f tnne °^ ma ^ n § U P tne rows > m order 



that it may be evenly distributed be- 

 fore the slips are planted. This will encourage im- 

 mediate growth of plant, and the small quantity of 

 Nitrate which is applied early in the season will not 

 militate against the proper development of the tuber, 

 as an absence of Nitrogen in the soil after the Nitrate 

 has been taken up will discourage the formation of the 

 rooty form of tuber, which is marketable at a lower 

 price. 



Experiments have also demonstrated the necessity 

 in the soils of an abundance of minerals, and a fertilizer 

 containing 2.5 per cent. Nitrogen, 7 per cent, available 

 phosphoric acid and 10 per cent, potash, one-half the 

 Nitrogen to be drawn from Nitrate, seems to meet the 

 requirements better than one containing a larger 

 amount of Nitrogen. 



II. For Crops of Low Commercial Value. 



The growth of hay and the cereals, 

 Hay and Grain. w } iea t an d r y e? forms a very important 



part of the farming interests of the Eastern, Middle 

 and Southern Coast States. The areas of these crops 

 in eighteen States, including Tennessee and Kentucky, 

 are, in round numbers, as follows: 



Hay 15,000,000 acres. 



Wheat 8,000,000 " 



Rye 772,000 " 



In most of these States large quantities of com- 

 mercial fertilizers are used, either because the soils are 

 naturally poor or because they have been depleted of 

 their original constituents by continuous cropping, and, 

 even with added fertilizers, the yields are not large 

 enough to make the crops in themselves highly profit- 

 able. In many States the yield in particular districts 

 is large, but the average yield of hay is but 1.25 tons 



