Food for 

 Plants 



116 



Late Potatoes. 



Conditions same as in the case of early potatoes, except 

 the Nitrate of Soda was used at the rate of 500 pounds per 

 acre, in five applications. The crop per acre on the Nitrated 

 plot, marketable tubers, amounted to 374 bushels; on the non- 

 Nitrated plot the yield amounted to 257 bushels marketable 

 tubers. The gain for Nitrate of Soda was 143 bushels, or 

 nearly 62 per cent, increase. 



^ ^^ 



Early Tomatoes. 



With this crop the object is to mature quickly, rather 

 than obtain a heavy acre yield; one basket of early tomatoes 

 at $1.25 is worth more than 15 baskets later in the season, 

 when the price is about 8 cents per basket. The plants to be 

 used on the Nitrated plot were treated with a diluted solution 

 of Nitrate four separate times. Plants were field set May 

 1 7th, and given six applications of Nitrate of Soda: ist, 100 

 pounds per acre soon after setting out; 2nd, 3rd and 4th of 

 75 pounds each; and 5th and 6th of 50 pounds each in all, 

 about 450 pounds per acre. The results were: 



43 

 40 p. c. 



30 " 

 20 " 



10 " 



Nitrate. 



Plants set out in field May 17. 



First picking June 30. 



Days, setting to first picking 



Crop at $1.00 and upward per basket. 



75 

 .50 

 .30 

 .25 



5 



.08 

 Estimated yield per acre, baskets. 



Gross receipts 



Cost of fertilizer and application. 



Net receipts 



Gain per acre for Nitrate 



500 



$377.50 

 10.35 



367-I5 

 176.95 



No Nitrate. 

 May 17. 

 July 19. 

 62 



xop. c 

 15 " 



20 " 

 2 5 " 



IS" 



IS 



600 

 $190.20 



190.20 



The indicated gain amounts to a return of $17.09 for 

 every dollar expended for Nitrate of Soda. 



The experiments detailed in this pamphlet are all on a 

 working basis. In every case the object was to force the 

 crop to an early yield, and while the applications of Nitrate 



