Food for If the soil is a medium heavy clay upland and not acid 



Plants j s k est to use tne ac - 1( j ph os p na te which contains, besides 



3 the phosphoric acid, about 50 per cent, of calcium sulphate 

 (gypsum) . This unlocks the natural potash in the soil. 



The quantity of either to apply on ordinary soils is 1,000 

 pounds per acre very early in the spring, so that in fitting the 

 ground it will become very thoroughly incorporated with the 

 soil before the onion seed is sown. 



The following table gives the actual field results of six 

 years' experiments with fertilizers and seven years with 

 manures at the rate of 30 tons per acre : 



Manure. Chemicals. 



Tons per acre, average 8.90 14.02 



Market value per ton, average $18.16 $20.52 



The crop grown with chemical fertilizers was 5.12 tons 

 greater per acre, or a gain over the stable manure of nearly 

 58 per cent; while the Nitrate crop averaged $2.36 greater 

 market value per ton, an advance over the manure-grown 

 crop of 13 per cent. 



Potatoes. 



As is well known this crop must have a deep mellow 

 soil, inclining more to sand than clay. The soil must be fined 

 to a considerable depth, and kept free of weeds throughout 

 the growing season. The most successful growers use only 

 commercial fertilizers, and the amounts applied per acre 

 range from 200 pounds to 1,000 and even 2,000. The fer- 

 tilizer used should be high in potash, and this potash should 

 be of such form as to be free or nearly free of chlorine, such 

 as sulphate of potash. Early potatoes have a short season of 

 growth, and the Nitrating action in the soil is insufficient to 

 keep up a high pressure of growth during the earlier weeks. 

 For this crop Nitrate of Soda is indispensable, top-dressing 

 along the rows as soon as the plants are well above the ground 

 and at the rate of 200 pounds per acre. For fall potatoes, 

 an application of 50 to 100 pounds of Nitrate will be suffi- 

 cient. 



Heavy yields of potatoes can be secured only with good 

 seed. Many of the most successful growers cold-storage their 

 seed potatoes, that the vitality of the seed may not be reduced 

 by freezing and thawing during winter. Seed should be cut 

 to two or three "eyes," and only tubers of the best quality 



