Food for f act tnat t he free distillation of alcohol for use in the arts 

 Pl>nts has been a powerful stimulus to farm industry. Farming in 

 '3* some districts of the empire has been made possible only be- 

 cause of the ability of the people to produce cheap alcohol, 

 and many farms owe their very existence to their distilleries. 

 Not only has free alcohol been a stimulus to agriculture, but 

 it has been of incalculable value in many lines of commercial 

 development, and has aided greatly in raising Germany to her 

 present industrial station. 



Sweet Potatoes. 



This crop prefers a soil lighter than Irish potatoes, but 

 the preparation of the soil is much the same. It is an under- 

 ground crop, and must not have to mine room for its roots. 

 It should follow a clean cultivation crop, and be kept very 

 clean itself. Too much ammoniate fertilizer interferes with 

 the maturity of the crop, producing not only a large crop of 

 useless vines, but also few marketable roots, and those of very 

 poor keeping quality. 



On this account the ammoniate plant food applied should 

 not be of the ordinary kind which becomes slowly available, 

 and continues to supply active Nitrated ammonia later in the 

 season, thus delaying maturity to such extent that the crop 

 is injured by cold weather. 



Formula for Sweet Potatoes 



Nitrate of Soda (after slips are rooted) Top-Dressing 200 Ibs. 



Muriate of potash 100 " 



Superphosphate 200 ' 



The New Jersey Experiment Station made some exper- 

 iments in Gloucester County, and the following table shows 

 the results : 



Experiments with Fertilizers on Sweet Potatoes. 



Kind of fertilizer and Cost of Bushels per acre, 



quantity per acre. fertilizer. Large. Small. Total. 



1. No manure 157 51 208 



2. 320 Ibs. bone-black, 160 Ibs. 



muriate of potash $7-7 205 3<> 241 



3. 200 Ibs. Nitrate of Soda, 320 



Ibs. bone-black, 160 Ibs. 



muriate of potash 12.34 2 7 5 8 3 2 & 



4. 20 tons stable manure 30.00 263 61 324 



