8 



If ready-mixed fertilizers are used one should by all means 

 buy a high-grade fertilizer containing 3.25 to 4.1 per cent of 

 nitrogen, from 8 to 10 per cent of available phosphoric acid, 

 and from 7 to 10 per cent of potash. This is for the reason 

 that each pound of these ingredients will cost far less than if 

 bought in the lower and cheaper grades of fertilizer. This fact 

 is plainly evident when one recalls that it costs just as much to 

 mix, handle, bag and ship goods which contain only half as 

 much of these ingredients. The farther the fertilizer must be 

 shipped by rail, and the longer the haul by team, the greater 

 the saving by purchasing the higher grades. It is indeed sur- 

 prising how persistently some growers cling to the purchasing 

 of fertilizers which can be bought for from $25 to $30 a ton 

 rather than pay $40 a ton or more for a smaller quantity of 

 high-grade goods in which much more plant food can be ob- 

 tained at the same actual cost. This continues notwithstand- 

 ing the teachings of the agricultural experiment stations, the 

 State Board of Agriculture and the fertilizer manufacturers, all 

 of whom have urged persistently the greater economy of the 

 fertilizers carrying the higher percentages of plant foods. 



Treatment of Seed Potatoes and Planting. 



In attempting to produce a large yield of potatoes it is im- 

 portant to select a variety which has well-known productive 

 traits. Some kinds yield more than others under the same 

 treatment; thus a variety of the Green Mountain type will 

 yield more than one of the New Queen type. All good growers 

 treat the seed potatoes before planting with a solution of 

 formalin, 1 pint to 15 gallons of water; or corrosive sublimate 

 solution, 2 ounces to 15 gallons of water, for one and one-half 

 to two hours, to kill any germs of the scab disease which may 

 be on the outside of the tuber. 



After this treatment the seed is ready for cutting and plant- 

 ing. If an early crop is wanted the potatoes are treated by the 

 last of February, and are then spread in the light to sprout. 

 This may be done in direct sunlight or in a well-lighted room, 

 and by planting time they will have developed short, strong, 

 green sprouts, one-half inch or more in length. These become 



