13 



large crops is practically impossible, the application should 

 generally be limited to from 1,200 to 1,700 pounds to the acre. 

 If, however, stable manure is turned under or the land is par- 

 ticularly rich, an application of even as little as 1,000 pounds 

 to the acre in the drill may be sufficient. 



I cannot sufficiently emphasize the importance, wherever 

 fertilizer is applied in the drill by hand instead of with the fer- 

 tilizer planter, of its being thoroughly worked into the soil 

 before the seed is dropped. I once had 2 or 3 acres ruined 

 because the man who applied the fertilizer thought it was 

 sufficient to drag a chain along the furrow after the fertilizer 

 had been strewn in it. This might have answered very well 

 if the potatoes had been planted early in the season while 

 the land was moist, but the planting was done late, when the 

 ground was somewhat dry and warm. When the latter con- 

 dition prevails, the greatest care must be taken to have the 

 fertilizer mixed most thoroughly with the soil or applied with 

 a potato planter having a fertilizer attachment of such a 

 character that it will not permit the seed and fertilizer to 

 come into direct contact. 



Beets, Carrots, Turnips, and Radishes. — All of these plants 

 need a fertilizer containing a high percentage of ammonia and 

 quite a high percentage of potash. A liberal percentage of 

 available phosphoric acid is also desirable. Turnips and rad- 

 ishes are especially responsive to phosphoric acid, while beets 

 need less than either turnips or cabbages. 



It is interesting to note how some of these crops affect the 

 soil for the crops which follow. In 1917 I grew with the 

 assistance of Mr. Herbert Reiner, at Portsmouth, New Hamp- 

 shire, beets, carrots, and cabbages on one uniform field and 

 fertilized all of them alike. Sweet corn followed the next year, 

 and it grew far better where the carrots had been grown than 

 where either beets or cabbage had preceded. 



Several years ago I had a similar experience at the Rhode 

 Island Station with onions on a series of plots. One plot of 

 land had been devoted to potatoes for two years, another to 

 onions for two years, and still others to buckwheat, mangels, 

 and various other crops for the same length of time. In all 

 there were about fifteen different plots of land, each of which 



