134 MAINE) AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I904. 



About 40 acres of potatoes were grown with the above home 

 mixed goods, the fields being situated in three towns and two 

 counties. The results will be given in detail in a bulletin now in 

 preparation. The more general results are here briefly stated. 

 In general large crops, ranging in Aroostook County from 275 

 to 380 bushels per acre, were obtained. On early planted pota- 

 toes, and where the season was long enough for the crop grown 

 on the home mixture to mature, the yields were as large as 

 where the standard commercial fertilizers were liberally used. 

 The tops kept greener in color during the last half of the grow- 

 ing season with the home mixture. September i there was a 

 severe frost all over Northern Maine. The late potatoes grown 

 upon the home mixture had greener and more succulent vines 

 than those upon the standard fertilizers and in consequence were 

 damaged much more by the frost. In fact the vines of the late 

 planted potatoes on the home mixed goods were practically killed 

 at this time, while the same varieties planted at the same time 

 upon the standard potato fertilizer continued to grow after this 

 frost. As a result the potatoes were larger and better ripened 

 with these than upon the home mixed plots. For quick matur- 

 ing, the home mixed goods apparently carried too much slowly 

 available nitrogen and too little available phosphoric acid — a 

 condition that can be readily remedied in a formula. 



KINDS OE INGREDIENTS. 



There are various materials that are used in the manufacture 

 of fertilizers, but because of Maine's distance from the commer- 

 cial centers, it will rarely be profitable to purchase any but 

 materials carrying high percentages of plant food. For instance, 

 the cost of bagging, cartage and freight on a ton of muriate of 

 potash, carrying 1000 pounds of actual potash, would be no 

 greater than the freight on a ton of kainit carrying only 250 

 pounds of potash, and if the kainit could be bought for one- 

 fourth the price of the muriate it would, because of the freight, 

 still be the more expensive source of potash. Furthermore, in 

 mixing and applying, four times as great weight would have to 

 be handled. 



The kinds of fertilizing materials that would usually be most 

 profitable and economical sources of plant food for home mixing 

 in Maine are given in the table which follows. It will be under- 



