Vegetables with Edible Tubers or Roots 247 



Chlorides are regarded as detrimental to the quality of 

 the potatoes. On sand lands and sandy loams, organic 

 ammonias are usually employed. 



The following quantities of fertilizers will give the de- 

 sired amounts of the elements : 



Ammonia 



Poniroa to the Acbb 



500 to 800 cottonseed meal ; or 

 350 to 500 dried blood ; or 

 200 to 300 nitrate of soda ; or 

 150 to 250 sulfate of ammonia. 



Phosphoric acid . . . 500 to 700 acid phosphate. 



Potash I ^^ ^ ^^ nitrate of potash ; ' or 



' 1 150 to 225 sulfate of potash, high-grade. 



The roots of the potatoes do not penetrate the soil as 

 deeply as those of some other crops, so the fertilizer 

 should be in the furrow or in the hill. In whatever way 

 the fertilizer be applied, no effort should be spared to have 

 it well mixed with the soil. 



Seed potatoes. 



Several series of careful experiments have been under- 

 taken, which appear to show that the use of small tubers 

 for planting decreases the yield. On the whole the evi- 

 dence is against the use of small tubers for propagation, 

 and these are also more likely to be immature. Medium- 

 sized tubers will give satisfactory yields. 



' When nitrate of potash is used, only one-third of the amount 

 of materials used for nitrogen need be employed. By referring 

 to the table of approximate amounts of different fertilizers, it will 

 be seen that the nitrate of potash contains 13 to 14 per cent of 

 nitrogen. 



