1438 Tur VecEraRLe Inpustry 1n NEW York STATE 
plants in the row, it requires 5,808 plants for an acre. With 
machine planting, generally more than 6,000 plants are used. 
Whether the setting is done by hand or by machine, the plants 
should be obtained in the following manner: 
Loosen the soil about the plants on both sides with a fork. 
Slightly lift the plants from the ground, being careful to retain 
as much of the root surface as possible. Shake them dry. Dip 
the roots in a pail of thick water made up of heavy soil and water. 
This process is known as puddling. Place the plants in boxes, 
roots down. If they are not running relatively even as to 
size, it may be best to select at this time, saving work on the 
planter. The best crops are obtained where plants are selected. 
If the leaf surfaces are too large, it is a good plan to twist or cut 
them off slightly. They may be carried to the field in these boxes 
and distributed at convenient points. 
FERTILIZERS 
The amount of fertilizer varies with the system of farming. 
On Long Island where the soils are deficient in humus, a larger 
amount of fertilizer is used than at Buffalo. The Long Island 
men are now employing fertilizer to the exclusion of stable 
manures, in many cases much to their disadvantage. The success- 
ful growing of cover crops combined with fertilizer might take 
the place of barnyard manure, but where poor cover crops are 
grown, success is not forthcoming. At Buffalo the fertilizer used 
is generally a +~-8-10 or a 3-8-6, using from 750 to 1,500 pounds 
per acre. On Long Island the fertilizer used is generally a 
6-8-5, although 5-9-6 and other formulas are in use. The 
amount used on Long Island is much larger than that used near 
Buffalo, generally from 1,500 to 2,500 pounds per acre being 
applied. The fertilizer is made up as follows: one-half the 
nitrogen is derived from nitrate of soda, one-half from fish scrap ; 
acid phosphate from South Carolina rock, and in some cases when 
fish scrap is not obtainable, from tankage, which is substituted 
for fish scrap; the potash is generally in the form of muriate. 
The Long Island men, being organized, are able to obtain good 
fertilizers at a much smaller price. In one or two sections of 
