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THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



Potatoes ia Hot Climates. 



SAYS the " Jamaica Journal of Agricul- 

 ture " : — A crop of six tons of 

 " Irish " potatoes removed from the soil 

 in a series of experiments, the following 

 quantities of fertilizing materials, nitro- 

 gen, 9Glbs. ; phosphorus, 221bs. ; potash, 

 1701bs. 1 his shows plainly the necessity 

 of preparing the ground for every crop 

 with a liberal manuring ; even when 

 manure is used largely, it is the best 

 practice not to use the same ground in 

 succession. In the north potatoes do best 

 on a clover soil ; here, in the south, we 

 can follow peas with potatoes, when we 

 should have good body in the soil and re- 

 quire little or no nitrogen in our manures. 

 This is a commendable practice where 

 bulky manures, like stable and pen 

 manure or cane trash, are not available. 

 The man who intends planting potatoes 

 in October or November should clear his 

 land now ; if he has already done so all 

 the better. If he planted peas — Cockle's 

 Increase, Cow Peas., etc., as before men- 

 tioned on the land intended for potato 

 planting, and which make plenty of bush, 

 now when the crop has been reajDed the 

 vines should be ploughed or forked in ; 

 the Cockle's Increase does not die down 

 after one crop, but goes on growing, there- 

 fore gives a good heavy dressing. The 

 rains of October will thoroughly beat 

 down the clods and fine the soil, and 

 sinking in the soft earth, a good store of 

 moisture will be laid up below, to be 

 drawn upon in case of any dry weather 

 continuing later on in districts inclined 

 to be very dry like the lowlands of the 

 south-side. We notice in the reports of 

 the potato experiments carried through 

 last season, that wood-ashes were largely 

 used by some growers, and that because 

 of the dry weather they remained quite 

 undissolved in the soil. Even though 

 plenty of rain had fallen, this would have 

 been the case to some extent if the ashes 

 were fresh. Their action is very slow, 

 but their eii'ect lasts for several seasons. 

 The best use to make of wood-ashes in- 

 tended primarily as fetilizer for a potato 

 crop, is to use them for the preceding 

 season's crop. To be of use directly to 

 poraLoes, the ashes should be stored under 

 shelter (if exposed much to rain, they 



would leach and lose much of their 

 potash), then they absorb some moisture 

 from the atmosphere, and also an appreci- 

 able quantity of nitrogen. Half an Im- 

 perial ton of wood-ashes ^or l,1201bs. per 

 acre would give something like 221bs. of 

 phosphoric acid per acre, and anything 

 from iOO to 170lbs. of potash. The peas 

 would feed vigorously and luxuriously on 

 these two fertilising elements, which are 

 just what peas and beans want. When 

 peas are turned in all the potash and 

 phosphoric acid of the wood-ashes would 

 still be in the soil, together with an ap- 

 preciable quantity of potash drawn from 

 the sub-soil, and the peas would have added 

 lOOlbs. of nitrogen per acre, drawn mostly 

 from the air. Now to get lOOlbs. of pure 

 nitrogen from our artificial fertilizer con- 

 taining 10 per cent, would take a ton, and 

 would cost £10 a ton, for 10 per cent, is a 

 large proportion. The soil would thus be 

 in fine condition for potatoes. In the 

 spring when the potatoes were lifted and 

 the soil left fine and friable, corn could 

 be planted without any additional manure 

 except another application of wood-ash, 

 and grown with very little cultivation, 

 with peas between the rows. If the corn 

 stalks and the pea vines were ploughed 

 into the soil in September, the land would 

 again be in a fit condition for potatoes in 

 October or November. The native rota- 

 tion of corn and peas and potatoes is a 

 good one, and suits a potato grower 

 whether he is in the lowlands and only 

 grows a winter crop, or in the hills and 

 may grow potatoes the year round. In 

 the latter case two separate pieces of 

 ground may be used and planted with 

 potatoes alternately ; in the intervening 

 period the ground should be planted to 

 corn and peas. Immediately the October 

 rains are over, the drills should be made, 

 two or three feet apart, and the potatoes 

 planted nine to twelve inches apart. 

 Some varieties of potatoes tried here grow 

 very little top, and so may be planted 

 close, while vigorous sorts, like the " Scot- 

 tish Triumph " and " Red Bliss Triumph," 

 which have plenty of haulm, should be 

 planted at the wider distances. Potatoes 

 will stand heavy doses of manure, whether 

 from horses, cattle or pigs, and will also 



