IV 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
THE AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST PRIZE POTATO-GROWING CONTEST. 
APES 
THE FIELD. 
The Two Largest Crops* ever grown with Fertilizers or Manure grown with the MAPES POTATO 
MANURE in Prize Contest, 1890. 
847 Bushels 33 Pounds of Potatoes Grown on one measured acre with the Mapes Potato Manure. 
(The largest yield with Stable Manure 491 bushels.) 
The Grower, R. A. Chisholm, Del Norte, Col.,"writes Oct. 25th, 1890; 
As a practical gardener I have been using fertilizers many yeats In Scotland. I have used Peruvian 
guano on my father's farm 18 years ago, but In all n y experience 1 have never seen such magnificent results 
from any fertilizer before. I am satisfied that I can raise 60,000 lbs. on this same acre with a ton of your Potato 
Manure next year. They were photographed In the middle of July, when they were in full blossom, the vines 
standing waist-high. I have sent a full report to the AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, so that you wl 1 excuse this 
short not--. Any Information you.would like to have about this acre will be cheerfully given at any time. 
Again, on Oct. 30th, 1890, Mr. Chisholm writes 
In answer as to the average yield of potatoes to the acre, and prices In our section, I will say that without 
manure of any kind the average per acre is from 12,000 to 14,000 lbs. (2 ,l 0 to 234 bushels), with barnyard manure 
25 to 30 tons per acre, 18,000 to 20,00) lbs. (300 to 334 bushels). In last year’s contest the sixth prize was won by 
my neighbor (Mr. Nlsbet) with barnyard manure. The yield was 491 bushels. 40 lbs. My yield with the Mapes 
Po'ato Manure (1,00) lbs.) is 847!4 bushels, a difference of 356 bushels 10 lbs in favor of the Mapes Potato Manure. 
Potatoes have been selling this fall as high «s 81.25 per 100 lbs., and even 8 .50 by the car load. 
For fall details see Amtr.can Agriculturist December, 1890—January, 1891. 
IMPORTANCE OF THE RIGHT FORMS OF PLANT FOOD. 
The^wonderful m 
delicacy *of nature’ll 
that the fertilizer fci. 
tainly jitained moi 
in the LfflOO pounds o 
m of the experiment is thus described by The Agriculturist: 
“ A marvellously interesting point, revealing the 
rafions, is that the increase of 356 bushels in the Chisholm over the Nisbet crop must be mainly owing to the fact 
Ihed the crop with food just when and how the tubers wanted it, for the stable manure applied by Mr. Nisbet cer- 
Ipfual plant food than the 44 pounds of nitrogen, 112 pounds of phosphoric acid, and 77 pounds of potash furnished 
rtilizer used by Mr. Chisholm.” 
“ Apparently it iS t so much the quantity hut the form in which the plant food is furnished that governs the yield, provided a rea¬ 
sonable amount is sui** Vd.” 
*NOTE : The only exception is the crop 30-31 bushels grown on one acre last year (1889), ALSO WITH THE MAPES POTATO MAN¬ 
URE, at Penn Yan, Yates Co., New York. This 1031 bushel crop is the LARGEST EVER GROWN under any method. 
The American Agriculturist, February, 1890, page 58, in reporting this crop says of the grower : “ It seems that he did not notice our 
ruling against two crops or two plantings ; therefore, while we were obliged to count only the yield of the first planting, which captured 
our second prize, Mr. Rose deserves full credit for the remarkable product of 1031 bushels 19 1-2 pounds of potatoes on the contest acre.” 
THE CONTEST IN MAINE. 
TIIE MAPES POT4TO MANURE USED THIS YEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AROOSTOOK COUNTY TO THE EXTENT OF ONLY THREE TONS 
AND BY ONLY THREE GROWERS: THE RESULT 
The Largest Crop Ever Grown in Aroostook County or in the State. 
745 BUSHELS 25 POUNDS OF POTATOES ON ONE ACRE, BEING THE SECOND LARGEST CROP EVER GROWN WITH FERTILIZERS. 
We wish to call special attention to the fact that last year none of the Mapes Potato Manure had been used, and that this year only three tons were used ; 
and that one of these three tons produced the LARGEST CROP EVER GROWN IN AROOSTOOK COUNTY, exceeding by 140 bushels any other crop grown 
in Maine this year. 
The grower of this immense crop, Mr. Philo H. Reed, Fort Fairfield, Aroostook Co., Maine, In the following 
letter, Oct. 29th, 1890, refers to the other two users of the Mapes Potato Manure. E. A. Weybrant and Nelsou 
Herrick of the same place. 
Yours of the 22nd at hand, and In reply will say that my prize acre turned out remarkably well. I har¬ 
vested 540 bushels and 25 lbs (seven hundred and forty -five bushels and twenty fl ve pouudsl beating Coy's 1889 
crop by seven bushels. Mine were harvested In dry. pleasant weather and they were the most free from dirt of 
any potatoes I ever saw; and the most remar liable thing about it was that 709 31-60 bushels were merchantable 
potatoes. It took 115 potatoes for a bushel as an average of the merchantable potatoes ; one potato weighed 
3^ lbs,, and 76 of the largest filled a flour barrel. They were all sound and very smooth, and the finest eating 
potatoes I ever saw. I will send you a sample of them if you like. I applied 1,950 lbs. of your fertilizer, 1.200 la 
the drill at time of planting, and the balance before billing. I took out 50 lbs, to test it with other fertilizers. I 
also raised 7 bushels and 48 lbs. of Fill Basket potatoes from one-lialf pound of seed by the use of your fertll- 
It should be noted that in Aroostook County, Maine, this year, as well as last, the season was exceptionally favorable for potatoes, and many large crops 
were grown. The MAINE FARMER states of the 1890 Maine Crop, “400 bushels are reported as the common yield. Mr. John Burnham Sherman harvested 
561 bushels from a single acre, and there was no particular effort made for a great crop either. Twenty-five cents a bushel is the price paid.” 
FOURTEEN CROPS REPORTED FROM AROOSTOOK COUNTY, SEASON 1890. 
izer. I also tried your fertilizer by the side of the Standard, and the yield of potatoes was nearly double. 
You will find out all the particulars lu my report sent the AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. The largest crop 
that I have heard of In this section isn’t quite six hundred bushels. Mr.Weybrant’s, also Mr. Herrick’s potatoes 
did not > ome up very well, so they gave It up and did not have their ground measured. I understand Herrick 
raised 183 barrels of 165 lbs (equal to 5U8M bushels) and Weybrant a little less, but Weybrant raised more on his 
acre than he did on any three other acres beside It. I will find out all the particulars about their crops and 
write you. 
Mr. E. A. Weybrant. Fort Fairfield, Me., Nov. 1st, 189(1, writes : 
I would say that your Potato Manure is all that you claimed It to be. I got a very large yield of potatoes. 
They looked very discouraging when they first came up, and I did not know that I had any right to put In 
extra hills to take the place of the missed ones, so did not; if I had done as some of the rest did I think my 
yield would have been great. Am going to try it again next year.” 
Of the total FORTY-ONE crops reported in the Contest from all sections of the country, and officially given in detail in the American 
Agriculturist (December, 1890), FOURTEEN WERE GROWN in this county. 
The largest yield was 745 bushels on one acre—Mapes Potato Manure, 1900 lbs. 
The second largest yield was 605 bushels on one acre—Stockbridge Potato Manure, 2000 lbs. 
’The third largest yield was 579 bushels on one acre—Bradley Potato Manure, 5000 lbs. 
The TEN succeeding one-acre crops in this famed section yielded OVER 450 BUSHELS each, and of course are useless for any pur- 
poscsot (ompansom^^^j^ up OF THE POTATO CONTEST FOR SEASONS 1889 AND 1899. 
In seventeen States in which the largest crop was grown with fertilizers. 1889 and 1890, TEN crops were grown exclusively with the 
Mapes Potato Manure : 847, 745, 669, 532, 479, 460, 428, 390, 353 and 324 bushels per acre. 
Average yield per acre, 522 bushels. 
In the seven States in which the largest crop was grown with fertilizers other than the Mapes—the yields were as tollows : 506, 454, 
444, 401, 325, 319 and 307 bushels per acre. 
Average yield per acre, 394 bushels. 
Why the Mapes Potato, Vegetable and Tobacco Manures are higher in price than some competing brands. 
The official analyses and valuation of the State Agricultural Experiment Stations of Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, 
New Jersev Pennsylvania and other States sIioav the relative strength of these Mapes Manures to be on the average from TEN TO 
THIRTY PER CENT HIGHER, or in other words, these Mapes Manures to CONTAIN FROM TEN TO THIRTY PER CENT MORE VAL¬ 
UABLE PLANT FOOD (and ALL of the VERY CHOICEST and BEST FORMS) than the competing brands. 
'l'HF MTIIOGEN AM) AMMONIA are derived from Sulphate of Ammonia. Nitrate of ?oda, Peru | in the other Mapes Manures is from Animal Bone and Peruvian Guano, and not from “Rock, Petrified Bone 
vian Guano Dried Blood*, Dried Flesh and other superior forms. These manures contain no “inferior cheap and Phosphates of inferior kinds. 
forms of Nitrogen, Wood, Horn, etc.” I TIIE POTASH IN TIIE MAPES TOBACCO aud Potato Manures Is all as high grade Snlphate 
THE PHOSPHORIC AC11) in the Mapes Tobacco Manure Is all derived from Peruvian Guano and ■ of Potash and forms free from Muriates (or Chlorine). 
SOME LEADING AUTHORITIES ON THE MAPES MANURES. 
•‘The Mapes Potato Manure Is certainly as good a fertilizer for the crops as we can expect to flnd.”-J. T. crops 1,as Great, V Lnproved and their Profits Largely Increased.- 
Lovett. Orchard and Gat den. . manure can be exnected to do "-E. S. Carman, i “ Th<- Mapes fertilizers, though higher tn price than some others, are scientifically, carefully and h'nestly 
“Its action Approaches Certainty, or as neat it as any manure can -p i rnade. In the use of them we are always pretty sure of good results. We use them every > ear and have not 
Rural New- iorker. _. . . _. been disappointed in their action. They seem to go right to the spot and stay there better tbau any other sort 
FARMS STEADILY IMPROVED AND CROPS DOUBLED.— The actual statements from we have used. \\ e get most excellent results In both corn and potatoes.” -IF! mer Atkinson, Farm Journal. 
those who have used these high grade mailures dem o° st ’ 11 * 1 ™' 1 ..LL^farmers truck growers and fruit j “ Under average conditions, and in far the greater number of eases, we do not hesitate to name the Mapes 
^r^we^report^helr'VopLs'haL^gsVeadUyO^proved^n'condtuonfand thetr cro^is aTDoi/hle^o^e^oraa- I Potato Manure as Uie Best ana Most Profitable fertilizer for Pot a toes.”-American A 0 ricultur, st. 
REDUCTION IN PRICES OF THE MAPES MANURES. 
While the prices of manv inferior grades of raw materials are not reported as having declined, there have been (up to January 1st, 
1891) some reduction in prices of high grades and choice forms of materials, and we haA e therefore been enabled to giA ethe benefit of such 
SSto ourcustomers and witfout any change in the high standard of our manures. 
Our pamphlets on Potato Growing, the great contest of 1889 and 1890, best methods: also pamphlet on Tobacco Growing. How competi¬ 
tion with Sumatra can be made successful, also descriptive pamphlet on all the Mapes Manures. Mailed free. 
THE MAPES FORMULA & PERUVIAN GUANO CO., 158 Front St., New York. > 
i 
