Vot. XLIV. No. 1863 
NEW YORK, OCTOBER 10, 1885 
PRICE FIVE CENTS 
$4.00 PER YEAR. 
(Entered according to Ad of Congreas. In the year 1885, by the Rural New-Yorker In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.} 
pieces, as before, were placed in a trench one 
foot apart, four inches deep. They were cov¬ 
ered with some soil and then a mulch of two 
inches of cut hay was spread upon the soil. 
Baker’s Potato Fertilizer 
was then sown at the rate 
500 pounds to the acre of 
upon the mulch, and the 
trench was then filled with 'q? 
the rest of the soil taken 
out and heaped up. The 
yield was 10% pounds. 
There were 236 tubers, the 
best ten of which weighed 
one pound seven ounces. 
This was at the rate of 190.- 
13 bushels per acre. In a /'lIV vjffi, 71 
second trench 21 pieces J 
were placed, as before, 
and the trench filled with- p jjk ’E’' 
out either fertilizer or 2 V 
mulch. The yield was 14 
pouuds. There were 197 
tubei's, of which the best 
ten weighed two pounds. 
This would be at the rate 
of 154.84 bushels to the 
acre. 
It will be seen that the 
natural soil, impoverished 
as it is by constant crop- \ 
ping and no manure for ^5. 
many years,yielded almost 
as well as that fertilized 
and mulched. The early 
GOLDEN GRAIN GRAPE. (From Nature ) Fig. 447 
part of the season was cold and wet. The 
seed pieces started very late, and then a 
drought set in so long-continued that very few 
of the early potatoes of this part of the coun- 
■\ try were large enough to 
\ send to market. 
sisting of 67 potatoes, the best 10 of which 
weighed six pounds. This would be at the 
rate of 258.52 bushels to the acre. 
Four Inches Deep. The yield was 18 
pounds, consisting of 83 tubers, the best 10 of 
which weighed 5 % pounds. This would be at 
the rate of 307 42 bushels per acre. 
Three Inches Deep. The yield was 22% 
pounds, consisting of 93 tubers, the best 10 of 
which weighed 5% pounds. This would be 
at the rate of 359.28 bushels to the acre. 
The results of this careful experiment,which 
quite reverse those of the same kind conducted 
years ago, are perplexing enough. In such a 
season we should look for the smallest yield 
from those plants nearest the surface. 
THE DEPTH TO PLANT PO¬ 
TATOES. 
In each of four trench¬ 
es, 31 pieces of the State 
of Maine (an intermediate) 
were planted. They were 
fertilized and mulched as 
in the above experiments 
In the first trench the seed 
pieces were placed eight 
inches below the surface; 
in the second, six inches; 
in the third, four inches; 
in the fourth, three inches. 
The sprouts appeared 
above ground in every 
case according to tbe 
depth, aod all matured at 
the same time. 
Eioht Inches Deep. 
The y ield was 20 pounds, 
consistiug of 81 tubers, the 
best 10 of which weighed 
five pounds 12 ounces. 
This would be at the rate 
of 330.47 bushels to the 
acre. 
Six Inches Deep. The 
yield was 23 pounds, con- 
MARKED RESULTS OF COMPLETE FER¬ 
TILIZERS ON POOR LAND —THIRD 
YEAR. 
Last 
year's experiments with potatoes fol¬ 
lowed this year with Indian com. 
The poor land upon which onr experiments 
were made last year to test what fertilizers 
would produce t he largest crops of potatoes, is 
hired from a neighboring farmer for several 
reasons. It is (l) nearly level, (2) naturally 
well-drained, and (8) worn out from constant 
cropping for many years without any appli¬ 
cation of manure or fertilizers. This land 
has served us well. As will be remembered, 
though all kinds of fertilizer were used separ¬ 
ately and in various combinations, only com¬ 
plete fertilizers increased the crop materially 
over the unfertilized or natural soil plots. 
The experiments of the past season with 
Indian corn fully substantiate the lessons of 
past experiments; all of which point to the 
one conclusion, that this soil needs the three 
important food-plant elements, viz potash, 
phosphoric acid and nitrogen, and that when 
either is left out, the crop is a comparative 
failure. 
On the 15th day of May nine small plots 
were marked out, and upon each plot at the 
rate of 350 pounds per acre of sulphate and 
muriate of potash (mixed) and 500 pounds of 
dissolved bone-black were sown broadcast. A 
different variety of corn was planted on each 
plot. On J uue 9th, when the plants w ere 
a few inches high, at the rate of 200 
pounds per acre of blood, nitrate of soda and 
sulphate of ammonia (mixed) were sown on 
one half of each plot. This nitrogenous mixt¬ 
ure was preferred to either one separately, 
because of the different degrees of solubility 
of its constituents, the nitrate of soda acting 
first, the sulphate of ammonia next, and the 
dried blood last, thus insuring a continuance 
of nitrogenous food during the full season. 
The striking coincidence of the results with 
those of previous years will be seen in the fol¬ 
lowing statements, merely premising that the 
disparity between the number of plants on the 
several plots was due to black birds which ex¬ 
isting in immense numbers in an adjoining 
wooded meadow, could not be restained from 
destroying them. 
Plot No. L The half receiving potash and 
burnt-bone produced 84 plants bearing 75 ears 
which weighed 32 pounds. The half which re¬ 
ceived the nitrogen mixture also produced 47 
plants, 65 ears which also weighed 32 pounds. 
Plot No 3 has already been reported. The 
yield of the half receiving the complete fertil 
izer was twice as much in weight of ears as 
that of the other half. 
Plot No. 3, The half receiving potash and 
burnt bone only, produced 102 plants bearing 
77 eurs whieh weighed 40 ;! ( pouuds. The other 
half receiving the nitrogen mixture also, 
produced 96 plants, 103 ears which weighed 
71% pounds. 
Plot No. A The half which received no 
nitrogen produced 95 plants, 79 ears which 
weighed 22% pounds. The other half (com- 
GOLDEN COIN GRAPE. (From Nature.) Fig. 44 S, 
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