1912. 
\TIriHD RURAtf NEW-YORKER 
623 
SHORT STORIES. 
Fertilizer for Potatoes. 
Shall I need any fertilizer on a crop of 
early potatoes where I have spread about 
10 tons of thoroughly rotted manure as 
black as coal? w. J. c. 
Bridgeville, Del. 
If the soil is naturally strong we should 
use 300 pounds acid phosphate and 100 
muriate of potash per acre, with the man¬ 
ure. If the soil is naturally poor add 50 
pounds nitrate of soda to the other chemi¬ 
cals. 
Chemicals with Hen Manure. 
You often advise using nitrate of soda or 
sulphate of ammonia with hen manure. 
This manure is rich in nitrogen—why use 
more ? s. l. 
The nitrogen in hen manure is in the 
organic form and not quickly available to 
early crops until the soil has been thor¬ 
oughly warmed. The nitrate of soda is at 
once available. Thus the nitrate and the 
hen manure together will give a steady 
and constant supply. 
Nitrate of Soda on Grass. 
Will you tell me when is the proper 
time to apply nitrate of soda to grass land? 
Valley Cottage, N. Y. d. c. f. 
Put the nitrate on now. April is a good 
time for it—when the grass is starting. 
On sloping or hillside land do not spread 
nitrate just before a washing rain. The 
application for an acre will have about 
as much bulk as a bushel of wheat, so the 
lumps must be crushed fine. You can 
get a more even distribution by mixing 
the nitrate with about three times its bulk 
of dry soil. 
Lime on Timothy. 
Does applying land lime (which contains 
one-third carbonate of lime and two-thirds 
hydrated lime) to Timothy sod, which has 
been cut for hay one year, benefit the com¬ 
ing hay crop? w. s. 
New York. 
We should not expect much benefit to 
this season’s hay crop by putting lime on 
top of the sod. The right way to use lime 
is to harrow it thoroughly into plowed 
ground. Then it works down all through 
the upper soil where it is needed. W’hen 
put on the grass sod, especially when the 
soil is wet, it often forms a sort of mois¬ 
ture which does little good to the soil. 
Seaweed as Fertilizer. 
Let me know the fertilizing value per ton 
of dried seaweed. Are there any points 
along the Atlantic coast line where it is 
found in sufficient quantities to pay for 
gathering? I understand this is quite an 
Industry in Norway. w. G. p. 
Brooklyn, N. Y. 
There are half a dozen kinds of seaweed. 
The richest is roekweed, which contains, 
when dry, about 25 pounds nitrogen, 60 of 
potash and 30 phosphoric acid in a ton. 
Other kinds have less than a quarter as 
much. At several points in Massachusetts 
this roekweed is gathered and offered for 
sale, but it is too bulky to ship far. On the 
Pacific coast a variety of kelp contains so 
much potash that the Department of Agri¬ 
culture hopes it may provide part of our 
needed supply. 
Compost With Leaves. 
I have about 10 loads of leaves that the 
chickens were fed in all Winter; have 
worked the pile over three times, and now 
it is in fine shape, all rotted. Horse 
manure and other wastes are mixed with 
it. What is the best crop to put this on? 
Land is medium heavy, can add wood 
ashes or hen manure to it. I wish to put 
It on sweet corn or early potatoes. 
Twin Lakes, Pa. G. R. 
This compost will be strong in nitrogen, 
but lacking both potash and phosphoric 
acid. As it is the best results would be 
obtained on those crops which produce leaf 
and stem rather than seed or root—such as 
lettuce, celery, asparagus or grass. By 
adding phosphate of potash you will have 
a fertilizer good for all crops. By using 
wood ashes with it you have a good mix¬ 
ture for sweet corn. 
Fertilizer for Garden. 
I have a garden lot, say 50x100 feet. 
It has been cultivated for many years. 
Since I have planted it I have put on 
each year a light coating of old dressing. 
I have planted the same crop on the same 
place for several years; the stuff seems to 
run to tops and vines. This may indicate 
that it is too rich ; evidently it lacks some 
element. What would you advise as a fer¬ 
tilizer? J. M. s. 
Bangor, Me. 
We continue to print such questions be¬ 
cause we want our readers to realize fully 
just what such indications mean. “Tops 
and vines” after the continued use of 
stable manure means that there has been 
too much nitrogen in proportion to potash 
and phosphoric acid. Then these crops 
should be “rotated,” that is, not planted 
year after year on the same place in the 
garden. You ought to be able to get wood 
ashes in Maine. Two parts of the ashes to 
one part fine ground bone will help the 
garden. 
Green Manure and Lime. 
I have a piece of land, somewhat run¬ 
down. I sowed it in rye last Fall and 
mean to plow the crop under in May and 
sow in Clay cow peas. Some tell me if I 
do not put a coat of lime on after plowing 
the rye under the land will be too sour for 
my peas to do any good. s. E. p. 
Spring City, Tenn. 
A good crop of green and sappy rye 
plowed into warm ground will be likely to 
sour the soil—particularly if you leave the 
soil loose after plowing. There has been 
much complaint about rye as a green man¬ 
ure. Some go so far as to say that it con¬ 
tains a poison for the soil. We have not 
had trouble when the ground was rolled 
and packed hard after plowing. When 
this Is done the rye is crushed down hard, 
the air does not work in freely, and active 
fermentation is not so likely. There is no 
doubt that a good coat of ground limestone 
spread after plowing and well harrowed in 
will help the cow peas. If you can get such 
limestone at a fair price, use it. 
Ashes in the Garden 
I have quite a lot of wood and coal ashes 
mixed. I burn coal at night and then 
wood on the coal fire when it gets low; 
these are sifted. I raise all kinds of ber¬ 
ries, fruit and vegetables. Where can I use 
these ashes to the best advantage, and what 
time of the year should they be applied 
and how? e. t. h. 
Torrington, Conn. 
These mixed coal and wood ashes do not 
have great value as plant food, but can be 
used to advantage. We find them most use¬ 
ful as a mulch piled around currants, bush 
fruits and trees. They keep down weeds, 
keep the soil moist and add some fertility. 
They may bo scattered on plowed or spaded 
ground and harrowed or raked in. The 
best results will be found on very light or 
on very heavy soils. Pure wood ashes make 
a good fertilizer, but coal ashes contain 
little if any actual plant food. 
Lime and Stable Manure. 
I have a plaec in the country where we 
have about 1% acre in garden. We have 
an acetylene gas plant, and have accumu¬ 
lated a thousand pounds or more of the 
lime which comes from the plant. I have 
not been able to get any definite idea 
whether this lime is good to mix in with 
stable manure and use as fertilizer. The 
place is now somewhat run down in its 
condition. The orchard of about four 
acres was cut for hay for years, and no 
fertilizer put back on it. There are many 
weeds and shoots of shrubs started there. 
Can this lime be used to advantage here? 
w. s. M. 
Do not mix lime with stable manure. 
You can plow the manure under, then 
broadcast the lime and harrow it in, but 
it is a mistake to put the two together be¬ 
fore using on the soil. The lime acts to 
set ammonia in the manure free, so that it 
escapes as a gas. When the mixing occurs 
in the soil this ammonia is held for use of 
the plants. It is not likely that the lime 
will be of much benefit put on top of the 
sod in that orchard. We should spread it 
after plowing the garden and harrow in ex¬ 
cept where potatoes are planted. 
Lime for Root Crops. 
I have a farm in southern Vermont, and 
wish to grow beets, turnips, etc., for Win¬ 
ter feed for the dairy cows. I have tried 
raising these for table use for a year or 
two past with no success. We have decided 
that probably a lack of lime in the soil 
was the cause of failure. This year I wish 
to lime some of the land and would like 
some information on the subject. How 
much per acre for the above named vege¬ 
tables? In what form should it be ap¬ 
plied to land, method of spreading, etc. ? 
If I can get lime from a neighboring lime 
kiln, do you think it would answer the 
purpose as well as some I might order 
from a distance? E. L. w. 
Vermont. 
No doubt that land needs lime. One of 
the common tests is to sow the common 
table beet. This responds quickly to lime. 
If it fail for no other apparent reason, you 
may be sure lime is needed. We advise, in 
such cases, one ton of burnt lime per acre 
or two tons of ground limestone. Flow, 
then broadcast the lime and work thor¬ 
oughly in. We should use lime from that 
kiln. If it is lump or fresh-burned lime, 
slake it by exposure to air or by adding 
water. It will then crumble free and can 
be spread. 
Town Improvement Societies. —The peo¬ 
ple of our little town are anxious for a 
town improvement association, but do not 
know how to go about it. We would ap¬ 
preciate any help you can give us in the 
way of how to proceed. E. 
Maryland. 
R. N.-Y r .— Such information should be 
passed around. Will those who have helped 
in town improvement tell us how they 
did it? 
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