88 
SEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE 
ready for planting, though, until the manure has rotted. 
When the manure has rotted then it is ready for the vege¬ 
tables. I think potash can be used at any time; as to the 
quantity, as Mr. Moore said, apply “about twice as much as 
you think you should put on, then you have half enough. n 
In planting vegetables, I think you can put from 300 to 400 
pounds of potash to the acre to advantage; I use potash in 
the form of sulphate. I do not use muriate on vegetables, es¬ 
pecially tomatoes. I have but little truck growing compara¬ 
tively, and most of the potash I get is for orange trees. 
0. P. Rooks —What kind of straw do you use? 
Mr. Gaitskill —The straw I use on my potatoes is refuse 
hay. I make plenty of crab grass hay and use the refuse 
from the stacks in mv horse lot. 1 do not know that it is 
»/ 
any better than pine straw. I do not live in a pine straw 
country. It is immeteriai whether you cover the straw with 
dirt or not. I threw mv stable manure over the ground two 
inches thick, had my seed ready, put my potatoes in the fur¬ 
rows and just turned the ground over. I plow very shallow. 
I do not plant them more than one and one-half inches in the. 
ground. I am trying to get along without much work. 
Mr. Rooks —Mr. Gaitskill says the only trouble he has is 
with moles. I understand the moles live on the worms in the 
manure. 
Mr. Bacon —There are some points in regard to the use of 
stable manure that I would like to know. In the first place, 
can we throw stable manure on top of the ground and not 
lose one-half or two-thirds ,of its benefit? Will it not pass off 
in the air? If we bury it under the ground, and it is lull of 
worms, will not the ground be full of moles? Fow the ques¬ 
tion is, how can we use stable manure? If we throw it on top 
of the ground the moles do not trouble us, but it is dissi¬ 
pated; if we bury it, the moles and worms trouble us. We do 
not get much benefit from stable manure on top of the ground 
unless we are certain of putting it on when we know we are 
going to have a heavy rain. The grubs destroy my vege¬ 
tables, and for the last year I have quit using the stable 
manure tor that purpose; the radishes and cabbage were all 
cut up by the grubs. 
Lyman Phelps —There is good enough sulphate of mag¬ 
nesia in sulphate of potash to fix the ammonia in stable man¬ 
ure so that there is no waste; neither can the grubs find good 
living there. Moles will not find good living there, and noth¬ 
ing will stay where it cannot find good living. 
H. G. Hastings —Stable manure lias in every case been? 
used with sulphate of potash round my place, fn regard to 
