428 Report oF tHE DerarrMent or FIELD Crops or THE 
THE RELATIVE EFFICIENCY OF THE POTATO FORMULA AND THE L. I. 
FORMULA. 
The proportions of plant food in these formulas are quite differ- 
ent, the phosphoric acid being only one-half in the former that it 
is in the latter. In both seasons the L. I. Formula has returned 
the larger yields, the superiority in 1898 not being so evident as 
in 1897. (See Table VII.) 
TABLE VII.— SUMMARY OF YIELDS OF POTATOES WITH “ PoTATO” FORMULA 
AND L. I. FoRMULA. 
- 




1897.* 1898. 
Amount of rp oat  -Bxcers. a ae ~ ‘Excess 
fertilizer per acre. Potato ge from Potato I bea 6 from 
formu- formu- eet formu- formu- | 
13. la. formu- Ie la. formu- 
Hey la. 
INOUE cece es 11331 * 307.4 
B00 -lDS.unce8 fs 125.5 163.8 38.3 138.0 1438.5 5.5 
TROL WEES bel ip 166.2 184.7 18.5 16Tct 168.4 0.7 
ME UOU CLIVSG oft Tete vee 166.8 189.5 at | 188.2 196.2 8.0 
2.0 0.9 
2,000 (IDS. oo sisiens 5 178.4 190.4 3 
191 7 202.6 10. 


THE INFLUENCE OF POTASH IN THE FERTILIZERS. 
A popular notion widely prevails that potash manures are espe- 
cially required by the potato crop. ‘This view is probably based 
upon the fact that the potato plant takes more potash than some 
others grown agriculturally. Doubtless the marked effect of ashes 
in some instances has led to the belief that potash is often seriously 
deficient in ordinary soils, when as a matter of fact ashes modify 
fertility in ways not wholly attributable to the potash they contain. 
It is widely noticeable that the most popular fertilizer mixture 
in use on Long Island contains more potash than nitrogen or 
phosphoric acid. This may be in accordance with the real de- 
mands of Long Island soils, but in view of the preponderant in- 
fluence of phosphoric acid as often observed in so many localities, 
the economy of such an abundant use of potash is certainly open 
to question. Because of the doubt, it was decided to test the 

* From Fleet and Hallock plats. 
