New YorK AGRICULTURAL 
Amount of fertilizer Cost of 
per acre. fertilizer. 
Lbs. 
500 $6 25 
1000 12-50 
1500 18 75 
2000 25 00 
EXPERIMENT STATION. 
Increased yield 
of putatoes. 
Bu. 
23.3 
44,2 
55.4 
61.4 
225 
Money gain from 
use of fertilizer. 
$5 40 
10.60 
8 95 
5.70 
Considering the four years’ crops as a whole the largest money 
profit came from the use of one thousand pounds of fertilizer. 
For crop needs —This matter may be looked at from another 
side, viz.: The relation of the nitrogen, phosphoric acid and 
potash in the fertilizer to the amounts of their ingredients taken 
up by the tubers and tops. 
There are two points of view from which to discuss the use of 
fertilizers—the needs of the crop, and the capacity of the soil 
to supply plant food., In this instance the capacity of the soil 
at its weakest point is measured by the yield of potatoes where 
no fertilizer was applied. | 
In making the comparisons which follow, the weight of tops 
is assumed to be two-thirds that of the tubers and the composi- 
tion of the tubers and tops is taken from the averages of Ger- 
man analyses which are somewhat higher for tubers than 
American analyses. 
Table X gives a comparison between the largest quantities of 
nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash which the average crop 
was likely to have taken up, and the amounts of these ingre- 
dients in the fertilizer applied. 
TABLE X.—FERTILIZER ELEMENTS IN CROPS AND IN FERTILIZERS. 




“Achatont “eka OF CROP. | NITROGEN. PuHospHoRIC ACID. POTASH. 
ferti- =: ee ee SOE CRM URE SO ER Wy 827 fan PP TLMNEE Bee 
UESEESE robore, Tope, total MSMR tk) METRE iy a ee 
cropy, Lh ESE rake verops i. EF. (oP. 2) \tcropoL.rK. Puk: 
Tose L062 1 Pk. oe U8.) bs DOs, Dos, ba, LDS. Dba.) 5 Lbas:” Tbs. 
4776 3184 36 e Vere dieters eae a atk) Vatestwets See eh ° 
500 6174 4116 46.9 20 85 14.7 40 20° 53.9 50 50 
1000 7428 4592 56.4 40 TOit- LOS 80 40 64.9 100 100 
1500 8100 5400 61.5 60 |. JOB" 29. 5:.,..120 60 70.8 150 150 
2000 8460 5640 64.3 80 140 20.3 160 80 73.8 200 200 
15 
