If all members raise their usage to 
these maximum rates regardless of 
previous practices and thereby make 
the ceiling the floor, the demand 
would so exceed the supply that ra- 
tioning of fertilizer might result. 
These maximum rates will not neces- 
sarily be the most profitable, for they 
represent the upper limit of amounts 
considered practical for the less favor- 
able conditions. 
In these tabulations it will be 
noted ‘that for New England the 
816-8, 5-10-10, and 8-16-16 are the 
three grades recommended for com- 
mercial vegetable production. For 
Pennsylvania, Delaware and Mary- 
land the 6-18-6 and 5-20-10 must 
meet most of the fertilizer require- 
ments for general vegetable produc- 
tion with grades higher in potash 
restricted to production of root crops. 
The 5-17-0, which is 20% Super- 
phosphate ammoniated with nitrogen 
solution, in normal times is used for a 
starter for row crops. Since usage for 
Group A vegetables will restrict the 
amount of fertilizer available for 
Group B crops, this 517-0 will pro- 
vide a nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer 
that may be mixed on the farm with 
the muriate of potash that will not be 
delivered to the fertilizer plants in 
time for mixing and curing. The 
5-17-0 may likewise be used to rein- 
force manure and for grass cover 
crops. 
The 5—10-5 Victory Garden fertili- 
zer should be used at the rate of not 
more than five pounds per 100 square 
feet. Apply less if manure is used. 
Spread evenly and then plow or spade 
down. 
TABLE 3 
Suggested Grades and Maximum Rates— Bags per Acre 
Crops 
GROUP ‘‘A’’ VEGETABLES 
“ISCO, 6 REE les een te gs 
tenons eyarel aes. MO, Stee Oe ei ae 
(CAISROLESS Aarne deen one gee ae J Se ee ee oe 
OMICS « ccna o8-6 3b eee 
EOE R COLT (PLOCESSIfig ). 6 6). of gk kee ce ees 
NOHTENWOISS orc. 0. 0 Bre 8 Oe a 
Witeugiay (Geax, coli ad hg see ne ae eae 
GROUP ‘'B’’ VEGETABLES 
ea RECO DS Mere amass). S:6 etl decades: 
PE OUCMOLO Doin Meath Sts ath nie visits ares stacs & » 
Ne SRCERREODS ee ele rd cle loce pf eietgyeic Pals nels nye so oe 
Connecticut, Massachusetts, 
Rhode Island, Vermont 
Maine and 
New Hampshire 
* 5-10-10 @ 20 * 5-10-10 @ 20 
5-10-10 @10 8-16-8 @ 9 
5-10-10 @ 20 8-16-8 @ 9 
5-10-10 @ 20 8-16-8 @ 15 
8-16-8 @10 8-16-8 @ 8 
8-16-8 @10 8-16-8 @ 8 
5-10-10 @ 20 5-10-10 @ 20 
8-12-16** @ 12% 
8-12-20** @ 10% 
5-105 @ 20 5-10-5 @ 20 
8-16-8 @15 8-16-8 @ 12 
5-10-10 @ 20 5-10-10 @ 15 
8-16-8 @15 8-16-8 @ 9 
* With manure reduce the quantity of fertilizer or equivalent amounts of 8-16-16 where 5-10-10 
is listed. 
** For Maine only. 
TABLE 4 
Suggested Grades and Maximum Rates — Bags per Acre 
Crops 
GROUP ‘‘A’’ VEGETABLES 
CARE, sa cao nae Silo 0 05 uo CORE Eee eae 
REE OO MUCEMOCESSING eos ceca ce chee ee 
MORTARS. 2c oS dan GAMA ee ee 
OLatOCs mSWCCtMmMMEn nt. tnt: © od unas << 
POTATOES tA WinttenATCMe le a... )nveebens dea 
WiesnSy (GEC, 5 sb age aoo ome Uae eee eee 
GROUP ‘‘B’’ VEGETABLES 
ARS AGES. oo 
INDOEChOVES . «2-5. colle oof Oe eae ee a 
VIRGO. oo” oleate ee 
Delaware and 
Maryland Pennsylvania * 
6-18-6 @ 8 6-18-6 @ 7 
6-18-6 @ 8 6-18-6 @ 6 
5-15-20 @ 6 8-16-16 @ 8 
5-15-20 @ 6 5-20-10 @ 12 
5-20-10 @ 3 5-20-10 @ 5 
8-16-16 @ 8 5-20-10 @ 8 
5-15-20 @ 8 — 
8-16-16 @ 8 8-16-16 @ 6 
5-10-5 @ 20 5-10-5 @ 20 
6-18-6 @ 8 6-18-6 @ 7 
5-20-10 @ 6 8-16-16@ 8 
5-15-20 @ 8 5-20-10 @ 6 
* Based on 1942-1943 Recommendations and for use without manure. With manure reduce the 
quantity of fertilizer. 
Il. HOW TO USE LIMITED SUP- 
PLIES OF POTASH TO SECURE THE 
GREATEST PRODUCTION 
With less potash available for dis- 
tribution in 1944, fertilizers with 
lower proportions of potash should 
be used except where definite needs 
for higher potash are known to exist. 
Plants do not utilize potash effec- 
tively if either phosphorus or nitro- 
gen are deficient. Fertilizers with 
higher proportions of phosphorus 
than the 1-1-1 ratio are therefore 
recommended for general use. The 
8-8-8 mixture is recommended only 
for leafy crops where there is a high 
reserve of phosphorus. The use of this 
grade in Delaware and Maryland is 
restricted to topdressing use. Vege- 
tables likewise need more potash if 
soils are overlimed and therefore lime 
should not be used unless the need is 
definitely known. If peas and beans, 
beets, and celery do well, it is not 
likely that additional lime is needed. 
Potash can be made to go further 
with a deeper placement of fertilizer. 
When potash is applied near the sur- 
face where the soil is alternately 
wet and dry, much of the potash is 
changed to an unavailable form. 
With deeper placement secured by 
deeper drilling or plowing down part 
or all of the fertilizer, potash is not so 
subject to such losses. Since most of 
the potash and nitrogen in manure is 
in the liquid portion, much more will 
be available for crops if every effort is 
made to conserve these valuable nu- 
trients against leaching losses. 
Poultry manure is especially valu- 
able for the production of leafy crops 
and for topdressing. Recent analysis 
of fresh manure taken at Westbrook 
Laboratory, with 70 percent mois- 
ture, contained 1.8 percent nitrogen, 
1.1 percent available phosphoric 
acid, and .8 percent potash (K,O), or 
approximately a 2-1-1 ratio. Four 
tons of such poultry manure would 
furnish the equivalent of 100 pounds 
of muriate of potash or that con- 
tained in 400 pounds of an 8-16-16 
mixture. Eighty-five percent of the 
nitrogen was in the organic, water 
soluble form. We should consider 
poultry manure as a dilute organic 
fertilizer that has much of the nutri- 
ents in the soluble form and is, there- 
fore, worthy of more consideration 
by the vegetable growers both during 
and after the present war emergency. 
2S 
