The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-01-07

Materials Used by the Potato Plant.
Investigations have been carried on
quite extensively in Europe to determine
just what materials are drawn on to the
greatest extent by the potato plant in
its various stages of growth says the
Agricuturist. OF course, it has always
been easy to determine by chemical anal
ysis the fact that the whole potato plant
must have used in its total development
certain quantities of certain kinds of
chemicals. We have not, however, gen
orally reduced to fine point the periods
at which these constituents are accumu-
lated. Among the recent eXperimenters
along this line is l.. Hecke of Germany.
In some experiments carried on by him.
a marty loan soil was used. The pertic-
ular field in question was rich in phos-
phoric acid, but rather deficient in nitro
gen and potash.
The field had been MANFRED for the most
part on previous years, yet some portions
had received so little manure that it was
possible to create plats that could fairly
be called unmanured plats. The total
period of the experiment was from April
q to Sept. r. 1t was divided into five
periods, beginning respectively April q,
June q, July IL. Aug. q and Aug. q. The
plats were planted with potatoes, and
from the results the following conclusions
were drawn.
The potato. throughout its period of
growth, requires liberal supplies of all
three of the fertilizing elements. The
demand for nitrogen is especially strong
in the first half, and for potash in the
second half, of the vegetation period. The
assimilation of plant food, as well as the
production of dry matter, was always in
huenced by the manuring, although in
some cases to a very slight extent. APP
plying potash increased the assimilation
of potash in the first half and lowered it
in the second half of the period of
growth
The influence of potash was especial
ly marked in the production of tubers
and roots. although it's effects were OBJ
served in all parts of the plant. The con-
clusion of other investigators that potash
assists in the formation of starch was,
in a measure, confirmed. Its use always
increased the potash content of the plant
and seemed to promote the assimilation of
nitrogen. The application of nitrogen alone
always Increased the nitrogen of the
plants, but when phosphoric acid and
potash were used in connection with nj
trogen, the nitrogen content was lowered
| AS a rule the influence of applications of
| phosphoric acid was less significant and
uniform than that of potash and nitrogen,
| probably because the soil was already
well supplied with this element.
| 1t is not certain that from the progress
| of the assimilation of plant food it is
possible to draw conclusions regarding the
deficiencies of soils and fertilizers The
diagram of the results, however, indicates
deficiency of nitrogen in the first half
Of the period of growth. and of potash and
! phosphoric acid during the second half
| Since the assimilation of fertilizing con-
stltuents was not suspended under the
| influences of manuring, this process must
| be looked upon as a constant character
istic that may serve to differentiate the
manurial requirements of our cultivated
| plants.