The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-02-16
AGRICULTURAL.
POTATO GROWING CONTINUED.

POTATO GROWING CONTINUED.
Nitrogen is the most costly of the
plant foods and is also the quickest in
it's action. Nitrogen may be obtained
from different sources-cotton seed meal
and nitrate of soda, or it may be eX-
tracted from the air from the legumes
mentioned and stored in the soil How
ever this would require more time than
it would to obtain it from the other
sources.
Nitrate of soda is found in vast guam
titles in the north of Chill, South Amer
lea, in beds several thousand feet above
the sea. These beds are from three to
ten feet in thickness. The exports from
these beds amount to over a million
tons of 224O pounds annually, the greater
part in former years going to Europe.
but now much of it comes to the United
States Nitrate of soda at this writing
is worth $50 per ton.
Potash.
Muriate of potash is by far the most
important source of potash 1t is found
in large deposits near stassfort, Ger
many in what is called Carnallite.
which contains about 10 PEI cent of pure
muriate of potash. This Is refined so
that when exported the commercial ar
ticle contains from so to IS per cent Of
pure muriate of potash or so to 81 per
cent of actual potash. This is the cheap
est form in which potash can be bought
and is worth at this writing $3.50 per
ton, Wood ashes unleached contains
from to Z per cent of potash. and from
! to 21a per cent phosphoric acid. and as
they are worth from So to u per ton they
should all be saved and used for fertil-
izer, especially so for growing potatoes
Phosphoric Acid.
There are also many sources from
which this may be obtained. The chief
sources however, are beds of phosphate
rock found in the states of South Caro-
lima, Florida and Tennessee. In order
TO make this rock phosphate available
quickly it must be ground and treated
with sulphuric acid Ground bone should
be treated the same way. The knowl-
edge of this fact IS one Of the greatest
discoveries of the age and has been
worth millions to our farmers. Rock
phosphate is the cheapest source from
which phosphate may be obtained and
is worth at this writing $3.50 per ton
With this brief history and the prices
now prevailing the former can guide him
self in the purchase of what fertilizers
he may need.
Another very important fact is that
nearly all soils contain to certain ex-
tent one or perhaps all of these ele-
ments, so that the farmer having all the
potash in his soil which 1t needs should
not buy potash, but nitrogen and phos-
phoric acid or if he has been growing
his CROPS in a well defined rotation. using
in the rotation clovers. stock peas and
other legumes. these may have stored all
teh nitrogen needed in the soil. so that
he would only have to buy potash and
phosporic acid Nearly all good clay sub
soils have a good supply of potash in
them. so that in very many cases if the
farmer would supply the nitrogen needed
by rotation of crops, using the legumes
mentioned, phosphoric acid would be the
only plant food which he would need to
buy This part of the plant food must
be we'll provided where 1t does not al
ready exist in the soil.
1t has been found a profitable invest
ment to use some chemical FERTILIZER for
early potatoes, even when the soil is
rich. as 1t hastens maturity, and this is
one of the first considerations. Then it
also makes the tubers more uniform in
size and gives them a clean. bright, at
tractive skin. While we may not be able
to prescribe for all soils and conditions,
vet we will give what has proven great
benefit in potato growing. and the
amounts can be changed to suit the va
rious soils.
For potatoes. sweet or Irish, for gen.
eral purposes. use per acre from 600 to
1900 pounds of a fertilizer containing nj
trogen per cent, available phosphoric 6
per cent and potash per cent. This may
be obtained from eithers of the following
mixtures: "a.