The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-04-23
neWS and UieWS
 For Farmers
MsTtTUTE

alone. It will take about four barrels and they will cost you from $350 to $l l per barrel to start with.
 The best land for Irish potatoes is
 warm sandy loam well filled with a vegetable, matter. Land that has re- | cefveds heavy application of stable
 manure for corn or some vegetable cror
 is excellent. A heavy crop of COW peas I or velvet beans, or a clover sod makes | a good preparation: but do not apply | stable manure directly to q potato crop
 And then. besides. stable manure con tains too much ammonia for best re- suits on potatoes, causing them to run 1 too much to top and not enough to root.
 For potatoes we want a chemical fertilizer with a relatively large per centase of potash and phosphoric acid especially the former. if we want good mealy and white. This fertilizer should analyze about per cent. ammonia. per cent. phosphorie acid, and s per cent potash. And if you are unable about such analysis you can prepare 1t mula:
 CCa,.a.e C,, ol soda. ....... 300 lbs. Dissolved bone black. .. .. 500 lbs. Muriate or potash .... .. 300 lbs.
 Apply at the rate of 1000 pounds Ti s to s.ooo pounds per acre. Some garden CTS even use larger quantities.
 o,a Ar5er selecting your land, break it Sorse n,aw and deeply with good narrow and drag. Then lay off your rows about three feet apart and open tnem out with middle breaker as deeply as two good mules can pull it. Cut your potatoes to two good eyes and arop the pieces about one foot apart Tn the bottom of this furrow. covering them lightly with double foot stock or You. are now ready for the fertilizer, which should be applied by hand in a broad band about foot wide. right on top of the covered row of potatoes, then cover this with two good furrows of one.horse turn blow.
 When the potatoes begin to show sisns or coming lp, harrow the held across the rows with a smoothing har- row. This will level down the ridges. kill all weeds and grass. which arc bet ginning to appear, and leave the field in excellent shape for cultivation. In few days your potatoes will be up from end to end Of the row, when they should receive another cultivation. We use narrow teeth on the cultivator. to prevent ridging, and follow with weed CT. which works the soil up to and be- tween the plants. There is sometimes danger of killing frost when early po- tatoes are coming up. and it is not a bad idea to give them their first blow lHS NllH tHTPe-lnCH StDDIeTS On Ine cultivator throwing the dirt we'll up around and even over the young plants. This will protect them ard they will come out all right. and the land can be leveled by using the weeder across the rows.
 The main thing now is constant cul- tivation to keep the plants growing and prevent the loss of moisture by breaking the crust after q rain, and keeping the surface loose and fine.
 Toward the end of the growing pe- riod. when the potatoes begin to crack in the ground, put the sweeps on your cultivator and throw a little soil under the vines, to cover any po- tatoes which may be exposed and which would be injured by the sun and light. 5co
 For the potato bug there Is nothing more effective than Paris green mixed with wheat flour. Mix one pound of Paris green with thirty pounds of flour, stir until the whole mass is an even light green color. Let it stand over night so the poison will penetrate the flour, and apply to the vines in the early morning when the dew is on, by dusting it over the plants through a coarse sack. The flour sticks to the plants and is not so easily washed or blown off as ashes or lime, while the bugs seem to eat it better.