The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1907-04-25
The Early Potato Crop.

There is NJ market garden crop of
greater importance or one that occu-
pies SO large an area in the South At
lantic States as the Irish potato crop.
1t is a crop in which a large supply
of organic matter, or humus result
ing from the decay of organic matter,
is of the greatest Importance. This
condition in the soil can be best pro-
NOTED by the growth of the legumes.
In the trucking regions of the South
Atlantic States the cowpea is n of
the best preparations for the crop.
There the potatoes are planted too
early for a fa1l-sown crop to amount
to much, unless a good stand of
crimson clover could be had very
early in the fall, and this is usually
hard to get on account of the usual
dry weather in September and Octo-
Der. Hence, the next best thing is an
abundant and late. crop of cowpeas to
be left on the land entire to be
| plowed under when the land is pre-
pared for planting in February or
earlier.
The early potato crop in the South,
being grown during the cool part of
the year, needs more nitrogen than
the main crop grown in the North.
The peas will giv9 a considerable or
ton of this in the form or organic nj
! trogen, which the crop has largely
gathered from the air, and a smaller
amount of artificial nitrogen needs,
to be applied than il no peas had
been grown. But the decaying or
ganic matter has a further effect in
its power of retaining the moisture
essential to the solution of the fertil-
izers applied, and the acids formed
in the decay tend to prevent the
growth of the scab fungus and will
also enable the grower to use the pull
verified phosphate rock or floats to a
great extent in place of the more
costly acid phosphate.
The fact hat a soil Astounding in
organic decay retains moisture well
has an important bearing on the fer
tilization OF the crop, since without a
due amount of moisture in the soil,
the fertilizer hat is needed in abund-
ance by the potato crop would hot be
properly dissolved unless dissolved |
in the saltwater the plants can not
get the use OF it. The wise trucker
will always take time by the forelock
and prepare the best conditions for
his crop. If he has sown a crop of
peas in preparation for the potatoes,
which can be easily done after some
early crop of the previous season has
been shipped, he will understand that
any amount of phosphoric acid and
potash that he may apply to the peas
will be retained by the soil and when
the peas are turned under the potato
crop will benefit by the application
that has increased the growth of
peas. This becomes of greater i'm
portance in the present interest in
the ~pulverized rock as a cheap source
of phosphoric acid, for if this is ap-
piled abundantly to the pea crop it
may not affect that crop very greatly,
with the turning under OF the
peas it will come into availability for
the potato crop better than an imme-
date application of acid phosphate.
if kainit is abundantly supplied
the peas it will have lost any in
furious effect it might have had on
the potato crop while the potash will
still be there.
Not that / that kainft is
the cheapest form in which to get
potash, but that when applied a good
while ahead the d~issolvfng salt may
some effect in the solution of
other matters in the soil. But in any
event the truckers of the South have
learned that an abundant fertilfza-
ton is important to the success and
profit of the Irish potato crop, and I
found that 1000 pounds per
acre Of the following mixture will al
ways pay, even when the best pre-
vious treatment of the soil has been
made. Acid phosphate, 900 pounds;
of soda, 100 pounds; fish
scrap, GOO pounds, and muriate of
potash, 400. pounds, to make a ton.
If the previous treatment has not
been as suggested, 1 would increase
the application.-W. F. Massey. Edi-
tor of Practical Farmer.