Smyrna times., 1917-04-04
MORE
POTATOES TO
BE PLANTED.

MORE -4.o-
=, nT- binary prices for
potatoes, fields |
will probably be planted to this crop |
this year where they were never grown
before.
Intensive methods make it possible
to grow crops yielding from 250 to 400
bushels per acre and to decrease the
cost of raising each bushel. The big
expense In pOtato-grOwing comes in
the preparation of the land and the at
tentiOn given the crop throughout the
season. But 1t costs no more to pre-
pare ground, cultivate, and spray
S0O-bushel crop than 1t does a 100
bushel crop. Harvesting will cost
more, but the big overhead expenses
are practically the same. Obviously
the thing to do is to insure larger
yields by supplying an abundance of
available plant food that will give the
crop a good start and force it to early
maturity.
Preparing for Potatoes.
1t is best to avoid planting potatoes
on soil to which large quantities of
stable manure, lime or ashes have been
recently applied. Stable manure and
ashes supply plantfood constituents
which are used by the potato but both
manure and lime produce a condition
in the soil which favOrs the growth
of potato scab. When lime and manure
are to be used on ground planned for
potatoes later, manage the rotation in
such a way that this treatment will
follow rather than precede the potato
crop. The seed bed should be worked
down mellow by continued disking and
narrowing. If the ground is too COM
pact, the growing tubers find difficulty
in pushing out into the soil, and as
consequence will be pressed out of
shape.
Organic Matter Needed.
The plantfOOd of the potato is most
prOftably supplied by turning under
green manures, supplemented by fertil-
izers. The potato takes up a fairly
large amount of nitrogen, a moderate
amount of phOsphOric acid and large
supply Of potash; hence, a fertilizer
supplying 3 to per cent ammonia,
8 to per cent phosphoric acid and
to 8 per cent potash is about right
for loan soils. On sandy soils use
more ammonia, on clay use more phOs-
phOric acid and less potash, and on
muck use 1 per cent of ammonia, 10
to II per cent phOsphOric acid, and 8
to 10 per cent potash when the latter
can be obtained.
How to Apply Fertilizer.
At least One-half of the ammonia of
the complete fertilizer used should be
In quickly available form in order to
give the young potatoes an early, Wig
orous start. The other half should be
In more slowly available form so as to
furnish a continuous supply as it is
needed by the growing crop. The phos-
phoric acid should be readily avail
able so that, when the time comes fol
the setting and filling of the potatoes
there may be as large a number of DO
tatoes as possible, and the potatoes
may ripen uniformly. In applying tn,
Fertilizer, it has been found that quan
titles varying from 800 to 1900 pound
per acre have given excellent results
In Maine, where about 25,000,OOO bush
els are produced annually, the applica
tton Of fertilizer on the good soil O
that state varies from 1000 to 2,4O
pounds per acre.
Fertilizers Increase Yield and Quality
Apply fertilizer in the row up t,
the capacity Of the fertilizer attach
ment of the planter. Any amount II
excess of this should be drilled In wit
q wheat drill before planting, or az
piled with a lime and fertilizer dis
tributor and weH mixed with the sol
This distributes the plantfood through
out the soil where the tiny potato root
may find it early in their growth. TIL
tubers form on separate roots whic
cluster under the plant, while the feed
Ing roots stretch Off into the soil 4
search Of available plantfood. Cor
trary to common belief, the genera
distribution of fertilizer between tn
rows Of potatoes does not tend I