A M E R I C A N P O T A T O J O U R N A L 151

The grape growers in Cal i fornia fo rmed a Grape Control Board with the assistance of the Federa l F a r m Board and collected a fee f rom each grower to pay for the port ion of the crop lef t unharves ted or converted into by-products .

Other methods will no doubt be devised to employ restric- t ion p rograms to meet surp lus situations. These will depend upon the na tu re of the commodity , the conditions under which they are produced, the area covered, and the marke ts in which the products are sold.

Whether or not restr ict ion p rograms will in the long run be effective and whether or no~ it is a bet ter policy to. prevent surpluses before they occur th rough acreage reduct ion or less intensive cul t ivat ion are o ther questions. Sh ipment restr ict ion offers a possibility for meet ing a pressing situation and will no doubt be employed by various groups when more producers have a clearer unders tand ing of the re la t ionship between supply and price.

Nine Years Results With Potato Fertilizers* A. M. IVs Clemson College, South Carolina

South Carolina is one of the important second early potato states, where f rom 14,000 to 24,000 acres are planted annually for the commercial crop. The fertil izer used varies f rom one to one and one-half tons per acre, the usual amount being about one ton. This makes the question of the kind and amount of fertil izer used an important one. Although the potato has been an important crop for many years very little experimental work relat ing to fertilizers or other problems has been done with it in South Carolina or other southern states.

Review of Literature

Johnson (1) in Virginia, on a sassafras loam at Norfolk and on a sandy loam of uniform texture at Tasley, in a one year test (1916) found tha t 8 ~ of phosphoric acid at Tasley and 6% at Norfolk gave larger percentage increases t han smaller amounts. He also found tha t 7% ammonia and 5% potash gave the largest percentage increases at both places and stated that an excess of potash seemed to re tard development.. Johnson

*Technical Contr ibution No. 17 f rom the South Carolina Agricultural Exper iment Station, Clemson College, S. C.

152 A N I E I ~ I C A N P O T A T O J O U R N A L

harvested these potatoes at three different times, (1) June 14, (2) June 22, and (3) July 3. The percentages above apply to the third harvest when the potatoes were at the same stage of matur i ty as those in this report.

Floyd and Ruprecht (2) have reported on a three year experi- ment, 1918-20, conducted in the Hastings, Fla., district. The soil was a virgin sandy loam underlain at a depth of one to three feet with a ra the r heavy sandy clay sub-soil and very poor in ferti l i ty. These workers found acid phosphate to be a bet ter source of phosphoric acid than ei ther pebble or soft phosphate. Five per cent of potash produced 2.2 barrels more per acre than 3%, 3% produced 4 barrels more per acre than 1%, and 1% 12.8 barrels more per acre than no potash. The differences be- tween 5 % and 3 % and between 3 % and 1% were not very great and may or may not ha~e been significant.

The Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station (3) at Tifton, Ga., on a Tif ton sandy loam soil, reported a six year tes t where varying amounts of a 4-8-4 (NPK) mixture was used. The re- sults showed tha t an 800 lb. application gave yields of one bushel per acre grea te r than 1000 lbs. and only 3 bushels less per acre than 1200 lbs. Their yields were extremely low being 31 bushels (total yield) per acre for a 200 lb. application and increasing in yield as the amount of ferti l izer increased to a 56 bushel yield for a 1200 lb. application. The percentages of the No. l ' s and 2's together ran in the same order as the yields.

Ware (4) in Mississippi, in a two year test, using 1000 lbs. of a 4-10-4 as a basis, compared N, P and K alone and in various combinations. He found no increase f rom applications of phos- phoric acid; 8% potash produced a higher yield than 4%; and 4 ~ nitrogen produced bet ter yields than no ni t rogen or 8% nitrogen. In comparing various amounts of the 4-10-4 mixture 1000 lbs. produced 3.7 bushels more than 2000 lbs. and 27.1 bushels more than 3000 lbs. He concluded tha t 10'00 lbs. of a 4-10-4 resulted in the largest gross and the largest net profit. In this la t ter mixture the potash was derived from sulphate of pot- ash and nitrogen f rom ni t ra te of soda. Ware also concluded tha t when ni t ra te of soda and muria te of potash was used the largest net profit was obtained when phosphorus was omitted.

Skinner, Williams and Mann (5) on Bladen fine sandy loam soil in North Carolina in a pre~liminary report on four years ' tes t have found tha t increasing the amount of potash in a one ton per acre application of a mixture containing 6% phosphoric acid and 7 ~ nitrogen, gave increasing yields up to 6%. As the amount of nitrogen in the mixture was increased up to 8%, the yield also increased but some of the differences were very small.

A M E R I C A N P O T A T O J O U R N A L 153

Amounts of 1600 lbs., 2000 lbs. and 2400 lbs., each of 5-7-5, 7-6-5 and 5-7-7 mixtures were compared and the results showed the 7-6-5 mix ture to be the best and tha t an application of 2000 lbs., of the 7-6-5 mix ture produced the highest yield. These workers also found tha t mur ia te re turned be t t e r yields than sulfate or manure salts a l though the sulfate was tested only 3 years while the muria te and manure salts were tested four years.

Plan of the Experiment

The exper iment of which this paper is a report was conducted at Clemson College on Congaree, a fine sandy loam soil. The same plots have been used each year. Previous to s ta r t ing this exper iment the usual f a rm crops were grown, general ly oats and vetch in the winter or oats alone and corn or corn and cowpeas or soybeans in summer. During the first two years of the experi- ment, cowpeas were planted following the digging of the pota- toes and plowed under in late fall (two years) or removed for hay (one year ) . Since then sweet corn or snap beans have usually followed potatoes but no fer t i l izer was applied to these crops.

The first th ree years there were only single plots of each t r e a t m e n t ; since then duplicate plots. Each plot consisted of four rows one hundred feet long and three feet apar t and were 2754 acre in area. Yield records were taken f rom the two

inside rows. The fert i l izer was mixed by hand thoroughly and the amount for each row weighed and applied separately, usually two to seven days before planting the seed pieces. Each row was plainly marked at 12" intervals so tha t the same number of seed pieces were planted in each row and plot. Plant ing was done during the last week in March or the first week in April and digging occurred during the last few days in June or the first week in July. Digging was not s tar ted until the vines were dead. Usually one row was dug f rom each plot on the same day. Grading was done with a Boggs grader. In all operat ions all plots received uniform t r e a t m e n t except as to the kind and amount of fertil izer.

The Ir ish Cobbler var ie ty was used, the seed being obtained f rom Maine. During the last six years certified seed was planted. The seed was t reated for disease only two years dur ing the test.

A f t e r obtaining the data on the actual yield the figures were corrected for stand and for soil variat ion and the figures given are in barrels per acre.

All applications were made at the ra te of one ton per acre

154 A M E R I C A N P O T A T O J O U R N A L

except in one case where 1.5 tons were applied. The 5-7-5 treat- ment was used as the check. There were three plots between each two check plots. The sources of N were 60% ni t ra te of soda and 40% dried blood. Phosphorus from 16% superphos- phate and Potassium from sulfate of potash the first 4 years and muriate of potash the last 5 years.

Table 1. Response of Irish Cobbler Potatoes to Various Kinds and Amounts of Fertil izers on Congaree Soil

T R E A T M E N T

P h o s p h o r u s - - 5 - 5 - 5 ............................................ 5 - 7 - 5 ............................................ 5 - 9 - 5 ............................................

N i t r o g e n - - 5 - 7 - 5 ............................................ 5 - 7 - 5 - } - ........................................ lOO p o u n d s s o d a ........................ 7 - 7 - 5 ............................................

P o t a s h - - 5 - 7 - 5 ............................................ 5 - 7 - 5 ............................................ 5 - 7 - 9 ............................................

A m o u n t o f F e r t i l i z e r - - N o n e ............................................ 5 - 7 - 5 ( I t o n ) ............................ 5 - 7 - 5 ( 1 � 8 9 t o n s ) ......................

S o u r c e s o f P o t a s h - - M u r i a t e ...................................... S u l f a t e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . K a i n i t ........................................... N o n e ............................................

Per - cen tage

No. l ' s

77 �9 77.7 77 .7

77.7

77.9 77.6

77 .7 72.9 74.8

55.9 77.7 80.6

64. 60.7 65.6 59 .6

Yie ld No. l 's

bbls. p e r A.

I n c r e a s e over 5-7-5

bbls. p e r A.

53.1 .4 53 .5 56 .5 3 .0

53 .5

57 53 .8

53 .5 51, 52.3

12.7 53.5 62.

38.1 35.6 37.5 29.

3.5 .3

- 2 ,5 - 1,2

-40 .8

8.5

The table shows tha t phosphorus in amounts of 5,7 and 9% make very little difference in yield. The 5-9-5 produced 3.8 bbls. more per acre than the 5-7-5, and 4.4 more barrels than the 5-5-5, the odds being 713. The percentages of No. l ' s is prac- tically the same and when figuring the yields in barrels of No. l ' s per acre we find tha t the difference between the 5-9-5 and the 5-7-5 is only 3 barrels and between the 5-9-5 and 5-5-5 is but 3.4 barrels. Potatoes would have to bring a good price to be profitable to use 9 % instead of 5 % of phosphorus.

The 5-7-5 mixture plus 100 lbs. of ni t rate of soda produced a higher total yield than 5 ~Y, or 7 ~ of nitrogen. None of these

A M E R I C A N P O T A T O J O U R N A L 155

differences, however, are significant. The percentages of No. l ' s is almost exactly the same for the different percentages of N. The difference in yield of No. l ' s per acre is also is favor of the 5-7-5 mixture plus 100 lbs. ni t rate of soda, being 3.5 bar- rels more than the 5-7-5 mixture alone and 3.2 barrels more than the 7-7-5 mixture. Since none of these differences are significant 5 % of nitrogen has given the most profitable yields.

Table 2 - -Compar i son of Total Yields and Yields of No. l ' s in Barre ls per Acre.

T r e a t m e n t s Tota l A B A

5-9-5 5-5-5 72.7 5-9-5 5-7-5 72.7

1.5 T o n s 1 T o n 76.9 5-7-5 5-7-5

100 lbs. N. Soda 7-7-5 73.2 1.5 Tons 5-7-5

5-7-5 100 lbs. N. Soda 76.9 5-7-7 5-7-5 70.0

Fields B

68.3 68.9 68.9

69.3

73.2 68.9

Mean Difference

A-B

4.4 3.8 8.0

3.9

3.7 1.1

Odds by S t u d e n t ' s M e t h o d

713.0:1 14.6:1 89.1:1

28.3:1

14.6:1 6.24:1

Yields of No. l ' s

1.5 T o n s 5-7-5 5-7-5 100 lbs. N. Soda 62.0 5-7-5 7-7-5 62.0 5-7-5 5-7-5 62.0 5-7-5 5-7-7 62.0 5-7-5 5-7-9 62.0 5-7-5 5-5-5 62.0 5-7-5 5-9-5 62.0 7-7-5 5-7-7 53.5 5-7-5

100 Ibs. N. Soda 5-7-7 57.0 5-5-5 5-7-7 53.1 5-9-5 5-7-7 56.5

57.0 53.8 53.5 51.0 52.3 53.1 56.5 51.0

51 .O 51.0 51.0

5.0 8.2 8.5

12.0 9.7 8.9 5.5 2.5

6.0 2.1 5.5

255:1 108:1 212:1

4999:1 999:1

36.5:1 17.9:1 36.5:1

57.1:1 17.9:1 7.24:1

Note : - - C o m p a r i s o n s be tween some t r e a t m e n t s showed such sma l l differences and the odds were so smal l t h a t t h e y are n o t shown.

In the case of potash smaller differences in yield resulted from the use of different percentages of the material in the fertil izer than was true of either phosphorus or nitrogen. Nei ther the differences in total yield nor in yield of No. l ' s were significant, hence 5~, was the most profitable application. The percentages of No. l ' s for the 7% and 9% mixtures are the smallest in the whole experiment with the exception of the plots which had no

156 A M E R I C A N P O T A T O J O U R N A L

fertilizer. I t is quite possible t ha t 3% of potash would have been as sa t is factory as 5 %.

Differences in total yield result ing from the use of different amounts of fertil izer were greater than those obtained f rom any other part of the experiment. The 1.5 tons application produced 8 barrels more than the one ton application with odds of 89.1, and 54.2 barrels more than no fertilizer, which difference is, of course, also significant. The 1.5 tons application also shows the highest percentage of No. 1 potatoes. The yield of No. l ' s obtained with 1.5 tons of 5-7-5 as compared with those f rom all the other t rea tments used in the experiment, shows a significant increase in favor of the former except in the case of the 5-9-5 (1 ton application) which gave a yield t ha t was not significantly lower than t h a t from the 1.5 tons of 5-7-5. The difference in barrels of No. l ' s between the one ton and the 1.5 tons applica- tions is 8.5 barrels. This is a ra ther small difference for an extra half ton of fertil izer and the No. l ' s would have to bring over two dollars per barrel to make such a large application profitab]e.

As the experiment progressed the potatoes on the no ferti l izer plot became increasingly late in appearing above ground. In 1931 the young plants appeared 7 days later than those on the fertilizer plots.

The experiment with sources of potash was made in the same soil as the previous test and f rom the small differences sho,wn, it is evident t ha t while applications of potash are necessary in this soil it does not make much difference in what form i t is applied.. In this tes t only single plots were used. Possibly with replicated plots greater differences would have appeared. The differences between the yield: of No. l ' s for the three sources of potash are also small.

The color of the foliage was a very dark green when potash was omitted f rom the mixture and a yellowish green on the kainit plots. On the muriate and sulfate plots the color was a l ighter green than the no potash plot but darker green than the kainit plot.

Summary

In this experiment on Congaree soil 1 ton per acre of a 5-5-5 mixture gave the most profitable yield. Increasing the per- centage of N, P or K in the mixture did not result in significant increases in yield except in the case of P where 9% gave a significant increase over 5 ~ but not over 7%.

The appl icat ion of 1.5 tons of a 5-7-5 mixture gave a signi- ficant increase over 1 ton appl icat ion of the same mixture but

A M E R I C A N P O T A T O , I O U R N A L 157

usua l ly one ton of a comple te mixture will r e tu rn the most profi table yields. However, some years according to the cost of the fer t i l izer and to the price received for the pota toes a 1.5 tons appl ica t ion should be profitable.

Literature Cited

1. Johnson, T. C., Pota to Fertilizers, Va. Truck Exp. Sta. Bul. No. 21 (1916).

2. Floyd, B. F. and Ruprecht , R. W., Fertil izing the Irish Potato Crop, Univ. of Fla. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bul. 157 (1920).

3. Starr, S. H., Ninth Annual Report, Ga. Coastal Plain Exp. Sta. Bul. No. 11 (1929).

4. Ware, L. M., Ferti l izer work with Irish Potatoes, Miss. Agr. Exp. Sta. Circ. No. 92 (1930).

5. Skinner, J. J., Williams, C. B., Mann, H. B., Prel iminary Report on Three Years Fert i l izer Experiments with early Irish Potatoes on the fa rm of A. W. Baker, Aurora, Beaufor t Co., N. C., 1928-30. Also report for 1931, N. C. Agr. Exp. Sta. Agron. Inform. Circ. No. 54 (1930).

Potato Breeding

F. J. STEVENSON, Geneticist, Division of Horticultural Crops and Diseases, Bureau of P lan t Industry,

U. S. Depa r tmen t of Agriculture

The po ta to breeding p ro j ec t is carr ied on coopera t ive ly with a number o2 s tate exper iment stations. Formal agreements have been consummated with Minnesota, Iowa, Nor th Dakota, Maine, Rhode Island, Michigan, New York (Cornell Univers- i ty) , Nor th Carolina and Louisiana.

Other s tates which are cooperating in a less extensive way are" Colorado, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Flor ida. In addit ion to these several o ther s ta te exper iment s ta t ions are test ing the new var ie ty Katahdin , which is being tes ted to determine its commercial possibili t ies in different regions.

The breeding work varies somewhat with the different sta- t ions but taken as a whole it includes the usual phases of any