What Potatoes Take From The Soil

We all havo observad thogreat deteri orfition in our potato crops duriiifr tli past ten or twcnty yeara; and what i the caue of tliis iilaruiing decreaee t tubcrs: Can füicuce; eau chcmiatry l"i out the roason or :iil in remedying th difficulty ? We tliink it can, and iu ordo to place the ïnattci im n olear light, we wil poinf out the kind and amount of fooi ■which tlic; potato dujnands. Wc had i field of potatoeá upen the farm whic] yioldud !WM) 1 jii--1i 1 1 td the acr; this raa; be regarded is an old-faahioned erop This orop removed from the soil in tuber and tops at least iGüpounds of potash also it removed löO poimds ut 'phu.-phoric acid. Now tlicf -iiiiiiunts are voiylargo and 4erve to show that the potato plan is a great consuinerof the two substancea and it al.-o slinw.-. that in order to restore onr potato fields to theirformer produc live oondition, we mustsupplyphosphati oompounds and Bubêtancea holding pot ash in laigc (jiKintities. For six or L-igh gonerationa in New England our father have been oshausting the soil, by remov in tliese agenta in their potato and oth er erops, and wo havo reaohed a time wlion the vegetable is starving in oui fields i'or want of ils proper food. Oui farmers have found that ' givee the bc:t crups, and this is lno to the fao I ' affdi-d tho most potash Bat so long as we erop ourpastui unreasonably, we oannol reaort to nov land, as land is not new tHat lias had its jxiUish and ojaosphatic eifiuL-nts removec by gi'rf zing animáis. Reiheinber that a potato field which i to the acre requires :it least 160 poutlda o: ] fatah, but liv alk) win g the tops to deea] npon tttu tiold, SOpcmnds of this is restored to the soil agi.in, as tkat amount is oontaimod in them ; a medium erop o potaj es requires twioe :■- uiuch phosphoj ie uñé as a medium erop of wheat, si tliat in two years wilh wlieat thu land is d'; liiítc'! )' no lüort; of V ihan il