240 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



sandy soil will hold 22 pounds of water to every 100 pounds of 

 dry sand ; a clay soil, from 55 to 60 pounds of water in everj' 

 100 pounds; but if we take 100 pounds of dry humus, or the 

 organic matter that has decomposed, so we can hardly dis- 

 cover it in the soil, it will hold 186 pounds of water. Now, 

 don't you see, if we put one pound of the humus into a cubic 

 foot of sandy soil which weighs, approximately, 100 pounds, 

 we would nearly double the water-holding capacity of that 

 soil. What does this mean ? There are 43,560 square feet in 

 an acre. Suppose we increase the water-holding capacity of 

 an acre, at the rate of 18 pounds per square foot, and, by a 

 little calculation, we find that the moisture in a sandy soil will 

 be increased approximately 392 tons per acre, which would 

 pretty nearly produce a crop of potatoes. This is controlled by 

 the farmer ; he is the fellow who can manage to get the oreanic 

 matter. 



How do we get this organic matter? In three different 

 ways : Through raising and plowing down heavy sods, through 

 the agency of green manuring crops, and through manure. 

 The second method is very similar to the first. People tell us it 

 is poor practice to plow down a crop of clover instead of 

 feeding it, because we get just as much in manurial value bv 

 feeding it to the animal, or appro^imatelv as much, as we do 

 to plow it down. Now I do not agree with that. If we were 

 to plow down a ton of clover hay we would have a ton of or- 

 ganic matter; if we fed it to the cow, instead of having a ton, 

 we would have 780 pounds of organic matter in our soil. 



Mr. Lowell: A year ago last fall we sowed a piece of land 

 to clover. There was one place where we cut a ton and a 

 half of clover hay, while, on the rest of the piece, the average 

 was much less. 



Question : Can any harm be done to land by plowing under 

 green clover? 



Prof. Menges ; Some farmers seem to think so. I never 

 did. If we turn it under in the spring, after the weather is 

 warm, and turn it down flat, so no air can get at it, we might 

 do some damage; but if we have lime enough in our land, I 

 doubt if we would do any damage, even by turning it down 

 without cultivation. 



