DAIRY AND SEED IMPROVEMENT MEETINGS. 267 



six inches apart, one can start a great variety of seeds ana De 

 ready to transplant as soon as the land is ready. There's hard- 

 ly a crop wanted which cannot be started in this way and trans- 

 planted without loss. This insures a place in the market when 

 products are in most demand and prices are highest. 



The chief reason why production is so low per acre is be- 

 cause our land is not fully prepared. This applies everywhere, 

 but has a tremendous significance in the truck garden. Deeper 

 plowing, the more careful turning of the furrows to insure an 

 even angle to the sod, and then the persistent working of the 

 land until ready for the seed, decide production. Profitable 

 crops are an impossibility without abundance of barn manure 

 or fertilizer. Not how little will answer, but how much can 

 be made to pay, must be the rule with the grower seeking to 

 realize most from ten acres. 



Back of all there arises another problem not yet appreciated 

 by growers. Our soils must be put into a more normal condi- 

 tion to grow healthy or abundant crops. Virgin soil is healthy 

 soil — healthy because it carries all the elements necessary for 

 best life of seed, plant, product, animal, man. Continued crop- 

 ping without fully supplying these elements, or completely 

 working the land, results in the unbalancing of the soil and 

 impoverishing of food produced. Sixteen essential elements 

 are necessary for a balanced product. If wanting in the soil, 

 they must be in waiting in the crop, in the animal and in man. 



Abundance of clover speaks of soil vitality and virility, 

 hence may be accepted, in general, as indicative of healthy soil. 

 Where herds grass grows, the need of lime may be suspected ; 

 and where redtop and June grass appear, we may safely turn 

 to lime to start restoration. Reliance on commercial fertilizers 

 has increased this unbalanced condition through dependence 

 upon three of the elements, even though some others be pres- 

 ent in minor quantity. The one step to be emphasized every- 

 where, and absolutely necessary to the making profitable of ten 

 acres, is the increase of barn manure. The soil requires humus 

 as well as food to sustain its life and this necessitates barn 

 manure and cover crops. You cannot develop those friendly 

 forms of bacteria necessary for the best life of the soil by the 

 use of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash; and bacteria we 



