408 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



the state bnt can find from three to five acres that can be ploughed 

 up in corn to be cured as fodder. It will help out in an immense 

 manner. And then we have just heard of sorghum which is a catch 

 crop. Our clover crop will be nothing at all this year and we will 

 have to fill out on something else. There is no use of despairing 

 at all. AVe may yet have a good crop of corn which will help us out. 



The CHAIRMAN: We are now ready to adjourn until this even- 

 ing, whereupon, upon motion duly made, s(H0uded and carried the 

 meeting adjourned to meet at 7.30 o'clock this evening. 



Wednesday Evening, June 3. li)03. 



HON. A. L. MAKTIN called the meeting to order and announced 

 that the Chairman for the evening would be Mr. C. B. Hege, of 

 Marion. Pa., who thereupon took charge of the meeting. 



to"- ) 



The CHAIRMAN: Are there any questions to be answered? If 

 so, we might take up not longer than twenty minutes with them. 



MR. BLYHOLDER: The first question is: 



"Can we not get more vegetable matter for our soil by applying 

 barnyard manure on our meadows than by ploughing it under when 

 applied?" 



DR. WILLIAM FREAR: I do not believe that the barnyard ma- 

 nure itself, rotting on the surface, can contribute as well to the 

 humus supplied from its straws as it does when ploughed under; and 

 the decay which occurs as the straw rots in the soil is advantageous 

 in helping to make the manure matter accessible. The question, 

 however, is not solely' that. We have to consider the secondary 

 effects upon the meadow itself. If the conditions of fertility in the 

 meadow are such that the dressing of barnyard manure may cause 

 a very large development, then the gain in the roots when you come 

 to turn the sod under, may more than compensate for the loss 

 which occurred owing to the rotting of the manure on the surface. 

 If, however, the meadow is highly fertile already and not much 

 increase of root and stubble occurs, then there will be a relative 

 loss by this method. It is not a question which can be answered 

 either in the negative or in the affirmative without qualification. 



MR. PATTON: I asked that question for this reason. On mod 

 erately rich soil I started an experiment along this line, and I 

 found that by that method I could grow heavy soil, fill the soil up 

 with roots, and after getting good, heavy hay crops, that I had 

 more vegetable matter to plough into the soil, after using the 



