Department of Soil Technology xli 



the end of its first rotation. The essential feature of this is a comparison 

 of the practices of supplying farm manure or commercial fertilizers to 

 the hay crops in a rotation, as compared with the practice of applying 

 these substances to the grain crops. The rotation consisted of timothy 

 three years, followed by corn, oats, and wheat. The soil on which the 

 experiment was conducted is particularly well adapted to the production 

 of timothy, somewhat less so to the growth of small grains, and poorly 

 suited to corn. The experiment, therefore, is of concern to farmers on 

 natural grass land where timothy is the leading crop, and is not necessarily 

 applicable to other soils and types of farming. 



As between the practices named, that of applying farm manure or com- 

 mercial fertilizer to the hay crops proved to be decidedly preferable. 

 Not only did the crops respond to this plan of fertilization in the year 

 in which the fertilizer was applied, but also the treatment resulted in an 

 increased yield of one or two of the following cereal crops, due apparently 

 to plowing under more organic matter in the form of sod. 



Response to fertilization applied directly to the grain crops was not 

 sufficient to justify the use of more than very small applications of fertilizer. 

 On the type of soil used in the experiment it appears to be unprofitable 

 to use fertilizer on the cereal crops. 



50^7 surveys. — Two areas, Saratoga County and Oswego County, 

 were surveyed in the field season of 191 7. These have an aggregate 

 area of 1799 square miles. These counties constitute the twenty-fifth and 

 twenty-sixth areas surveyed. The total area now covered by surveys is 

 17,113 square miles. The reports on the above-mentioned counties will 

 be the eighth and ninth published by this College, the earlier reports 

 having been published only by the United States Department of Agriciilture, 

 with which this College cooperates in the conduct of soil surveys. As a result 

 of these surveys, coupled with supplementary investigations, the Depart- 

 ment now has a fairly thorough knowledge of soil conditions in all sections 

 of the State. 



Extension. — The extension work in soils is each year becoming more 



crystaUized along definite lines of effort. Methods of procedure are 



being standardized. All work in soils is grouped under Smith-Lever 



Extension Project No. 11. For purposes of brevity, the several activities 



are tabulated in the following form: 



Number 

 during 

 Topic the year 



Field demonstrations 



Drainage — Farms visited 1 46 



Power ditching machines 4 



Rods of trench dug by machines 12 ,333 



Lime — in 20 counties, 191 7 235 



Fertihzer — in 20 counties, 191 7 47 



Maintenance of organic matter 9 



