496 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



Modifications of various rotations may be adopted and the useful- 

 ness of the proper catch crop very easily demonstrated. The main, 

 points to be observed is to keep the soil covered between crops with 

 a leguminous crop, if possible, but with some crop, in. order to be 

 fiure of this; in the case of the corn a mixture of the crimson clover 

 and other seeds, as turnips or rape, may be made, so that the catch 

 is there in any case, though if only the fall growth is obtained, the 

 advantages of a fall covering are many, namely, a very handsome 

 return is obtained on the investment for seed and the labor in- 

 volved. 



Improvement of Poor or Rundown Soils. 



WTiere soils are poor, and the primary object is to build up or 

 make "condition" rapidly, rather than to secure money crops, the 

 leguminous crops should be more generally and continuously used. 

 The land, for example, which has been run down, lacks both chemical 

 and physical character. The crops grown have been exhaustive, the 

 land badly cultivated and condition such as to make it unprofitable 

 to use direct fertilization for the purpose. The questions are what 

 crops shall I use and how shall I use them to the best advantage 

 in order that money crops may be grown the second year? 



If it is necessary to begin in the spring, the first crop used may 

 be the Canada field pea. This should be seeded deeply, as early as 

 it is possible to prepare the land, at the rate of about two bushels per 

 acre, and the land should preferably receive a dressing of say 500 

 pounds of a mixture of 400 pounds of acid phosphate and 100 pounds 

 of muriate of potash per acre. This crop may be plowed down, in 

 our middle States by the first of July, and may be followed imme- 

 diately by a crop of cow peas, seeded as already recommended and 

 without further fertilization, and this crop plowed down by the 

 middle of September, the land preferably limed at the rate of 25 

 bushels per acre, obeying in both cases the precaution to thor- 

 oughly "firm" the soil by rolling. This may be followed by a seeding 

 of rye and sand vetch, one bushel of rye and one bushel of vetch, 

 preferably fertilized with a dressing of 200 pounds of acid phos- 

 phate and 200 pounds of ground tankage per acre, preferably to 

 secure a good catch and growth of rye. This combined crop may 

 be turned under in spring for corn, without the further addition of 

 fertility elements, and a rotation, the adoption of which is suitable 

 to soil and conditions, provided it permits of the introduction of 

 leguminous catch crops. 



Here we have in one season, or previous to the planting of the 

 corn, three crops of a leguminous character, which should very ma- 

 terially change and improve the character of_ the soil, making a 



