276 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



yield of these soils tliau does acid phosphate alone. But very, very 

 often the extra gain is not enough to pay for the potash. 



Remember, I believe in potash fertilizing, but I believe also in 

 good judgment in using this aid. So 1 do not believe in the economy 

 of buying low-grade fertilizers ; but also, I do not believe that potaah- 

 rich fertilizers are needed for every crop. Perhaps, too, we can use 

 something else with the potash that will make a pound of the potash 

 do more work. The Rhode Island experiments conducted for years 

 on their acid granitic soil, previously limed, showed that sodium 

 salts, sulphate and common salt, helped out the potash. They 

 couldn't do all the work it did, but apparently they would do part 

 of it. Also, if we have been putting on dressings of potash for years, 

 has it all gone off in our crops and drainage? By no means. It 

 doesn't leach out easily from loams and clays. Most of what the 

 crop doesn't get, stays in the surface layer of such soils, and remains 

 there, at least a large fraction of it, if we may judge by Rotheni- 

 stead's experience, in a very fair state of availability. If the plant 

 cannot get it out, sulphate of soda, nitrate of soda, sulphate of mag- 

 nesia, land plaster or common salt may assist. On acid lands, how- 

 ever, I would commend liming with the sulphate of magnesia. Lime 

 itself, magnesian or non-raagnesian, will help to liberate this potash, 

 but neither the caustic lime nor crushed limestone is as efficient foj' 

 this purpose as the salts above named. The coming year may give 

 the American farmer a good excuse for climbing out of his fertilizer 

 rut, and trying in practice more of what his experiment stations and 

 those of other countries have been discovering for him. 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON DAIRY AND DAIRY PRODUCTS 



By DR. M. E. CONARD, Chairman. 



In reporting the condition of dairy and dairy products in Pennsyl- 

 vania, at this time, I find it difficult to obtain definite data, that will 

 give a correct idea of statistical conditions. The number of dairy 

 cattle have been steadily decreasing for the past 15 years as a na- 

 tural result of increased population, together with a supply of dairy 

 cattle that were too cheap to be appreciated and properly cared for. 

 It would seem that increased population and demand would stimu- 

 late production; but first the surplus beef, veal and milk had to be 

 consumed, then increased production follows as a necessary lesult, 

 and not until then. We have passed through this epoch and are now 

 feeling the need of increasing our stock and output to meet the grow- 

 ing demand for human food. 



We were, in 1910, nearly 400,000 cows short of 1900 census report, 

 and had about 40% more mouths to feed ; and we do not tliink the 

 conditions are any better to-day as to numbers. A little calculation 

 will show that if every available heifer calf should be raised to ma- 



