398 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Fertilizer tests conducted by the Soils Section of this Station, (5) 

 indicate that on muck soils that are low in phosphorus and potassium 

 the use of a fertilizer may be of value. 



TABLE 1 INCREASE IN YIELD OF AIR DRY HAY PROM AN APPLICATION OF PHOS- 



I'HORUS AND POTASSIUM ON A MUCK SOIL THAT WAS SEVEN FEET DEEP. 



Pounds Air Dry 

 Treatment Hay per Acre 



First Year's Growth. 



None 960 



2.'50 pounds of 16% acid phosphate 2,780 



200 pounds of muriate of potash 1 ,600 



250 pounds of 16% acid phosphate and 200 pounds of muriate of potash 2,960 



. In another test (5) the application of neither manure nor fertilizer 

 produced a satisfactory gain on a deep virgin, muck soil, the unfertilized 

 portion producing 4,265 pounds of air dry hay per acre the first season. 

 In tests conducted by the Soils Section at the Cass County Farm on 

 sandy land, better seedings were secured where phosphate and potash 

 fertilizers were added along with some form of lime. When ground 

 limestone was used the stand and thriftiness of the plants varied with 

 the fineness of the limestone, those receiving the finely ground limestone 

 being the best. It was also observed that the amount of rainfall influenced 

 the efiiciency of the liming material. When lime was applied during 

 a season of minimum rainfall but little benefit was secured from the 

 application of the lime that season while on an adjacent plot that had 

 been limed the year before but seeded during the season of low rainfall 

 a good stand was obtained. 



TABLE 2 THE RELATIVE YIELD SECURED FROM THE USE OP DIFFERENT FORMS 



OF LIME AND DIFFERENT DEGREES OP FINENESS OF GROUND LIMESTONE AT 

 THE CASS COUNTY FARM. 



Yields in Pounds 

 of Green Weight 

 Treatment. per Acre. 



Year 1921. 



Hydrated I'ime 2,960 pounds per acre 6,640 



Marl 4,000 pounds per acre 5,840 



Ground limestone, fineness 80 mesh 4,000 pounds per acre 4,280 



Ground limestone, fineness, 40-60 mesh. . .4,000 pounds per acre 3,280 



Ground limestone, fineness, 10-20 mesh . . .4,000 pounds per acre 3,440 



In the above test the yields of sweet clover were secured five years 

 after the lime was applied. The lime was applied as the land was being 

 prepared for soybeans. Rye and wheat followed the soybeans. In addi- 

 tion all plats received 200 pounds of acid phosphate per acre previous 

 to soybeans and wheat and 100 pounds of sodium nitrate per acre prev- 

 ious to soybeans, rye and wheat. The difference in yield due to the ap- 

 plication of different forms of lime and degree of fineness of ground lime- 

 stone was more striking with the rye and wheat than with the sweet 

 clover. The necessity of applying lime for sweet clover on this type of 

 soil, however, is very apparent since it was impossible to get a stand 

 of sweet clover on those plats that received no lime. 



In the fertilizer test conducted by the Soils Section at the Cass 

 County Farm the rotation consisted of soybeans, rye, wheat, sweet clover. 

 Acid phosphate was applied to soybeans and wheat. Sodium nitrate 

 "was applied to soybeans, rye and wheat and potassium chloride to the 

 soy beans. 



