42 The Bulletin 



be essential at the present time. The analysis of this type of soil would 

 indicate practically the same conclnsions that have been drawn from 

 field experiments conducted on the same type in Cabarrus County. 



Experiments in Union County on the Alamance silt loam type of soil 

 have shown that nitrogen is here of the chief importance. Phosphoric 

 acid appears to be a close second. Potash and lime have shown, on an 

 average, to give some returns, but are not nearly so important as are 

 applications of nitrogen and phosphoric acid. Where legumes are to be 

 grown, lime would be essential in order to secure the best returns. More 

 than three-fourths of the soils of this county belong to the Cecil series, 

 and this series has shown both by analysis and by field results that nitro- 

 gen and phosphoric acid are the chief plant-food requirements at the 

 present time. 



HOAV SUPPLY THE PLANT-FOOD REQUIREMENTS 



For Nitrogen. — Soils that show a need for applications of nitrogen 

 can usually be considered as deficient in organic matter. When the 

 organic matter is high it can usually be figured that the soil is relatively 

 high in nitrogen content. Analyses and field results have shown that 

 the soils of the county are generally low in nitrogen. One of the main 

 problems for the farmers is, therefore, to supply this constituent in 

 large quantities and as cheaply as possible. The chief means that must 

 be used in supplying this constituent will be by the growing of suitable 

 leguminous crops on the land and turning all or part of these into the 

 soil. By such a plan not only would the nitrogen be increased, but the 

 physical properties of the soil would be greatly improved by the addition 

 of the organic matter. 



Other materials that may be depended upon are commercial ferti- 

 lizers and farm manures. The commercial materials carrying nitrogen 

 are usually quite expensive. It is frequently diificult to have low-priced 

 products like corn pay Avell for other than moderate applications of com- 

 mercial forms of nitrogen. Where cotton is grown and fairly good 

 prices secured for the lint, farmers may use commercial forms of nitro- 

 gen with a profit if they are properly combined Avith other materials to 

 supply the other needs of the crop grown on their particular soils. 



Where grains and grasses are grown chiefly other sources than com- 

 mercial will have to be depended upon. Barnyard manure furnishes 

 one of the most desirable sources of this constituent as it contains large 

 amounts of organic matter with nitrogen and moderate amounts of phos- 

 phoric acid and potash. This material, however, is not a well-balanced 

 fertilizer for the soils of the county, and it Avill therefore have to be 

 supplemented by materials carrying the required fertilizing constituents 

 needed by the soils of the county, the chief of which, as indicated above, 

 is phosphoric acid for the Cecil soils after nitrogen has been provided. 

 As valuable as this manure is, the supply of organic matter and nitro- 

 gen cannot be kept np in the soils of the county generally by having to 



