Com Groivers' Association. 351 



RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THIS SOIL TYPE. 



The results of the experiments on this soil type to date, while 

 of course not entirely conclusive, are sufficiently complete to allow 

 of certain rather sweeping conclusions and recommendations. 



THE HUMUS SUPPLY. 



The fact that the soil shows a strong lack of nitrogen by its 

 analysis, coupled with the benefit which these experiments, as well 

 as the experience of farmers, show to be produced by clover and 

 cowpeas, warrants the recommendation of building up the humus 

 and nitrogen supplies. This can be done through the adoption of 

 a systematic crop rotation which shall include a regular crop of 

 clover or cowpeas every three or four years to be pastured off or 

 fed back onto the land, as well as. the frequent use of catch crops 

 of cowpeas, rye and rape if possible, to be pastured or fed in the 

 same way. The rotation will tend to maintain the humus and 

 nitrogen already existing through a decrease in the number of corn 

 crops grown and a greater use of clover and grasses. The clover 

 or peas will add both nitrogen and humus if they are fed back onto 

 the land. It should be said in passing that on this very flat land 

 where clover does so poorly, the use of cowpeas is strongly recom- 

 mended as a crop which will give the same benefit to the land as 

 clover, in about one-fourth the time and with just as great profit 

 when the method of handling them is once understood. 



THE USE OF PHOSPHORUS. 



As the analyses and experimental results show, phosphorus is 

 one of the plant foods most sorely needed on this soil, and one 

 which gives a large return. The use of 100 to 150 pounds of 

 steamed bone meal with wheat will most surely pay in the in- 

 creased yield as well as in the effect on the clover crop following. 

 For corn, a better proposition is to apply 300 to 500 pounds per 

 acre of ground rock phosphate — a cheap form of phosphorous — 

 with manure on the sod land before breaking. Ultimately it is 

 possible that the bone may be abandoned and the rock phosphate 

 used entirely. The rock phosphate may be either scattered on the 

 manure as it is made 60 to 75 pounds per ton, or it may broad- 

 casted with a manure spreader on sod land that may or may not 

 have been manured. An end gate seeder will also scatter the phos- 

 phate satisfactorily. A manure spreader is essential to the handling 



