356 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



and from the complete treatment. The greatest net return is de- 

 rived from the complete treatment, where the effect of the lime is 

 very apparent. 



When results on both corn and wheat are compared, it will 

 be seen that the four elements are almost equally beneficial, in the 

 return which they bring, and the more complete the treatment, 

 the larger the increase, and usually the larger the net return. 



RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THIS SOIL TYPE. 



From the results of these experiments some very specific 

 recommendations can be made regarding the handling of this soil. 

 Moreover, the character of the soil is such that some treatment of 

 the land is almost essential to consistent crop returns, and the 

 farmer, who is to make the highest profits on this soil, must give 

 particular attention to its peculiarities. 



CROP ROTATION. 



The constant cropping of this land to corn without commensu- 

 rate return in the form of manure, or the feeding of animals on 

 the soil, will soon reduce its productive capacity to an unprofitable 

 condition. A. crop rotataion, which shall include corn only once 

 in three to five years, with a liberal use of cowpeas, is essential to 

 the greatest profit on this land. 



THE USE OF COWPEAS. 



The cowpea is to be the salvation of this soil, and a rotation 

 should be planned which shall include cowpeas two or three times 

 within five years. Such a rotation would be corn (with cowpeas 

 sown at the last plowing), cowpeas, wheat (followed by cowpeas), 

 and grass, the fourth year; or when the land has been built up so 

 that clover will grow, use clover the fourth year, or clover and 

 timothy the fourth and fifth. 



THE USE OF LIME. 



The experiments indicate that lime is essential to the highest 

 production on this soil for the purpose of correcting the acidity. 

 Use 2,000 pounds of ground limestone per acre once in 6 to 10 

 years, preferably after plowing for corn, working it in well by the 

 after preparation of the land. Any sort of lime will answer for 

 this sweetening, except that from the gas works, but the ground 

 limestone is usually cheapest. Apply with an endgate seeder. 



