216 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



connection with decaying organic matter. If any of you are in the 

 habit of using commercial fertilizers on wheat, drilling the fertilizer with 

 the wreat, you will be greatly disappointed with the results if you 

 use the untreated rock phosphate or floats in like manner, whereas if you 

 will mix the fertilizer directly with the manure before you apply it you 

 will get good returns. We may conclude, I think, that for a great 

 many farmers, manure and phosphorous will give profitable returns in 

 increased yields of corn and other crops. 



« 



LIME. 



There are a great many soils in Ohio, and likely also in Missouri 

 where lime is needed in addition to these treatments. The soil at the 

 Ohio station is remarkably deficient in lime, and if I had the time to put 

 the figures on the board in detail I could tell you a wonderful story. I 

 may say, in brief, that on our soil we have not failed to receive a profit- 

 able return from the use of lime. We have found it especially essential 

 where acid phosphate has been used for a long series of years, for acid 

 phosphate is exhaustive of the lime of the soil — that is one objection to 

 it. One is justified in using acid phosphate where a soluble and cheap 

 carrier of phosphorus is required, but he must use more lime unless he 

 is using it on a soil that is very rich in lime. It will eat up lime — not 

 exceedingly fast, but faster than other carriers. Where we had used 

 lime on acid phosphate plots we increased the yield of clover 70 per cent. 

 On our plots that received acid phosphate and muriate of potash we in- 

 creased the yield 84 per cent. Where we used sulphate of ammonia and 

 acid phosphate, lime increased the clover yield 118 per cent. Sulphate 

 of ammonia carries sulphuric acid and accordingly increases the acidity 

 of the soil. With the use of bone in the place of acid phosphate the 

 clover yield was greater than with any other application save manure, 

 yet in the case of the use of either bone mixtures or manure the addition 

 of lime gave a still higher yield and a profitable increase. 



As a result of following good systems of rotation and the intelligent 

 conservation and use of the manure product of the farm, supplemented 

 with phosphorous and lime where the latter is needed, I believe there is 

 a chance to increase the corn yield of the United States a good many 

 bushels per acre, and this increase may be secured at a handsome profit. 



Now, there are some lines of improvement along what we may call 

 the improvement of cultural conditions. First, I will speak of the matter 

 of drainage. We have just thousands of farmers in Ohio who are plant- 

 ing corn year after year on land where they absolutely know they will 

 suffer a loss from 10 to 90 per cent, because of the need of drainage. If 



