164 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



tice. It is well enough to talk of building- up land, but we are 

 not, as a rule, philanthropists, and we must find a method by which 

 this can be done economically. 



Naturally, there is no one method adapted to all soils, to ail 

 conditions; in fact, there are scarcely two farms where exactly 

 the same methods will apply. Consequently it is the fundamental 

 principles that we must know and be able to apply to the particular 

 conditions under which we are required to work, and the man who 

 is willing to experiment the most, to read the most, and who is 

 able to observe most closely, is the one who is to go forward most 

 rapidly. 



Four years ago the State of Missouri began a systematic study 

 of the soils of the State, including, among other things, the map- 

 ping of the soil types as they exist, accompanying this work by a 

 careful study of these various types to determine not only their 

 character, but through field experiments in the various parts of 

 the State, to find the systems of cropping and method of soil treat- 

 ment which shall be most remunerative and which will at the 

 same time serve to build up the land from year to year. These 

 experiments have now been in progress for four seasons, and while 

 this is entirely too short a time to allow of sweeping conclusions, 

 yet some very valuable data has been secured. It is some of the 

 general conclusions from the results of the various experiments 

 on these experimental fields, together with the studies of the soil 

 types which have been made, that I wish to bring before you. 



THE COMPOSITION OF MISSOURI SOIL. 



The investigations into the composition of Missouri soils, 

 while showing a very wide variation in the proportions of nitro- 

 gen, phosphorus and potassium present, bring out certain features 

 that are true quite generally of all soils. The first of these is the 

 almost universal lack of humus and nitrogen, due, in most cases, to 

 excessive grain cropping, to a lack of systematic rotation, and 

 the wasting of farm manure. It is a well known fact that when- 

 ever a soil is stirred, as in plowing and cultivation, the decay of 

 the humus is hastened, and while this decay is absolutely essential 

 to the making available of the nitrogen which the humus contains, 

 as well as in aiding in the solution of both phosphorus and po- 

 tassium from the mineral particles, some means must be provided 

 for replacing from time to time the humus which is thus removed 

 or the soil will soon show a lack of humus and a decreased produc- 

 tiveness. Exactly this thing has happened over a great deal of 



