646 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Manurial requirements of the Cecil silt loam of Lancaster County, S, C, 

 F. D. Gardner and F. E. Bonstkel ( U. S. Dept. Ayr., Bur. Soils < ire. 16, pp. 7). — This 

 circular reports results of tests by the wire-basket method of the effect on the green 

 weight and transpiration of wheat plants (grown for 20 to 25 days) of cowpeas 2h 

 and 5 tons: nitrate of soda, sulphate of potash, and acid phosphate 200 lbs. each, 

 alone or in combination with one another and with lime; barnyard manure 10 tons, 

 alone and with 1 ton of lime; and lime alone 1 ton, on Cecil silt loam from a plan- 

 tation which had formerly been subjected to exhaustive culture but in recent years 

 had been considerably improved through the raising of live stock, diversification of 

 crops, better cultivation, and the construction of terraces and ditches to prevent 

 destructive washing. 



The particular soil used was a yellowish brown or gray mellow silt loam usually 

 free from stone. "It contains sufficient clay to clod and bake badly if stirred in 

 too wet condition, but if plowed in proper moisture condition it is mellow and fine. 

 The subsoil to more than 3 ft. deep is a bright-red, massive silty clay loam or clay, 

 crumbling readily when dry, especially in the upper portion, but becoming more 

 plastic and tenacious in the lower.'' 



Mechanical analyses of this type of soil are given, but no data regarding its chemical 

 composition. 



The results of the wire-basket tests show that the cowpeas and nitrate of soda were 

 most effective in increasing the productiveness of the soil. Neither acid phosphate 

 nor sulphate of potash gave any appreciable increase in growth. 



"Thinking that there might be a residual effect from the fertilizer, certain of the 

 treatments were replanted with wheat without repeating the fertilizers. In case of 

 the untreated soil the second crop was reduced in yield to 65 per cent of the first, 

 whereas the reduction in yield with a complete fertilizer either with or without lime 

 fell to 36 per cent of the original yield which was produced with the fertilizer. In 

 fact, the second crop in the baskets to which fertilizer had been originally applied 

 was very slightly greater than was the second crop on the untreated soil, which 

 shows that the effect of the commercial fertilizer w T as practically exhausted by the 

 first crop. It is also worthy of mention in this connection that it is impossible even 

 by repeating the fertilizer to secure as large a yield in the second or the third crop 

 as was originally secured with the treatment in the first crop." 



The increase of stock raising as well as the larger use of leguminous plants for 

 green manuring are recommended as practical means of increasing the productive- 

 ness of this class of soils. 



Manurial requirements of the Portsmouth sandy loam of the Darlington 

 area, South Carolina, F. D. Gardner and F. E. Bonstekl (U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. 

 Soils ( 'ire. 17, pp. 10). — The character and previous treatment of the soils of a repre- 

 sentative plantation in this area are described and experiments with a sample of the 

 soil by the wire-basket method to test the effect of different systems of manuring on 

 the growth of wheat are reported. The fertilizing material used included cowpeas 

 and lime alone and in combination, barnyard manure with and without addition of 

 lime, and sodium nitrate, potassium sulphate, and acid phosphate in various combi- 

 nations with one another and with lime. 



The results show "that this soil, although thoroughly cultivated, well supplied 

 with commercial fertilizers, and subject to a systematic rotation of crops, in which 

 cowpeas are frequently growm, has responded in a marked degree to many of the 

 manurial treatments. Cowpeas have produced decidedly the largest increase in 

 growth, applications of 2h tons and 5 tons giving increases of 57 and 104 per cent, 

 respectively, and by supplementing this treatment with small amounts of lime, the 

 gain has been increased to 99 and 138 per cent." 



Lime alone produced very marked results, and when used in combination increased 

 the effect not only of cowpeas, but of a complete commercial fertilizer consisting of 



