Fig. 12 — Each hen is confined in a 



pen so that she can be fed separately. 



A complete record of weight and egg 



production is kept for each bird. 



Soils 



Experiments at Northwood Dem- 

 onstrate the Value of Topsoil. That 

 the prevention of soil erosion is im- 

 portant has been demonstrated in a 

 striking manner on our Northwood 

 Soil Erosion Experimental Field. 



The topsoil was removed from an 

 area in the spring of 1945. A por- 

 tion of the area was left unfertilized 

 but seeded to a grass legume mix- 

 ture. Another portion was fertilized 

 in 1945 prior to seeding oats, and 

 fertilized again in 1946 prior to seed- 

 ing the grass legume mixture. All 

 treatments were compared to unfer- 

 tilized plots that had none of the top- 

 soil removed. 



The results were that when all the 

 topsoil was removed and no fertilizer 

 added, timothy and brome grass 

 failed completely and only a very 

 weak stand of clover persisted. The 

 plots that had the topsoil removed 

 but which were fertilized and cropped 

 for three years had a much better 

 growth of grasses and legumes, but 

 did not equal the completely unfertil- 

 ized plots that had none of the top- 

 soil removed. 



It is well-known that very unsatis- 

 factory yields of grass and clover 

 hay are obtained on unfertilized land 

 — yet applying liberal quantities of 

 fertilizer to land lacking topsoil for 

 three years has not made it possible 

 to equal the yield obtained on un- 

 fertilized normal soil. 



L. T. Kardos 



The Soil Survey Continues in 

 Rockingham County. The soil sur- 

 vey of the State was continued this 

 past year with mapping in Rocking- 

 ham County. Systematic investiga- 

 tions of the soils, slope, erosion, and 

 present land use were made and the 

 extent and nature of these factors 

 were delineated on aerial photo- 

 graphs, scale 1" equals 1320'. Map- 

 ping completed was mainly in the 

 towns of Nottingham and North- 

 wood. The Paxton soils (well drain- 

 ed, Brown Podzolic, deep, developed 

 on compact, platy, olive-colored gla- 

 cial till derived from acid mica 

 schist rock) are found in much of 

 this area. These soils are well 

 suited to dairy farm crops. Where 



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