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amount of corn, this amount of oats, this amount of wheat which has been 

 taken off of the land has used up 60 tons of the raw rock phosphate and 

 that I have about 1192 tons left. Is that right, Mr. Mann? 



PRESIDENT MANN: Approximately, yes, sir. 



Mr. MEIS: So I have got a large bank account to start on. I will put 

 it this way, gentlemen, that our farm is nothing more nor less than a bank. 

 We have got a certain amount of fertility. If we take out a little more 

 every year and don't put it back, land ruin stares us in the face. There 

 is no way to get around it. If I can put on the mineral elements at this 

 cost and only use 60 'tons and get $9,000 profit out of it, I have got a good 

 many years left. I don't expect to get it out myself. I expect my children 

 to get a lot of this out after I am gone. 



SATISFACTION AS WELL AS PROFIT. 



Now just another word. This is from the standpoint of dollars and 

 cents. It means more than that to me. It means a lot of satisfaction. I 

 begin to feel like I am a farmer and not a miner. Heretofore I was a 

 miner of the soil. I was robbing my bank account, taking everything out 

 and putting nothing back. I begin to feel that this old farm of mine is 

 a whole lot better now than when I got hold of it, and I am going to be 

 able to leave my five boys and one girl a whole lot better farm than when 

 I got it. 



How could I make farming more profitable? It is a profit from the 

 dollars and cents standpoint and it is a profit from the satisfaction T got 

 out of it. I feel I am doing something for my fellow men, doing something 

 for my children, and it is profitable while I am doing it. 



Mr. THOMPSON: Mr. Meis, what interest have your children shown 

 in your program of fertility? 



Mr. MEIS: The oldest boy is eighteen, the next one is sixteen, the 

 next one is fourteen, and they seem to be quite interested. Years ago when 

 they were a little smaller, when they began to see the nodules on the clover, 

 we began to talk about it, to plan to get a carload of phosphate, how to 

 put it on and they began to show an interest. 



Q. Is this a continual operation? I understand you use a large amount; 

 do you continue that? 



Mr. MEIS: I don't know how soon I will put on more phosphate. 

 This summer I am going to give limestone a thorough trial. I am going 

 to put on as high as 4 tons to the acre, but I do expect in another year or 

 two to put on some more phosphate. I had 800 pounds of phosphate per 

 acre to start with, I have added 800 pounds per acre which only gives me 

 1600 pounds, and really before I stop I ought to get 2200 pounds on each 

 acre. I have built up the phosphate content a little faster than the nitrogen 

 content, so I am going to put in clover and legumes heavier this year 

 before I put on more phosphate. 



Q. What percentage of the corn that was raised on this farm was fed 

 on this farm? 



Mr. MEIS: I only keep work horses enough to handle the work, and 

 a few cows to give us our cream and milk. The corn is practically all 

 sold. 



Q. Do you think a heavier application of phosphate is more profitable 

 than a light application, such as a half a ton? 



Mr. MEIS: I put on a ton to the acre. It depends on the nitrogen 

 content of the soil. If you have a large content of nitrogen it would be 

 more profitable to put on a ton to the acre. If your nitrogen content is 

 low I would advise you to go over your farm with half a ton to the acre. 

 It depends somewhat on your soil. 



Now let me say this: There is no need of any of you to go into this 

 as a guessing proposition. Go and see your county agent; go and see some 

 soil man. You can get absolutely started right. 



Q. Are you raising livestock? 



Mr. MEIS: No livestock. 



