24 



Q. Can you use limestone profitably without phosphate? 



Mr. MEIS: That depends on conditions. In southern Illinois their 

 first need is limestone, and in this locality there is perhaps need of lime- 

 stone first. That is why I say go to your county agent. There is no need of 

 guessing about it. For southern Illinois I would say absolutely limestone 

 first. I have talked phosphate here. I have used phosphate because our 

 conditions in Livingston county proves to us that phosphate is more paying 

 right from the start. 



Q. What about this section? 



Mr. MEIS: I don't know about this section. 



Q. Isn't an analysis of the soil a necessity in order to do the work 

 intelligently? 



Mr. MEIS: To a certain extent, yes. If you don't get an analysis 

 get somebody who knows something about the soil. I have never had an 

 analysis of mine, but I have seen an analysis of the farm next to mine. 



Q. If you fed your crops on the farm what difference would it make? 



Mr. MEIS: The organic matter would give me a large increase, be- 

 cause I am short of organic matter and nitrogen. Three thousand pounds 

 of nitrogen is very low. I would have gotten more returns from my 

 phosphate. I haven't liberated it as fast as I might have been able if I had 

 more legumes and organic matter. 



If there are no further questions, I thank you. 



PRESIDENT MANN: There is about a minute of Mr. Meis' time left 

 and I would like to say a word, if you will pardon the intrusion, on the 

 question relative to the value of the accumulation of phosphorus. Last 

 year the difference in yield of wheat, where phosphorus was the limiting 

 factor, where the other things were maintained in sufficient quantity, there 

 was a difference of thirty-three bushels of wheat. As near as I can figure 

 it out about fourteen bushels came from the fourth ton of phosphorus which 

 was applied, about ten bushels from the third ton which was applied, 

 about six from the second ton which was applied and about three to 

 four from the first ton applied sixteen years ago. That is the way it 

 accumulates. With one ton applied you never get beyond the first four- 

 teen bushels increase. The first ton, the second ton and the third ton 

 still contributes to the increase in crop, which answers your question as 

 to the value of the accumulation. 



Now we will have some further word on this by Mr. F. A. Gougler, of 

 Quincy. (Applause.) 



PROFITABLE SOIL TREATMENT. 

 (F. A. Gougler.) 



MB. CHAIRMAN, AND FARMERS' INSTITUTE FBIENDS: We have gained a 

 lot of information about soils since our worthy investigator Dr. Hopkins 

 went into this work not so many years ago. I got my first inspiration on 

 this subject when I was not so old in reading some of those old bulletins 

 way back yonder relating to the controversy between Dr. Hopkins and our 

 Department of Agriculture at Washington. Before I even ever entered 

 an agricultural college I read those discussions and they appealed to me 

 as wonderful, and really determined my course. When I entered college I 

 made up my mind that my subject would be soils, that that would be my 

 hobby, and I believe it is a pretty good hobby. 



Now what we gain is the knowledge that Dr. Hopkins and other investi- 

 gators have worked out and handed down to us and such man as you heard 

 this morning have put that into practice. But folks, we have got to look 

 out. We have got to be careful that there is not someone who upsets this 

 program. There are men who are watching every opportunity and schem- 

 ing every way to bring that about. You only need to read some articles of 

 men who are pretty shrewd which appear in some of our farm papers. They 

 are misleading, they ought to be answered, and I am glad some men have 



