14 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1916. 



The topogiujihic variations in Porter County influence the distri- 

 bution of crojis to some extent. The broad level lands are usually 

 devoted to large fields of the cereals. Rougher land where the use of 

 improved farm machinery is diflicult is generally used as pasture. 



Although the principal crops are all grown on most of the soil types 

 of Porter County, their proportionate acreage and yield per acre vary 

 with the different types. Generally the dark-colored soils are used 

 more for corn, oats, and hay, and less for wheat than the lighter col- 

 ored soils. Tlie great need of the light-colored land for organic 

 matter and nitrogen is often an important factor in influencing the 

 farmers to undertake dairying or stock raising. 



The crop adaptation of different classes of land is usually well 

 recognized by the better farmers, although other considerations, such 

 as the benefits of crop rotation and the demands of the market often 

 cause similar crops to be grown on various soils. It is generally 

 recognized that wheat is more likely to winterkill on "clay" lands 

 than on sandier soils, and that this crop does well on the Maumee fine 

 sandy loam, but not so well on heavy, dark-colored soils. The light- 

 colored upland soils with heavy clay subsoUs are considered too cold 

 and wet for corn in rainy seasons. On the other hand the corn crop 

 may suffer from drought in dry seasons on the soils underlain by loose, 

 sandy substrata. The soils which support a natural growth of plants 

 indicating acidity are not seeded to clover without special prepara- 

 tion. 



On the grain-producing farms an effort usually is made to fall plow 

 all stubble land which has not been seeded to grass. On farms with- 

 out stock the winter is a relatively idle period. Early in the spring 

 all the land which was not fall plowed is broken, disked, and har- 

 rowed. Oats are nearly always drilled late in March or early in 

 April. The rate of seeding is about 10 or 12 pecks per acre. 



The fall-plowed land usually is disked, harrowed, and perhaps 

 rolled to make a good seed bed for corn. This crop is put in after 

 danger of frost has passed. It is planted in check rows so that it may 

 be cultivated both ways. In this latitude most of the corn is of 

 rather small early-maturing yellow varieties, such as the Wabash 

 Yellow Dent and Early YeUow Dent. Usually the corn is given from 

 three to five cultivations, and is kept quite free from weeds. How- 

 ever, while the hay is being cut and the oats harvested the corn is 

 likely to receive insufficient attention, especially in more poorly 

 drained fields and in wet seasons. 



The hay crop consists chiefly of timothy, although considerable 

 timothy and clover, wild hay, and clover alone are produced. Where 

 storage space is available it is filled and the remainder of the hay is 

 stacked in the higher part of the fields, or near the barn. Later in 

 the year a part of it may be baled for market. 



