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By John R. Spencer 



Illinois limestone producers met with the 

 state AAA committee recently in Decatur to 

 discuss arranfjements for contracts for lime- 

 stone under the conservation material pro- 

 gram in 1944. 



AAA is a^ain attempting; to furnish as 

 much limestone as possible in lieu of pay- 

 ments, but payment will be made to farmers 

 for application of limestone purchased from 

 any source they wish. Limestone purchased 

 through the AAA conservation materials pro- 

 gram or by individual farmers through reg- 

 ular commercial channels will receive the 

 same credit for application in 1944. It ap- 

 pears that the limestone program will op- 

 erate in a similar manner to that of 1943. 

 Details will soon be available at county 

 AAA offices. 



The labor manpower shortage both in 

 production and distribution of this material 

 is a real problem in most areas. The favor- 

 able though somewhat dry weather of De- 

 cember and January in the north half of 

 the state has been a helpful factor in lime- 

 stone field operations. 



Several quarry operators ret>ort that they 

 have produced and sold more limestone in 

 1943 then any past year while others report 

 less production due largely to labor short- 

 age. It's anyone's guess now whether the 

 total tonnage applied last year will exceed 

 the record amount of 1942. 



A ton of average farm manure contains 



about 500 pounds of organic matter, 10 

 pounds of nitrogen, two pounds of phos- 

 phorus and eight pounds of potassium. The 

 U. of I. and other experiment stations have 

 found that a ton of manure will produce 

 crop increases on the average worth about 

 $3 at pre-war prices. At present wartime 

 prices the value is about %6. 



The war does not change the principles 

 of soil fertility. There is only one way to 

 increase the total production of crops, meat 

 and milk and that is to put into the soil 

 more of "what it takes" to produce high 

 crop yields. 





^M W 



There is an increasing trend by the U. of 

 I. College of Agriculture agronomy depart- 

 ment to recommend crop varieties according 

 to the soils productive capacity. At the re- 

 cent Kane County War Committee meeting. 

 Prof. J. C. Hackleman suggested for grade 

 one soils (top) in that area, Vicland oats; 

 for grade two soils (emidum capacity) 

 Boone oats, and for grade three, Tama or 

 Marion oats. A similar list according to soil 

 production capacities was given for several 

 varieties of soybeans: Richland on grade one, 

 then mini and Dunfield on the third level 

 of fertility. 



Sometimes soils are "tested" (for sour- 

 ness) by attempting to grow alfalfa or red 

 clover. These seeds are entirely too scarce 

 and high priced this spring for this type of 

 experimentation. For best growth both re- 

 quire liberal quantities of phosphorus in 

 addition to a neutral soil. "The most effec- 

 tive place to use rock phosphate is ahead 

 of clover or alfalfa .... we don't lose these 

 phosphates (by leaching etc.) unless the soil 

 washes away." Prof. A. L. Lang. 



Yonth Gets Safety Award 



Fourteen-year-old Kasper Richter, 

 Breese, Clinton county, has been named 

 Illinois' most outstanding 4-H club mem- 

 ber in safety work for 1943 by the state 

 club office and will receive a Si 00 War 

 Bond donated by Mennen Company. 



Richter's achievements in the current 

 national 4-H farm safety activity include 

 filling holes in the yard, removing nails 

 from boards on the ground, hanging 

 rake, fork and scythe in a safe place, and 

 repairing extension cords. He also riveted 

 weak spots in harness traces, nailed loose 

 boards in hay loft steps and built a rail- 

 ing at the loft opening. He persuaded 

 his parents to have their automobile 

 brakes tightened and to replace the worn 

 rope on a hay fork. 



At least it's good w«ath*r lor spreading 



lime. Here ore 29 irudcs lined up at a 



La Salle county quarry on a busy day in 



December. 



FARM AND HOME WEEK 



(Continued from page i) 

 general session will be Jessie W. Harris, 

 representative of WFA and director of 

 University of Tennessee school of home 

 economics. She will discuss "The Peo- 

 ple's Choice and Goals for 1944." 

 PRODUCTION PROGRAM 



Here is the general outline of the "Pro- 

 duction Program" sessions: Tuesday Feb. 8, 

 morning session, "Adjustments for Livestock 

 Efficiency and Profits in 1944"; afternoon 

 session, "Conservation of Feeds in Swine 

 Production." 



Wednesday, Feb. 9, morning session and 

 afternoon sessions, "Crop Production and 

 Soil Maintenance in 1944." 



Thursday, Feb. 10, morning and afternoon 

 sessions, "Dairy and Poultry Problems." 

 AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 



Schedule of sessions and topics for the 

 "Agricultural Economics and Rural Life 

 Program" are: Tuesday, Feb. 8, morning 

 session. Rural Youth program in 112 Greg- 

 ory Hall, and afternoon session in 108 

 Woman's Building. Tuesday afternoon, 

 sessions for 4-H club leaders, "Adjusting 

 the 1944 Program for 4-H Club Work to 

 Reach the Maximum Number of Boys and 

 Girls." 



Wednesday, Feb. 9, morning session, and 

 afternoon sessions "Educating for Rural 



Community Life," in 112 Gregory Hall. 



Thursday, Feb. 10, morning session. 

 "Current Farm Economic Problems"' ; after- 

 noon session, "Farm Labor and Equif^ment 

 Problems." 



SPECIAL GROUPS 



Programs for special groups include: 

 "Farm Machinery Conference," Tuesday, 

 Feb. 8, morning and afternoon, 201 Agricul- 

 tural Engineering Building. 



"Rural Electrification Conference," 

 Wednesday, Feb. 9, morning and afternoon 

 sessions, 201 Agricultural Engineering 

 Building. 



""Farm Building Conference,"" Thursday, 

 Feb. 10, morning and afternoon sessions. 

 201 Agricultural Engineering. 



Seventh Annual Rural Pastors' Short 

 Course, Tuesday, Feb. 8, and Thursday, Feb. 

 10, Latzer Hall, University "VMCA. 



First Annual Farm Bureau Organization 

 Directors' Conference, Tuesday, Feb. 8, 103 

 New Agriculture; Thursday, Feb. 10, 10} 

 New Agriculture, morning session, joint 

 conference with Grange Leaders. 



Second Annual Grange Officers" confer- 

 ence, Thursday, Feb. 10, afternoon session. 

 103 New Agriculture. 



HOMEMAKERS- PROGRAM 



Homemakers' program will be held Tues- 

 day, Wednesday, and Thursday in Lincoln 

 Hall Theatre on the campus. 



Illinois Home Bureau Federation annual 

 meeting will open at 9 a. m. Tuesday in 

 Smith Memorial Hall. A new president and 

 secretary and three directors are to be 

 elected. Tuesday evening a presidents' din- 

 ner will be held and past state presidents 

 will be honored on the 20th anniversary of 

 the Federation. An organization discussion 

 for county and unit Home Bureau officers 

 will be held at 7:30 p. m. Wednesday, Feb. 

 9, in 112 Gregory Hall. 



STATE GROUPS 



Conferences of state organizations are as 

 follows: 



ILLINOIS BROWN SWISS BREEDERS' 

 ASSOCIATION, Thursday, Feb. 10, 10 a. m. 

 to 3:30 p. m., 314 Illini Union. 



ILLINOIS CROP IMPROVEMENT AS- 

 SOCIATION. Wednesday, Feb. 9, 4 to 6 

 p. m., 103 New Agriculture Building. 



ILLINOIS FARM MANAGERS' ASSO- 

 CIATION, Thursday, Feb. 10, 8 a. m. (pro- 

 gram with agricultural economics); after- 

 noon program, 314 Illini Union. 



ILLINOIS FARMERS' INSTITUTE, con- 

 ference of delegates, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 

 4:15 p. m., 302 Old Agricultural Building. 



ILLINOIS GUERNSEY BREEDERS AS- 

 SOCIATION, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 10 a. m. 

 to 3:30 p. m., 314 Illini Union. 



ILLINOIS SWINE GROWERS" ASSO- 

 CIATION, Tuesday, Feb. 8, 4 p. m., 316 

 New Agricultural Building. 



ILLINOIS TURKEY GROWERS" ASSO- 

 CIATION, Thursday, Feb. 10, and Friday, 

 Feb. 11, 406 Old Agricultural Building. 



BANQUETS 



Banquets scheduled are as follows: 



ILLINOIS CROP IMPROVEMENT AS- 

 SOCIATION, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 6:30 

 p. m.. First Methodist Church, Urbana. 



ILLINOIS TURKEY GROWERS" ASSO- 

 CIATION, Thursday, Feb. 10, 6:30 p. m., 

 Latzer Hall, University YMCA. 



RURAL ELECTRIFICATJON CONFER- 

 ENCE, University YMCA, room 3, Wednes- 

 day, Feb. 9, 5 :45 p. m. 



RURAL LIFE CONFERENCE, 5 :45 p. m.. 

 Wednesday, Feb. 9, Latzer Hall, YMCA. 



RURAL YOUTH BANQUET, Tuesday, 

 Feb. 8, 6 p. m.. University Christian Church, 

 Champaign. 



STOCKMEN S BANQUET, Tuesday, Feb. 

 8, 6 p. m.. University Place Christian 

 Church, Champaign. 



FEBRUARY. 1944 



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