6 BULLETIN 135, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



BEHAVIOR OF CROPS ON NEWLY CULTIVATED SOIL. 



Crops planted on newly broken land on the farms in this locality 

 have been in most cases partial or total failures. Because of the 

 refractory nature of the soil, it is generally difficult to secure a good 

 stand. Even though a fair stand is secured, the growth of the plants 

 is generally very irregular. (See fig. 2.) A very stunted growth, and 



Fig. 2. — Rye in field M-I on June 21, 1911, showing the irregular growth characteristic of crops en the 



unreclaimed soil. 



in some cases no growth at all, occurs on spots that were barren of 

 native vegetation before the ground was broken up. 



METHODS OF SOIL TREATMENT. 



Three methods of soil treatment were practiced during 1911 and 

 1912, after plowing under the green-manure crop in 1911, on fields 

 M-I and M-II, as shown in figure 3. Field M-I is divided into 19 

 plats. Plats 1 to 14, inclusive, are one-fourth of an acre and plats 

 15 to 19, inclusive, are one-sixth of an acre in size. Field M-II ■.con- 

 tains 6| acres, not divided into plats. The three methods are described 

 as follows: 



First method. — The first method was a continuation of the treatment applied in 1911. 

 Rye was planted again in the fall of 1911 and was plowed under as green manure in 

 June, 1912. Each season after the rye was plowed under the land was left fallow 

 during the summer and given frequent cultivations with the disk and harrow. This 

 method was applied on plats 1 to 12, inclusive, on field M-I and to all of field M-II. 

 Plats 1, 2, and a part of plat 3 in field M-I were subsoiled in June, 1911. Plats 7, 8, 

 and 9 in field M-I were planted to corn in July, 1911, but the growth was very small 

 and irregular, and no crop was secured. 



