6. Test the soil to determine its acidity or alkalinity, as well as the relative 

 amounts of nutrients present. 



7. Work the soil to break-up clods and insure a uniform soil texture. 



8. Incorporate a fertilizer with a high content of potassium and phosphorus into 

 the top 6 to 7 inches of soil. 



If "the sod is loose and dying and there is no apparent cause (covered debris , flood- 

 ing, drought, and so on), the problem may be corrected. A good watering schedule 

 should be combined with the application of an adequate fertilization program. Use 

 1-1/2 to 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn in the early spring or 

 late fall. 



Starting a Lawn and Keeping a Lawn, Circulars 963 and 982, respectively, are avail- 

 able at the county Extension office or from the Office of Agricultural Publications, 

 123 Mumford Hall, Urbana, Illinois 61801. These publications cover choosing seed or 

 sod; grass varieties; fertilization; mowing; watering; plus insects, diseases, weeds, 

 and other lawn pests. 



SOYBEAN SEED QUALITY 



Soybeans (especially from northern and central Illinois) received by the Illinois 

 Crop Improvement Association are testing below the normal germination level this 

 year. Low germination and quality may be caused by beans that are shriveled, sev- 

 erely cracked, moldy, split, badly weathered, immature, purple-mottled, or stained 

 gray or brown. Much of the reduction is caused by fungi such as those causing pod 

 and stem blight and stem canker. Such fungi attack the weakened seed during ger- 

 mination. 



Each year in Illinois, there is an effort by some chemical companies to promote 

 fungicide seed treatment , with or without one of the necessary minor elements. It 

 is not unusual to show a 10- to 20-percent increase in germination and stand by 

 proper seed treatment. However, it is rare for fields planted with treated soy- 

 beans to outyield untreated beans, because essentially the same yield is obtained 

 whether the beans are spaced 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or even 6 inches apart in the row. 



If you suspect you have low- germinating beans, have them tested. If germination 

 is below 80 percent, do not use those beans for seed. It is best to buy certified 

 seed of proven high quality. It usually does not pay to treat soybean seed if the 

 quality if high- -above 80-percent germination . 



For more information, read Report on Plant Diseases No. 506, "Should Soybean Seed 

 Be Treated?" Copies are available from the Department of Plant Pathology (215 Mum- 

 ford Hall, Urbana, Illinois 61801) or from the county Extension office. 



READ THE LABEL AND FOLLOW ALL PRECAUTIONS 



This weekly report was prepared as follows : 



INSECTS: H.B. Petty, Steve Moore, Roscoe Randell , Don Kuhlman, and Tim Cooley , 

 College of Agriculture , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , and the Il- 

 linois Natural History Survey. 



WEEDS: Ellery Knake and Marshal McGlamery , Department of Agronomy. 



