170 TwENTY-FmsT Biennial Report 



use of good sods of clover and grasses, and such, catch-crops as may- 

 be adapted to the varying conditions, in addition to all the manure 

 available, liberal applications of phosphorus to supplement the manure 

 and natural deficiencies of the soil, as well as to restore the phos- 

 phorus sold from the farm in cereals and livestock; and lime as may 

 be needed to correct soil acidity and furnish a satisfactory environ- 

 ment for bacterial life. In the absence of manure some soils will 

 need applications of nitrogen and potassium before good crop yields 

 can be secured." 



On page 73 he further says : 



"Manifestly something is needed on the land besides phosphorus. 

 With the addition of either nitrogen or potassium to the above amount 

 of phosphorus the yield of corn is increased to a little over 43 bushels 

 per acre, and by the addition of both, to 47 bushels, though the profit 

 over cost of fertilizer is but a little greater than from phosphorus, 

 alone, owing to the high coat of commercial nitrogen and potassium. 

 Cheaper sources of these elements are found in the stable manure. 

 Larger yields of corn have been secured with the use of manure, 

 and substantially as good returns from phosphorus, when used in 

 addition to manure." 



In the report on the Piedmont soils of North Caro- 

 lina, Professor Williams of the North Carolina Experi- 

 ment Station, says on page 99, after summing up results 

 of experiments : 



"Of all the types of soils of the Piedmont Plateau Region of the 

 State thus far studied, the content of potash present in the surface 

 soil is generally sufficient for growing maximum crops for a hundred 

 years or more. It is generally more a problem of making this supply 

 available than of increasing it. Not only do the chemical analyses 

 show that there is a fairly liberal supply of potash in these soils, but 

 in no case do we find any marked increases in yield due to its use, 

 and frequently the yield is actually reduced. Generally it certainly 

 would give better immediate returns and would be far more bene- 

 ficial to eliminate potash altogether for general farm crops, and put 

 the money into an additional supply of phosphoric acid. Potash, 

 however, can be applied with profit to tabacco and very proibably 

 to Irish potatoes on most of the Piedmont soils." 



Bulletin 108 of the Mississippi Experiment Station' 

 reports experiments on worn hill land and makes the 

 following comments concerning cotton: 



"Phosphates hastened the maturity of cotton. On land with some 

 decaying organic matter in it, phosphate alone gave good results, 

 good enough to make it profitable. Potash alone, or in combination 

 with nitrogen and phosphates, gave no apparent results. Nitrogen 

 (cotton-seed meal) alone gave good results. Cotton-seed meal and 

 phosphates mixed gave good results," 



