MANURES AND HUMUS IN SOIL. 155 



let being for some distance 10 to 12 feet deep. The 

 usual depth was 3 to 4 feet. Then a very little stable 

 manure was spread over the field and red clover 

 was sown with beardless spring barley as a nurse 

 crop. With the clover was sown a fertilizer com- 

 posed of tankage and acid phosphate. The barley 

 was cut off for hay and the clover came on and made 

 a fair growth. It was a good stand and had a 

 healthy look, which no one remembered seeing on 

 this field for many years. The clover was cut for 

 hay and seed, and a trifle more of manure spread 

 over the ground. It is evident that on a 60 acre field 

 one will not strew manure very thickly unless he has 

 access to a very large store, and only the farm barns 

 and feeding yards could be drawn upon. 



The land was then plowed and planted to corn, 

 making about 55 bushels per acre. Its previous crop 

 had been about 20 bushels. On the com stubble 

 more manure was spread in 1904 and again the land 

 was sown to clover with a nurse crop of beardless 

 spring barley. This time it was hoped that the field 

 might be dry enough and fertile enough to take al- 

 falfa, so a mixture of alfalfa was put with the 

 clover, about 10 per cent or a little more. Again the 

 barley was made into hay. 



This time the clover was a glorious success, yield- 

 ing more than double what it had yielded the first 

 year and the alfalfa came in strong for the second 

 cutting. It was vigorous over nearly all the field. 

 In the spring of 1906 the field was again sprinkled 

 somewhat with manure and plowed for corn. The 



