148 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



FRIDAY, 10 A. M. 



Mr. Mason : I will name the Nominating Committee, J. W. 

 Sligar, J. F. Sanmann and J. D. Rosenbohm. 



The first talk this morning is by Mr. Henry Truitt, Farm 

 Adviser, Peoria County. 



HOW TO MAINTAIN NITROGEN IN THE SOIL. 



Henry Truitt, Farm Adviser, Peoria County. 



The question of how much of our farm should be kept in 

 clover or some other leguminous crop, in order to maintain the 

 nitrogen supply, is conceded by all investigators and students of 

 scientific agriculture to be by far the most important problem 

 still to be solved. 



It is important because it is vital. That is, upon the results 

 of its solution will depend the foundation principles of future 

 practice. It is important, also, because it has as yet given up 

 to the world but few of the secrets of its solution. The phos- 

 phorus problem has been almost completely worked out. We are 

 able to tell just how much phosphorus there is in our soil and we i 

 know that no plant, regardless of its habits or characteristics, ] 

 can add a single pound of phosphorus to our land. We know, \ 

 therefore that the only way to maintain or increase the phos- ' 

 phorus content is to make positive additions of some phosphatic ■ 

 fertilizer, and in any of the commercial forms we can tell ex- j 

 actly how many pounds of phosphorus we are adding. - 



Likewise with potassium, we have merely to add a sufficient ] 

 quantity of some potash fertilizer to make up for the amount : 

 that is removed by ^he crops. ; 



