THIRTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL CONVENTION 31 



contains, as a rule, plenty of phosphorus and nitrogen, the very 

 things deficient on the high ground. 



In conclusion, I would say, first, study your soil and know 

 its needs. Supply these needs, making sure that you are at least 

 returning as much of the limiting elements as are being removed. 

 This will maintain your land. Still better, add more of the 

 limiting element and build up your land. The dairy system of 

 farming lends itself well in accomplishing this purpose. You 

 have a market for legume crops required to keep up the nitro- 

 gen. You sell a highly finished product, making it possible to 

 turn your crops into high priced produce. Remember much of 

 the labor and expense is the same whether you grow half a 

 crop or a maximum crop. 



Mr. Gilkerson : How do you purchase potassium ? 



Mr. Eckhardt : We get ours from the Strassburg mines 

 in Germany, but you can get potassium chloride from Armour 

 or Swift, but we prefer to get ours from Germany. It takes 

 200 pounds per acre to supply a hundred bushels of corn; after 

 the first application we get down to seventy-five per acre. 



Mr. Gilkerson: Do you have to apply limestone every 

 year? 



Mr. Eckhardt : In some parts we do not put in more than 

 one ton to an acre. Yet sometimes we have to put on three or 

 four tons. 



Mr. Gilkerson : Do you put limestone in your pasture 

 ground ? 



Mr. Eckhardt: I would not, but undoubtedly it would 

 help. 



Member : What is the proper way to spread limestone ? 



Mr. Eckhardt : There are several machines for doing this. 

 You can, however, make a home-made machine for $25.00 and 



