The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1907-11-01
YHHE Cecil Farmers' Club met at

the home of Jas. b. Max
= we'll near Rising Sun, on
Tuesday, Oct. %, with the follow
ing members and visitors present /:
Prest., r. I. Cameron, Jos. L.
Grove, j. Harry Maxwell, Elwood
Balderston, A. B. McVey, A. R.
Brown, Wayne Reynolds, j. p.
Wilson, A. J. Kitchener, ]. s.. Scar
borough, C. r. Biles, J. Ii. Max
well, G. E. Ewing, R. K. Rawlings.
Visitors-Prof. Ell. o. Sampson,
Rev. Saml. Polk, w. R. Cameron,
S. D. Fryer, Ralph Wilson. Car
roll Cameron, W. w. Maxwell.
Minutes of previous meeting
were read and approved.
Mr.. Kitchener when asked about
his potato crop stated that the
yield had been 400 bushels from a
little less than two acres.
Messrs. Wilson and Maxwell each
exhibited some fine specimens of
corn, some of the ears measuring
II inches in length. Mr.. Wilson
in speaking of silo corn said it took
about Al acres to fill his silo.
Wayne Reynolds said that not
withstanding the present seeming
high price received for milk, that
the cost of grain and bran for feed
was higher in proportion.
j. P. Wilson thought increase in
price of milk was greater than in
crease in cost of production.
r. T. Cameron thought $3.50
should be received for milk to make
it pay the farmer under present
conditions.
Wayne Reynolds said feed was
too high to raise pork proftably.
A. r. Brown did not think it
will pay to feed steers now.
Elwood Balderston speaking of
alfalfa said he had planted two
acres. He put on 40 bushels OF
lime to the acre and over 400
pounds of fine barn yard and hen
manure and the ground was we'll
pulverized and we'll seeded. A
heavy rain shortly afterward had
washed off the soil in places, but
the balance looks like a good set
had been secured.
In speaking of his apple crop ne
said his York Imperial trees had
their first bearing this year and he
had picked 80 baskets or over 70
bushels from one tree. From a
Landlord tree he picked LIZ baskets,
the Hayes yielding 16 baskets per
tree and the Ortley Is baskets.
Prot. Sampson was requested to
speak on Soil Improvement and re,
sponded as follows:
Members of the Cecil Farmers Club:-It GER
tainly gives me much pleasure to meet with you
today, but am sorry that was not able to bring
our good friend Prot Spillman along with me.
He had promised me that he would remain in the
county today but important business made II
necessary tor him to go to Ithaca, N. Y yesterday
afternoon. He assured me. however, that ne
would make an effort to visit your club at future
meeting and hope you will avail yourselves OF
the privilege of hearing him, for no better In
formed man agricultural topics can be found
in the United States today.
Your host, Mr. Maxwell. has asked me to talk
to YOU for a short time on "Soil Improvement.
This is difficult subject to discuss as the soil Is
one of the things most studied and least known
about in agricultural research today. shall try
however, to review few we'll known principles
with the hopes of getting you started on dis
.cussion.
Chemical analysis will not tell you what is the
xnatter with a certain sick soil. We know that
three mineral elements, Nitrogen, Potash and
Phosphorus, are liable to be exhausted by CON
tinued cropping; but you cannot take shovel full
of soil to a chemist and have him tell you which
of these elements is lacking. The only way to
find out is to try the application OF certain sub
stanC es in soil plats and which ones bring the
best results No general rule of application is
known.
There is much plant food locked up in the soil
that is not available to the plant roots This is
made available. however, by certain chemical
changes that take place if we bring the right
things together The air. or rather the oxygen OF
the air, has an importantfunction Itisabsolute-
ly necessary to plant growth. lift be not in the
soil the plant cannot i've 1t has the function OF
acting ehemlcaiiy on SOIL SUBSTANCES anu cu"ns-
ing some of the available into availablefoods,
These foods must be in the right conditions If they
are not they are of no use. Thus, we see that one
of the benefits of tllaee is the letting In OF the air
between the soil particles. Soil may beimproved
therefor by careful cultivation, and we see ira
the farmer who tiils his fields in non-thorough
manner is not making use of all the natural pro-
cesses available.
Organic matter decaying in the soil makes
DIa.&n. ae Das;e