Charlevoix county herald., 1912-10-26
MANAGEMENT OF SANDY SOILS
BY J. A. JEFFERY,
Professor OF Soils Michigan AgricuI-
tural College.

After sandy ldnu, sucn as is lOuuu
In western and northern Michigan, has
been brought under cultivation, great
care must still be exercised In its
management. The cropping value OF
these soils will depend more than any
thing else upon the Incorporation and
retention of organic matter. To this
end: careful rotation OF crops
should be adopted. 1t should be sim
Pile and short, something like this:
% Glover, one or two years, plow-
Ing under as much Of the aftergrowth
as is possible when preparing for the
succeeding crop; CD cultivated
crop-potatoes, corn or possibly beans.
and CD grain of some kind. seeding
again to clover with grain.
This is not the only rotation that
could be followed, but the important
thing is TO introduce clover into the
rotation as frequently as possible. No
grain or cultivated crop should be
planted twice In succession.
The blowing should be shallow, prob
ably never to exceed five inches, and
this with view to keeping the or
ganic matter as near the surface as
possible, where il will accomplish the
most good, particularly in protecting
the soils from the ravages of the
winds. 1t is good practice not to use
the pillow too frequently. Many far
mers use the pillow only In breaking the
clover sod. The disc harrow is used
at all other times in preparing soil
for crops.
When cultivated crops occupy the
land, the cultivation should be fire.
quent and shallow. Only those who
have practiced persistent shallow cul-
tivation can appreciate the importance
of thus stirring the soil in preserving
the moisture and insuring profitable
crops.
Use catch" crops where possible.
If regular crop has been removed
fairly early In the fall and the sue
ceeding crop is not to be planted the
following spring, 1t Is always worth
while to seed the land to oats or rye
or vetch. Frequently 1t will be found
desirable and profitable just before
the last cultivation of the corn to
seed the corn field to winter vetch
seed at the rate of 80 pounds per
acre. The field may be seeded to oats
or rye instead. The benefits to be de-
rived from the catch crop are at least
three:
/. In the fall and early spring soil
Is protected from the winds.
2. During the winter these crops
catch and retain the snow upon the
ground, from which fact the soil bene-
fits not only from the blanket Of snow
during the winter. but. also, from the
melting of the snow In place in the
spring.
3. The discing in Of the crop In the
spring adds to the soil organic mat
ter, and in the case Of vetch, nitrogen
as we'll
Green Manurlng.
Green manuring is the practice of
growing a crop to pillow under before
it natures. This Is done to increase
the amount of organic matter in the
soil. Different crops are used for this
purpose.
Rye is perhaps the most commonly
used, and probably chiefly because it
can be planted in the fall and makes
a considerable growth before the grow
ing season closes. 1t takes up the
growing again early In spring and con-
tinues until the farmer Is ready to
pillow 1t under. 1t is sown at the rate
of one and onehalf bushels to two
bushels per acre
OF the spring grown crops oats or
rye are frequently used, and are sown
Mt the regular rates Of seeding.
Sometimes Indian corn Is sown at
the rate of one bushel to one and one
half bushels per acre for this purpose.
1t may be sown In drills or broad
cast.
Oats and peas are sometimes used,
sown at the rate of one bushel OF oats
to two bushels of peas to the acre.
Sand vetoh is also used, the seeding
being at the rate of 80 to 80 pounds
per acre The seeding In all cases is
done as early as conditions of soil
aud air are suitable for the planting
OF the crop.
The sand, hairy or winter vetch
seems to be rapidly growing in favor,
both as a catch crop plant and as a
green manuring plant. Its value rests
upon three things, viz:
1. Because of the size of the seed
II may be planted as deep as two
inches, thus increasing its chances for
moisture supply, and thus insuring
termination. The clovers and alfalfa
frequently suffer because they may
not be planted deep enough to insure
moisture and anchorage to preserve
the plant from blowing away.
2. The plant makes very rapid
and vigorous growth, producing a
large amount of material to pillow I'M
der or disc In.
3. 1t is much more valuable than
the grains for this purpose because
OF the amount of nitrogen which It
gathers during its growth and leaves
for the use of future crops.
On the Miami sandy soils Of south
ern Michigan the COW pea is being