Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-08-01

There are few of the older soils of
properly used. will not yield profit
to wheat growers, according to the
investigations of specialists in the
United States Department of Agri
culture. Lime, nitrogen, potassium,
phosphorus and humus are all needed
by wheat and one or more of these
substances is frequently lacking in
the soil of the regions where winter
wheat is raised.
How this deficiency can best be
remedied is discussed In some detail
in Bulletin No. 500 which the Depart
ment of Agriculture has just pub
lished under the title of 1.-THE Culture
of Winter Wheat in the Eastern
United States" In the United States
the culture of winter wheat is con-
fined mainly to the districts east of
South Dakota and line drawn south
ward from the eastern boundary Of
that State. In this region, which in
cludes all of the southern and eastern
States except New England and parts
of Oklahoma and Texas and all of the
middle west" except parts of Ne
braska and Kansas, the rainfall is
usually sufficient for crop needs with
out resorting to special methods of
tillage. For this reason the conditions
governing the use of fertilizers, the
rotation Of crops, seeding and harvest
ing are sufficiently similar for the
suggestions in the bulletin to be APP
plicab1e throughout the entire area.
OF the principal wheat foods, nitro
gen, the bulletin says, is obtained
mainly from the air through indirect
sources; that is, 1t is obtained by
growing such crops as clover, cowpeas
and soy beans in rotation. These
crops put nitrogen into the soil on
which the wheat may feed later. Po-
tassium is usually present in the soil
but needs to be made available for
the wheat by the decay of manure
and plant remains. Phosphorus must
usually be supplied by the addition
of bone meal, rock phosphate or some
similar form Of fertilizer.
The reason why manure Is of such
benefit to soils is that 1t usually sup
plies a number of the foods that
wheat needs. 1t not only supplies de-
caying organic matter, but also nitro
gen and potassium in considerable
amounts. AS rule, it lacks only
phosphorus to supply almost every
need of the plant for balanced food
ration. To supply this one missing
element it is a good plan to add forty
to fifty pounds of acid phosphate
rock phosphate, or basic Stag to each
ton of manure before hauling 1t to the
field. At least eight tons of this treat
ed manure should be applied once in
every four years to each acre OF
wheat bearing SOIL
Any green crops that are plowed
under will furnish green manures for
the soil. BY their decay they make
available certain mineral elements al
ready in the SOIL besides adding valu-
able organic matter. Rye is very good
for this purpose. 1t is better, how
ever, not to use this crop alone but In
combination with a legume such as
cow peas or soy beans. Is
When rotted manure is not avail
able, green manure crops must be
used to maintain certain elements in
the soil. On comparatively few
farms is there enough stable or barn
yard manure to take the place Of
green manures altogether, although
by returning the plant remains to the
soil less of the green manure will
need to be grown than when no re-
turns are made.
The amount and kind OF commercial