The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1915-03-11
Restoring Our Iowa Soils.

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(The following excellent article
was written by Ralph H. Lamoree, of
Van Vert, who is taking a two year
course in agriculture at sthe Iowa
State College at Ames, and he is do
ing highly creditable work. The
article is most highly commended by
the faculty and we are pleased to
publish it for the benefit of our
readers.)
Aside from drouth, the cause for
our reduced crop yields in recent
years undoubtedly comes from the
lack of nitrogen in the soil. Nj
trogen is absolutely essential to
plant growth, and this element, is
known to have been disappearing in
the last few years.
There are three ways of restoring
this nitrogen to the soil. They are,
by returning the manure from the
crops to the soil, by growing legumi-
nous crops, and by using commercial
fertilizers. The average farmer
rarely restores more than sixty per
cent of the nitrogen taken from the
soil by the crops, by returning the
manure to the soil. He must then
turn to clover, natures greatest nu-
trifying agent.
Statistics tell us that sixty per cent
of the clover seeding in Iowa, in the
last six years have been lost. The
cause for this has been laid to var
ious things, such as drouth, freezes,
condition of soil, etc. The solution
however, in seventy-five per cent of
the cases may be stated in a few
words, the soil is sour.
Glover may grow on an acid soil,
but the fact has been proved that it
will not thrive on such soil. The
seed starts we'll enough and the
plant attains a height of an inch or
two when it stops commonly growing
and mysteriously disappears.
A large per centage of Iowa soils
are acid and the farmers are begin
ming to realize this. Some are test
ing their soil, which is certainly the
the right thing to do. The litmus
paper test is used for this purpose.
A forty-acre field may be tested
in few hours if the soil is wet
enough to cause a reaction in the
paper. A good time for the test is
Just after a good shower when the
ground is of a stiff putty-like con-
sistency.
The instruments needed are book
of blue litmus paper, a jack knife
and some stakes for markers. Start
ing at one end of the field, slit
is made in the soil with the knife,
a slip of paper is dropped into the
incision and the ground packed firm
ly against the paper. The place is
then marked and the whole field is
worked in the same manner, placing
the slips from five to ten rods apart.
After an hour or SO the test may
be read. The first slip is dug up,
rinscd off in pail of water and ex-
AHMED. If it is even slightly pink
the soil is acid. After all the slips
have been examined, an accurate i
of the acidity of the soil
is obtained.
This acidity may be corrected by
an application of from three to five
tons per acre OF ground lime stone,
over half of which should be powder.
This should be narrowed or disced |
in; not plowed under, as the lime Is
needed in close proximity to heroots.
A good way to- spread it is by means
Of a manure speader. A certain
mount of it may be thrown on the
.op of every load of manure, and
scattered in this manner.
The limestone neutralizes the acid
Ind once more the soil is in condi-
ion to raise clover. The clover is
lble to restore nitrogen to the soil
md once more returns it to its
ormer fertility
Ralph H. Lamorec,
Two year course, Iowa State College.