The courier-index., 1920-04-23
PROPER SOIL MANAGEMENT
 FIRST-FERTlLIZERS NEXT

FlESI-F FIX iLtZENS NA
 Proper conditions of the soil as re gards drainage, cultivation and nn- mus in the soil must be assured be- fore best crops can be produced el- ther with or without fertilizers is The substance of warning to Ar kansas farmers by Martin Nelson, Director of the Arkansas Ex- pertinent station and Agronomist of the College of Agriculture.
 The future of the cotton market is on a precarious basis" says Mir. Nelson. Europe Is unable 10 buy the usual amount of cotton. It is nee essarv for growers to fortny them selves by increasing the acreage or food and feed crops There Is much evidence that farmers are thinking Scores of inquiries gre coming to the Experiment Station about the use of fertilizers
 A few people are systematically urging the use of fertilizers ss a means of increasing crop yieios and producing the usual amount of cotton a fewer acres of land IniS reeommendaticn is alright when otn- CT conditions are taken care of, our if is a well known fact that farmers in many localities are planning 10 use fertilizers under conditions rnar make . profit impossible. Right here the farmer must examine his own methods and the condition of 1ts fields to see that they are Just wnal they should be. There are few things that must be fully un- derssoed by cotton growers to avoid disappointment They are as feL- lows:
 Tt is d waste of money 70 apply fertilizers to crops on land that ts poorly drained. Ir ls waste or money to put fertilizers on land thar has been plowed only two or rares inches as Is the case n some sec tions of the state. It Is a waste eT money to apply fertilizers 70 land that has been permitted to form hardpan three or four inches below tho surface. Tr IS questionable whether fertilizers will pay on lands where the supply of organic matter has been almost completely used up leaving the soil in condition where ir becomes hard quickly and can not stand dry wearher. These eondlraonS must be corrected before one can expect good resalss either with or without fertilizers. h this day and age when good tillzge implements can be had and the poor results coming from bad practices are ua- derstoed. the practice of blowing he saoald ~~~t-~ AA--~ There are 2 only tive ew earxe sg perhaps four ineheS deep should be abandoned completely and no one should think of raising eropS on an average soil where land Is plcweG less than five CT six inches deep. The great Els- take of glowing shallow has been driven home to thousands of our people all over the state. and many of these people who were blowing three inches deep only a few years ago are now slowing eight or ten inches deep and do not hesitate ta say that they arg positive that | pays them well and they can no' see why they ever did blow land as shallow as three or four inches.
 One should use some degree 0i caution in beginning to blow deep CT. To turn up Ewo or four inchss ef snhsol that haS not been dis turbed by the blow before. should be done with caution. especially when blowing in the spring. IL E best to plow about one inch eeepei each year Tn the case of Sprins plewlng until one gets down to th' depth that he expects Co follow from then 9n h case of fall blow ing one may plew ap aS much a three inches oT su6sou and les ] Lle exposed to the weather over win ter Another way of safely stivr Ing the sod deeper, immediately, to follow the surface glow with
 sussoFer. thereby breaking Ep tn ss11sod ~iEhaa@ turning tE 0n Ean Ls should be borne In mind that VI must have considerable depth q sosI far plants to grow n before v eas make 3 profit from the apph eaton 0s fertilizer.
 The presence ef reasonahl supply ok vegetable matter in -h s0A Is absolutely necessary for ta grawtn et a good erop. Ir us in possible Eagr8w profitable erops Q land ahaE l8 m impoverished in wegs table maEtar Organic matter Slloul he supplied av using manure pr D pi9wRmg anster crops that can grawu conveniently for the purposs
 a-s as rye, cow peas, soy bean. vsVe9 beans, veEeAes or clover.
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