The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1924-03-28

A@C 1@NOhS Tic -OOuHCy TalF, II re-
organized-and feels that it is al
most our duty to reorganize it ant
thus utilize the equipment which has
already provided.
Dinner was then announced and
the President appointed Carol Ty-
SON. Palmer McFadden and Norris
Reynolds as committee on inspection
Of premises.
After reassembling. Carroll Tysss.
reported for the Committee. All en-
joyed the very good dinner. The,
found the following crops, stock.
etc.: 1000 bus. corn, mostly johnson
Co. white; 38 tons of mixed hay, A.
good work horses. 10 nice, large, pro-
ducing Holstein cows, Hampshire
brood SOW. IL sshoats. 125 hens, 20
tons ensiiage, s tons soy beans and
millet hay and good pile Of wood.
The committee found the machinery
housed and the stables and premises
in good condition.
In lieu Of an essay the host intro
duced DR.. Thomas F. Mann Of the
Delaware Experiment Station. DIR.
Mann gave us a very interesting and
instructive talk on Soil Fertility. He
introduced his talk with reminis-
cences Of his boyhood days in the
virgin country Of North Dakota, and
told of burning the prairies and then
gathering the Buffalo bones, which
were shipped out by the train load,
In the early days moisture alone
seemed to be the limiting factor for
wheat production on these fertile
prairies, but now the grain fails to
plump. owing to lack of phosphor-
GUS.
He gave us the following soil
analysis. which he thought would APP
ply to the general average of soil
Of upper Cecil County. In the SUR
face 2 inches one acre Of soil con-
tains about 2.000-2,500 lbs. Of nitro
gen, 1.400 lbs. of PHOSPHORUS, $4,000
lbs. of potash. These figures there
fore show that potash is present in
such great quantities that If we can
make it available for plant use we
do not need more. He then went ov-
er the Ohio Experiment Station
year rotation of corn, wheat and
clover.
| He told US that our soil and the
Ohio Experiment Station soil were
very similar, both being mostly Of
a glacial. granite formation.
| At the end Of IL years one plot
receiving 8 tons of manure and 1S(
lbs. Of acid phosphate applied once
in three years, was producing oyel
twice the yield that plot receiving
no fertilizer yielded. And . sol
analysis showed that the manures
plot actually increased in nitrogen
content. the actual figures showing
nearly three times as. much nitrogen
was available for plant growth al
was supplied by the manure. This
shows that nitrogen fixing bacteris
in the soil and on the clover roots
are able to supply the most expen.
sive form of fertilizer-that is nitro.
gen, from the air. providing that
bacteria is given favorable medium
in which to work-and plenty Of
organic matter or lunlus is the sec.
ret. He gave the results of four-
year rotation Of corn soy beans
wheat and clover. upon which 25e
lbs. per acre of acid phosphate was
applied to the corn and $50 lbs. acid
phosphate and rs lbs. mrriate Of
potash per acre to the wheat. Yie 4
Of CROPS approximately go percen:
greater than that grown on the
check plot which received no fertiliz-
er.
His general conclusions could be
summed up as follows: Grow selne
legume in the rotation, apply ma
nure if available, and do not buy nj
trogen for regular farm crops. He
advised using small amounts of pot
ash or none except on potatoes and
truck crops and finally, apply .phosa
phorous in some form to all grain
crops, as 1t is often the limiting fac
tor OF plant food in our soils.
Club adjourned ON motion to meet
at the call of the president.