Crops and Methods for Soil Improvement

“This book is not a technical treatise and is designed only to point out the plain, every-day facts in the natural scheme of making and keeping soils productive. It is concerned with the crops, methods, and fertilizers that favor the soil…. there is no jarring of observed facts when we get hold of the simple philosophy of it all.” CHAPTER I (Introduction Natural strength of land Organic matter Crop-rotation Fertilizers Tillage Control of soil moisture) CHAPTER II (The Need of Lime The unproductive farm Soil acidity Determining lime requirement The litmus-paper test A practical test) CHAPTER III (Applying Lime The fineness of limestone) CHAPTER IV (Organic Matter The legumes Storing nitrogen The right bacteria Soil inoculation Method of inoculation) CHAPTER V (The Clovers Methods of seeding Taking the crops off the land Physical benefit of the roots) CHAPTER VI (Alfalfa Fertility and feeding value Climate and soil Free use of lime Inoculation Fertilization Seeding in August) CHAPTER VII (Grass Sods Prejudice against timothy Seeding with small grain Seeding in rye) CHAPTER VIII (Seeding in late summer Crops that may precede Preparation The weed seed Summer grasses Sowing the seed) CHAPTER IX ( Sods for Pastures Seed-mixtures Blue-grass Timothy Red-top Orchard grass Yields and composition of grasses Renewal of permanent pastures Destroying bushes Close grazing) CHAPTER X (The Cowpea A southern legume Harvesting with livestock The cowpea for hay As a catch crop) CHAPTER XI (Other Legumes and Cereal Catch Crops The soybean Fertility value The planting Harvesting The Canada pea Vetch Sweet clover Rye as a cover crop When to plow down Buckwheat Oats) CHAPTER XII (Stable Manure Livestock farming The place for cattle Sales off the farm The value of manure) CHAPTER XIII (Care of Stable Manure Common source of losses Caring for liquid manure Use of preservatives The covered yard Harmless fermentation Rotted manure Composts Poultry manure) CHAPTER XIV (The Use of Stable Manure Effect upon moisture Manure on grass Manure on potatoes When to plow down Heavy applications Reinforcement with minerals) CHAPTER XV (Crop-rotations The farm scheme Selection of crops Corn two years The oat crop Two crops of wheat The clover and timothy Two legumes in the rotation Potatoes after corn A three-years' rotation Grain and clover Potatoes and crimson clover) CHAPTER XVI (Commercial Fertilizers Loss of plant-food Are fertilizers stimulants? Soil analysis Physical analysis The use of nitrogen Phosphoric-acid requirements The need of potash Fertilizer tests Variation in soil) CHAPTER XVII (Plant-food Acquaintance with terms Nitrate of soda Sulphate of ammonia Dried blood Tankage Fish Animal bone Raw bone Steamed bone Rock-phosphate Acid phosphate Basic slag Muriate of potash Sulphate of potash Kainit Wood-ashes Other fertilizers Salt Coal-ashes Muck Sawdust) CHAPTER XVIII (Purchasing Plant-food Statement of analysis Valuation of fertilizers A bit of arithmetic High-grade fertilizers) CHAPTER XIX (Home-mixing of Fertilizers Materials that should not be combined Making a good mixture) CHAPTER XX (Mixtures for Crops Composition The multiplication of formulas Similarity of requirements Maintaining fertility Fertilizer for grass All the nitrogen from clover Method of applying fertilizers An excess of nitrogen) CHAPTER XXI (Tillage Desirable physical condition of the soil The breaking-plow Types of plows Subsoiling Time of plowing Method of plowing The disk harrow Cultivation of plants Controlling root-growth Elimination of competition Length of cultivation) CHAPTER XXII (Control of Soil Moisture Value of water in the soil The soil a reservoir The land-roller The plank-drag The mulch Mulches of foreign material Plowing straw down The summer-fallow The modern fallow) CHAPTER XXIII (Underdrainage Locating main and branches The laterals Size of tile Kind of tile The grade Establishing a grade Cutting the trenches)