The Story of the Soil; from the Basis of Absolute Science and Real LifeHopkins, Cyril G. (Cyril George)
Science
The Story of the Soil; from the Basis of Absolute Science and Real Life
Hopkins, Cyril G. (Cyril George)
Soils
In 1905 No. 1 was rented for corn on shares and produced about six
hundred bushels of which Percy received one-third. No. 2 yielded
four hundred and eighty-four bushels of oats. No. 3 produced
fourteen tons of poor hay. No. 4 was "rested" and prepared for
wheat, ground limestone having been applied. No. 5 was fall-plowed
from old meadow and well prepared and planted to corn in good time;
but, after the second cultivation, heavy rains set in and continued
until the corn was seriously damaged on the flat areas of the field,
the more so as he had not fully understood the importance of keeping
furrows open with outlets at the head-lands through which the excess
surface water could pass off quickly under such weather conditions.
Patches of the field aggregating at least five acres were so poorly
surface drained that the corn was "drowned out," and fifteen acres
more were so wet as to greatly injure the crop. However, on the
better drained parts of the field where the corn was given further
cultivation the yield was good and about 1,000 bushels of sound corn
were gathered from the forty acres.
A mixture of timothy, redtop and weeds was cut for hay on No. 6, the
yield being better than half a ton per acre.
The apples were a fair crop, and the total sales from that crop
amounted to $750, but about half of this had been expended for
trimming and spraying the trees, a spraying outfit, barrels,
picking, packing, freight and cold storage. A good bunch of hogs
were sold.
Another year passed. Oats were grown on No. 1 and on part of No. 2,
yielding eleven bushels per acre.
No. 3 yielded one-third of a ton of hay per acre.
Wheat was grown on No. 4, and clover, the first the land had known
in many years, if ever, was seeded in the spring,--twenty acres of
red clover and twenty of alsike.
The fifty-four acres of wheat, including fourteen acres on No. 2,
yielded seven and one-half bushels per acre. Soy beans were planted
on No. 5, but wet weather seriously interferred and only part of the
field was cut for hay. Limestone was applied, but heavy continued
rains prevented the seeding of wheat.
No. 6 produced about twenty-seven bushels per acre of corn.
Two lots of hogs were sold for about $800, and some young steers
increased the receipts by nearly $100.
Mrs. Johnston continued to buy the groceries with eggs and butter;
but it was necessary to buy some hay, and the labor bill was heavy.
No. 5 joined the twenty-eight acre pasture and on two other sides it
joined neighbors' farms where line fences were up, and on the other
side lay No. 4.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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