xt7w0v89j91k https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7w0v89j91k/data/mets.xml   Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station. 1945 journals kaes_circulars_004_406 English Lexington : The Service, 1913-1958. Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station Circular (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n. 406 text Circular (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n. 406 1945 2014 true xt7w0v89j91k section xt7w0v89j91k 2 4 4 4
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4
. Circular 406 1
  UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY ~
_ l9i° . .
sgxulm, College of Agriculture and Home Economics
(Agni I . . . . •
Q; °AC4s ¤= . Agricultural Extension Division
2141/6*;
Thomas P. Cooper, Deon and Director

 CONTENTS `
Page A
_ _ Tl
Terraces and Contour Cultivation ............ 4 Us
1 Erosion Control by Vegetative Cover ......... 8 for
Short Rotations ..........,................ 15 mc
. pr;
` Conservation of Farm Byproducts ............ 19 COI
Publications on Soil Improvement and (O}
Conservation .......................... 20 y SO1
_ wh
_ in
J ltll
. . . . . ` H.
EVERYONE should have a vital interest in soil conservation ` Cy
because all are affected by the condition of the soils of the nation. [hy
This interest should be such that all groups would be willing to is
make whatever contribution they can to soil conservation. Cheap m
[ood today at the cost of soil exhaustion will mean not only high- lc;
_. cost food tomorrow, but malnutrition and inefficiency also. of
The rural church can exert a great influence by constantly s  
emphasizing the obligation to conserve the soil. The duty to I U
. . . . 1
conserve the so1l certainly falls within the Golden Rule and th€  _ P}
behest to consider the rights of one’s neighbor. ` V [C
Every rural school teacher should be informed upon the basic l m
principles‘of soil conservation and should make pupils at an . pt
early age conscious of their obligation to conserve the soil. ‘ l<>
Our apparent prosperity in the past has been largely at tht V [il
price of prodigal use of natural resources. Our prosperity for , H
the future must depend on the most rigid conservation of out ; UI
natural resources, the chief of which is the soil.  - H
i.  l)¤
 : l’
 i 5(
g ll
Lexington, Kentucky  V tw
july, 1945  V y
¢‘ .

 t   tl
l 1   t
l
l 1 i
gg E 1on Con rol t 1
Su estions on ros` A t A A
I Z A l
By G1;oRc1; Rotsmtrsl , ,i
THE MAIN PURPOSE of this publication is to impress upon farm— I , Q i
ers the seriousness of soil erosion and to urge the use of better practices   E
for its control. If farmers could beconte fully conscious of the enor· l i;
tnous losses caused by erosion, surely they would use every reasonable    
1 practice to prevent it. Speeihc directions for carrying out the various    
control practices are not given here. For such details farmers should A L
1 consult their county agents, teachers of vocational agriculture, and l is
soil conservation district technicians. A list of publications dealing
with soil-improvement practices is given on page 20 of this circular.   if
For a convincing statement of the enormous extent of soil erosion `
_ in this country, the reader is referred to U. S. Department of Agricul- l
ture Circular 33 (1928), entitled "Soil Erosion, A National Menace," by
_ t H. H. Bennett, now Chief of the Soil Conservation Service, and YV. R. (
Lum ' Chapline. Mr. Bennett, who had spent many years studying the soils of A 1
Km the United States, stated that he was "of the opinion that soil erosion (
sj *0 is the biggest problem confronting the farmers of the Nation over a Y _
eap tremendous part of its agricultural lands." He estimated that at ·
igh- least l26,000,000,000 pounds of plant food material (that is, elements  
of the kind taken from the soil by plants) were being removed from 1  
mt), ( tl}€'C1‘0p and pasture lands ol` the United States annually by erosion. l
Y to ‘_ lhts, he stated, was more than twenty-one times the amount of plant -   1
[lm ( f0<>(l removed in crops. He further estimated that if only l”1l[I`Og0ll, j » A
phosphorous. and potassium (the elements bought in commercial A *
l 1 fertilizers) were considered, the loss amounted to 2 billion dollars an- 1  
VNC _ Hllillly, at the lowest cost at that time (1928) at which these could bc ~
t an , purchased in commercial fertilizers. He estimated the "tangible yearly
t loss" to be at least 200 million dollars a year. That is, it would cost the
lh,. f¥\\`111C1`S at least 200 million dollars a year in buying li(Tl`llll/CTS or cltl- l
1 tm- Ntétting more land, to obtain the production which would have been t
Om- l **l>Htinetl without this extra cost if the land had not been depleted by  
t·t·oston.
15  .\ct·ording to a report of the National Resources Board (1934) it was
·  t·stimated that 35 million acres of farm land in the United States had   _
been damaged by erosion beyond reclamation for agricultural pur-
IJ poses: that l25 million acres had had 1110St of the original plow—layer ol
`V  soil removed; and that on l00 million acres more a part of the plow— ,
, lttyt·t·1t;td been removed. The total ot these acreages amounts to nearly
1- Iltl pt·r<·t·nt of the total crop and pasture land of the United States.
I  \\`|tilt· no accurate estitnates for Kentucky are available, it is reason-
,i I l’1ol`essor of Agronomy, Emeritus.
i`  3

 4 lixitatssiox Cmctuan No. 406
able to believe that. considering topography and rainfall, erosion in cot
the state has been equal to the average for the United States, and per. pei
haps has been greater. wa
lf Kentucky had the average rate of erosion, her share of the annual
2-billion-dollar loss was more than 30 million dollars a year. Mr. Beit tio
nett quotes an eminent geologist as saying that he would be unwilling
_ to name an average rate of soil formation greater than one foot itt
10,000 years. Soil is being allowed to wash away, in many cases, at the
rate of a foot in less than a lifetime.
V A Ownership of land does not confer the right to misuse it or let '
it be ruined by erosion. Owners of land should look upon themselves
as trustees with a sacred obligation to pass it on to the next genera-
tion in the best condition possible. Soil is indispensable to life, and
no one can have true reverence for human life who does not havt
reverence for the soil as a source of life. .
For many years the writer of this circular has made careful obset- t
vations on erosion and the farm practices associated with it, especiallt E
at the times when the soil is most susceptible to erosion. _
TERRACES AND CONTOUR CULTIVATION 0 Y
. /-‘
· Terraces are very effective in the control of erosion on land to
which they are adapted, provided contour cultivation and the pr0p€1` _ VP
cropping practices are used with them. Otherwise they will not l>€ ` ]><
effective. (Detailed information on terraces is given in Kentucft __  pt
Extension Circular 304, "Soil Erosion and its Control." Details H1`? _» N1
given on the treatment of gullies also.) Diversion ditches may lit i fil
effectively used on land too steep for terraces. il "l
Observations have shown that; a very large part of the crops g1`O\\'Il -·
in Kentucky arc planted without any attention to the contour. rl ‘ *l
"contour line" is a line around a slope at the same elevation at all i "‘
points. lf a uniform furrow were opened strictly on the contour, WHWY i ll
would stand at the same depth in it throughout its length, lt is Hill   V
uncommon to scc winter grain seeded oil the contour on very eX]>€“‘ Y  ll
sive land in the Bluegrass area of Kentucky, and to see corn and  
tobacco planted off the contour in the same area.   r
ll` seeding and cultivating are done on the contotn~_ the ftt1‘t‘t>l*'*   ‘
hold much of the rainfall and allow it to enter the soil, thus gttitlll   "
benefiting the crop in critical dry periods. A report based on ltgff  if I
acres of corn in Grant county (Kentucky) cultivated on the coul0l“'  
in 1943 states that yields averaged 8 bushels higher with titlilwuf   if
cultivation than where cultivation was o[l` the contour. .·\ 1`€P*“‘  
based 011 $00 il(`l`CS of lOl>2lCco titlltivated on the contour in the 5"mf  
·*' .

 5 11 1;;
» 1 tr
1   ·i¤ 1
1 ? E.
SUG(ZES’Il()NS ON EROSION CONTROI. 5 1 i l
sqm jp county the same year stated that the increase was about 125 pounds ,   V
rd Pg;. pergacre for contour cultivation. The latter part of the 1943 season 1 r  
· 1
was dry. _ I · ,1 g
annual ln COll1l)H1`lSOHS of contour cultivation with off-the-contour cultiva- E    
y, Ben. lion in Illinois from 1939 to 1943 the following results are reported;* i I  
willing ;  
fOOt in   `I   ` ,   `_  {_. V} '   *_ ~
, at the s   _,1_,_;   Q   QQ `_ ‘Z§.i.j;i,;,,,;;~r—~, ~ V . , { fi
      l.l, - . t f
. `’t’a,`   ·;-t-   1 {Q1
» *··.$£»# ‘c.¤ ’—»··.~""?·:?%s` ay cg: '£·;~:., *1,; f€’1·’$$;=·?`<$‘5~%=`:r&2 is   . ° ` ` · 1
. or ltl       yes,"  q?·;_¤g‘vj»¥,i»s2§g;§i!<;(,,:_:;.»:3..   = ;
  ~ ·e»- .* .:4;%;       .   »-»;;7·_h—`§·~:;`;.; j; 1 ‘ ,_
mselvcs .            1 _ Q , ‘
Semin.    ~?'iQ"‘   iiiik   ` » : .9
fe, and ’                 *,·_1 . ` , '*
>t have ’_   V         3—gj;,r_A ir ,3;;;  .
1 <·    2 e=Ti`“ gs'     1 »
 an  .   1   ·
1     Y `($,, .`r,· _;`*·é"%_?2_`__,$ ’*“r,-@2   '-i%`i ’  Tiiyni i*`%ii2I.`»  
·  ‘- ~ .‘   5* ’ as ts, 4__·,t » . . ‘- .
pecialll · ·— - - C- —— -   · · » » · i
Small groin on Iespedezo sod, planted on contour y
The increase in corn yields on 102 farms for contour cultivation was 1 Q
`| 1.:) bushels; for soybeans on 12 farms, 2.7 bushels; for oats on 28 farms. ¥
7.1 bushels. 1 Z
1
land 10 I Some very interesting results showing the effect of contour culti— 1 l
: proper >_ vauon on crop yields were recently reported from the New York Ex· I .
not be , pernnent Station.2 In 1943 the yield of sweet corn was increased 35   ‘ 1 *
entutll l>€1‘cent and that of cabbage 13 percent, with quality and uniformity of   ‘ 1
. _ _· V . . . . · » · 1
tails ais maturity markedly improved. Evidently contour cultivation is profit- .— y
may lr ?¤1>l€ for the effect of moisture conservation on the crop, to say nothing ` in
t>1 the soil saved from washing away. 1
1s grown · Experiments in Alabama3 showed that where cotton rows were
tour. .1 p slope-planted the loss of soil was about twice as great as where the L
.n at all ’_ *`01\'$ were on the contour, \r\/'hile contour cultivation is lI1lTT1€(ll3(€lY
n-, wattr l11`0f11able in increased yields from moisture conservation, the pr€\'€¤- A
lt is M01 A **9*1 of loss of soil by erosion is, in the long view, the most impor 1 .
y expen- tant effect. 1
0111 (1111 .` One observation was made in a lnlly sCCl.10l1 of the Bluegrass 1
region of Kentuck · followin a verv heavv rain soon after the lant— 1 ·
v_ . g 1 ,
furrnn> y ing of corn and tobacco. YVhere the rows were off the contour there
5 greillll · “'i*$ VCYY great erosion, but in the few places where the rows WCYC 011
on 1,21111  V the contour erosion was greatly reduced or practically prevented.
(;onl0***` p ONG practice that has been Observed to result in very great €l`O5lOU
(j()l1lUl*l ` W rlihllv`. _ _ _ _ . . . · .
\ Tcwll _ **1015 l·arxn Lcononncs No_ 107, College of Agriculture, University of Illinois.
V plum - iF¥*l`111 Research, Geneva, N, Y_, Vol, X, No. l, january l, 1911.
[hk *‘ . V-`\l1|l)flll1i1 lixp. Sta. Bul. 215.

 ti l‘iX'll·ZNSl()N ClR(Zlll..·\R No. 406
is rolling, dragging, or otherwise smoothing sloping land lor planting
and then not getting the planting done before a heavy rain comes.
Land so treated has been seen with soil washed away in places almost
to the plow sole. Sloping land should not be smoothed in this wat
laster than it can be planted. The planting should be on the contour,
. ` lil — V  { {**2 ;.,,.
‘ v»4‘  **35** rw S `. "`I  ¤   .· .   .. .. .
       »l    *
     
    `’**’· * .
. -4’i‘ .T*l·’i$JfY`Y   ~ i l'€*¥"*;*».  
  . `lli ‘   -s 
Corn plcnted on the contour.
and the land should then be cultivated as soon as possible, to product
ridges and [urrows to check and hold the water so that it will enter tlic t
soil. Sloping land planted on the contour should be recultivatcd
when the ridges produced by [ormer cultivations have been levelctl »
or compacted so much that they do not effectively check run—ofl. Wliilc i
·· it has been proved that on level land cultivation is generally beneficial
only lor killing weeds, and not lor direct conservation of moisture, '
this is not true [or sloping land where the water runs off rapidly il i
not held back by contour cultivation. _
Many farmers do not realize the seriousness ol erosion until gullies
begin to appear. \i\lhen this stage is reached t.he rich topsoil is usnallt
nearly all gone. '1`he attitude ol some farmers is well illustrated bt
the experience ol an extension worker. He saw a held that had been .
prepared lor planting without regard to the slope. A heavy rain tlizn
had lallen belore planting had made many small gullies in the licltl- llll
some going almost to the plow sole. ']`he extension worker told Ml ill
other larnier about the lield, and he replied that it; did not ainotllll · lll
to much because the larmer could immediately disk and smooth tlit
lield so that no one could tell that the washing had occurred. llllll‘ . llli
` was in a region ol expensive land. y llll
,·\brupt changes in tht. slope ol land olten make sharp t`lll`\'¢`* lll llll
the contour line. especially at "draws" or water outlets. lnsteatl lll t llll
trying to cultivate such places, they should be kept in it good glllll *"'
legunie sod, which can be used lor hay when the lield is in ctttllll'l" ` lll
tion. .·\ll water outlets should be kept in sod extending [ar enellgll im
tip the sides ol the outlet to prevent the peak run-oils lrom reacliin;  . ve
cultivated land. co
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  "4·· "         "`     \-$~vV·V ;   -`’»=     · · J;
levelcll   _.,__       , *7:::;- }. ·  laws     ‘`’’ .-     ‘ - ;
·   *     ~`-, -—  ·*>  ¢    i"  l i l
\/Vllllt  4  ~y#·‘     ~   »__V    jg  fsf  »;· __  V » ~l I
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P I     lf     `   I 1 t l ;
  »·~‘    ’ ‘    ‘  ‘’  =~   2 t 2
l gullrcr V a 5; i
usnalll Corn plunfed with the slope, in straight rows. { U A  
ated by l l l  
ad bccn t .
ain thm 5"m€i11N€S Ll Steep hillside is seen plowed lor tobacco when at V _‘
he licltl. the top ol the hill there is [airly level land in grass. \/Vhile it may be
[Old gu- l_H;LVlll—U· lh€ lllllblde produces a better qualrty ol tobacco, rt rs doubt- : V
arrroum _ U rl the garn wrll compensate lor the loss ol soil from erosion. ' ,
. I V _ V _ _ · V . . . . ~ l
mth llrt \\hcre there rs enough sloprng land to use strrp cropping, strips _
. - · · ma, A V. A _ _ r ,
tl. ll“` _ V l be ldlil out as nearly on the contour as possrble. Instead Ol l121\’- 4 ~ t
mg cultivated stri ~ ‘ ‘ ` l l
. = ps and dense seeded strrps alternating, it would be ‘ r
urves ll: “l“€h l>€ll€r, if enough land is available, to have rotational strip C1`0p·
steflil 0 F S Willi two or three strrps rn sod to one rrr a cultivated C1‘Op.· As
  · .()()[ · . .‘ ,, ,. ·, . · · l
rd gllw [ l H5 P1 CUll1\¢1l€(l crop rs removed the strrp should be Seedéd Zlglilll
· ‘ll· O O" 3 _ V · . . . _
t.Ulll‘ $355 Hlld legumes. If there rs not enou ·lr land lor str1 D crt) >JH\°°
0u¤l1 "md I rl
Ul] Van — V U6 Whole sloprng field must be plowed, rt would help l0 pY€·
. rz   .   _' · · " , . .
Nil @*051011 1l narrow sod strr 5 lt) to 12 feet wide were lelt on lllfi
contour t ' 1 `
. at rnterva s. —

 8 Exrmvsiorv CIRCUIAR No. 406
EROSION CONTROL BY VEGETATIVE COVER A *h€
. . . . _ ple
There can be no effective control of erosion without a large use ol r Of;
vigorous vegetative covers-not even on land of moderate slope, hence We
the stress in succeeding pages on increasing the fertility of the soil as du;
an aid to erosion control. There are large acreages in Kentucky so bm
depleted of fertility that they will not produce enough growth of cover it (
i crops to protect the soil against erosion. On Kentucky land of even mr
moderate slope used every year for cultivated crops, it is doubtful if mj
. erosion can be effectively controlled by contour cultivation and winter of
cover crops because of the heavy rains that so frequently occur. VCI
The role of grass (including legumes) in preventing erosion may Cu
be summarized as follows: [0
l. A grass covering lessens the force of the impact of the raindrops upon $0l
the surface of the soil, and thus prevents the compacting of the surface of
the soil. The surface of the soil is thus left more open for the entrance of lm
the water. im
2. The penetration of the grass roots loosens up the soil, and thereby ‘ thi
increases the pore space and waterliolding capacity of the soil. of
3. The grass cover slows the velocity of the run-off and gives the wattl Ph
more time to enter the soil. Zlt`1
4. By reducing the velocity of the run-off, the erosive power of the watt! lh'
_. is greatly reduced. [N
5. The grass covering directly protects the soil against the erosive ponrf  
of the moving water. A in
7 6. Grassland plowed for cultivated crops erodes less than if grass hilll .  
not been grown, because the grass roots cause the soil particles to funn ha
larger granules, while the roots themselves have a binding effect on the soil
for some time after the sod has been broken.
7. The decay of the grass roots and the residue of the tops forms lnunin ’
which increases the water-holding capacity of the soil and also increases in
resistance to erosion. .
Kentucky should be more largely a livestock state to utilize mort y
of the land in grass for pasture and hay. Moreover, the grass-livcstotl _°
type of agriculture fits in best with the production of tobacco of high ;
yield and quality. i
- lf the soil is properly treated with lime and the necessary fertilizers ‘
to produce a vigorous grass—legume growth, the grasses and legumes
will be of a high nutritive quality, and livestock can be carried mon I
on pasture and hay and with less grain than if the pasture and hay were
produced on soil dehcient in the mineral nutrients. The reduction nl
grain requirement enables the farmer to conhne grain crops to the l€SS Q H
sloping land and thus more effectively to control erosion. The lll$l‘ t H;
quality of pasture and hay produced on the high-phosphoruS $@1* . fir
of the Central Bluegrass area and the long grazing periods poSSil’l“ K f"
·* .

 y 1    
I 5   1
l Q  
SUGGESTIONS ON EROSION CONTROL   ;   r
. there account in a large measure for the small corn acreage. For exam- ‘ § L
i ple, in Bourbon county, according to the census of 1940, an average f    
use Ol of about 7% acres out of 100 acres of crop and plowable pasture land ' `   Q‘
mince were in corn, and about 5%, acres in tobacco. This county pro» i ·  
$0*1*1* duces a large amount of livestock, and though some corn must be . g  
iky S0 bought for feeding, it is better to buy the needed corn than to grow ?   _
com it on erodible land, and it is cheaper than to plow good pasture for A l  
E Eve? — corn. Cover crops extend the grazing period; and in this and similar I    
{fill ll areas a cultivated Held is seldom seen without a winter cover. much i      
Wmmi of which is used for grazing and not for harvest. Such practices occur , , : i  
very naturally where good pasture and hay can be produced. How- t   if
0 HWY ever, in the Bluegrass region much planting is done without regard . y
to the contour. The basic reason for the high productivity of the l ,   *'
s upon soils of the Bluegrass region is their high content of phosphorus.  
[M6 ol Good grass—legume pastures and hay can be produced on almost · `
mm Ol any soil in Kentucky, though badly depleted, if it is properly limed ,
and fertilized and thereafter properly managed. Good examples of ‘
thereby this are found in Taylor county, among others. They are cited because y .
ofthe location of a soil experiment field in the county. The crop and
e wzttcr plowable pasture land was about 90,000 acres in 1929 and 98,000 l ]
acres in 1939. The acreage of corn remained about stationary for i ·
e wiuei the two periods, but the plowable pasture and hay acreages increased U;  
from approximately 45,000 to approximately 57,000 acres, an increase ,  
  of about 12,000 acres. Observation indicates that the pastures are gen- ’ ‘
ipow · Grally productive and are kept clean by cutting the weeds. This   -    
V, County used approximately 134,000 tons of liming material from l925 l Q `
`mfhi: [0 l942 and also made a large use of phosphates. Many other counties l 1  
“31€(;)il have made similar records. 1  
; luunus I
eases ir . i
·~ mort   ·i ’    L  2 —  » _ . ~ I °
igcstotl   i .
gi nut `    
°  
,        5  ’;  
ytilizen           _
ad mmf ‘     `°»`             .,‘.     ..‘·      
ay rtw   _.    Q __'` * »——». 3 .n-' Fi] f  .-"’¢*?_  . i ;.   ·‘-. 5  2·   `.f'_
ctionin     .·i’       ,``. 2    
the les5 i '
he higll :.:s;S°:‘P °* lhé C¤mpbel|sv’iIIe Experiment field. On the left, no lime nor ferti-
_ ·lS . 9**% Used, cmd the yield we; 660 pounds per acre. On the rlghf, Wl1€l’€
Us S9} · ;"“° °¤d Superphosphqte had been qpplied, the yield wu; 4,220 pounds per acre,
Pogglblf '°m Z cuttings in one se¤s0¤.

 lt) Exrmvstou Ctizctimn No. 406 ,
On the Campbellsville (Taylor county) Experiment Field,1 estab-
lished in 1919, with a moderate use of lime and phosphate in a rota- ' i
tion of corn, wheat, and mixed grass and legume hay, the average W
yields through 1943 were as follows (nearest whole numbers used);  
No lime Limestone and J
or [1/tos]:/m/w xujmrja/1wsj}/rule f
Average all crops A  
(loru, bushels .......wr....i..._i...y...._...... 243 58  
Wheat, bushels .....Y...... ° ..v.u.............r. 5 16 F  
. l-lay, pounds .........,....i....,...,.....i...... l,G·l2 ·’|.ll8ll A  
Average, first 6 crops  
Cem, bushels ........‘.........w.....s........» 20 16  
· `Wheat, bushels .i......,...................,... -| l l _
Hay, pounds ,...,.....,..............i,....,.... fllb 2.820 `
Average, last 6 crops
Corn, bushels _...__....._..........,....,...... BS 59 I
\=Vheat, bushels ...,....,,..,......,,....,...... 5 21
I-lay, pounds   ....,.........,.....,....,...... 1.973 ·l.ll$l2 _
These yields are given to show how soils of this nature can be  
improved at a moderate cost. \\’ith increased yields the requiretl ‘ lh
grain C1`O1)S and other cultivated crops can be confined to the more .
level land of the farm, and release the steeper land for grass. It will —_
_ be noted from the yields of the first six crops on the untreated latitl  A Q
that the soil was in a badly depleted condition. No manure was usetl i g
for the hrst six years, but thereafter it was used on the corn crop 0ll   `_—
both the fertilized and unfertilized plots in amounts equal to the   `
weight of the crops removed in the preceding rotation. The resulh L
of the last six crops show that without lime or fertilizer considerable Q
improvement can be made by saving and returning the manure matlt  _
_ by feeding the crops. Excellent bluegrass sods have been establishell _$ E
on the field for tobacco, which has produced good yields of gontl  F
quality. More will be said about short rotations for limited level lHH_rj.3,4·¤$y:  l-     .•-_;,:_     ':   ·‘   { ,· ` '_
· · ¤__;·~.tG=·· ·-sy.} ’ Z4 ’v·sl»‘e. ‘? .  .¥-2*’$`e·· ·        '   ` ’?’*€’=‘i lie Ti   `- · I *
          .,·`    &a.;,·    .   »
* » 4; .»Tp .1,, · ~ _ _ _   ,·; _— -;,__~ ·~$_•·,..n ::»;;·1"j·~•»*=.:• ¢,;··~?··i.·1\»&;&/ ;; _, ;_§_»»3M,~{_.   I —
J. Qt? =¢.‘   ‘  ·;_         ¤·-· _;_;;g~·—¤·—_; .;;;  ..;___· le,     V —
‘ ` ` ’ f ‘         »‘·v -   `-‘‘‘    ’, `    f ;    1 1
{ l L4 ·_ `
g . ,»»# I 
y·, , _ . i * 2 ¤, . .  M  2 ·
    — » wz     V f   A V
~ §~     Wi ~¤·g‘i;*. ;  ._ `   z   {
       ·.;       Y ';‘‘     Y
., _—  ¢   `    ..-- ·   Y+4*""°`  "* 
    · ` ,  @*25  ~7Q”~·;¥7»§>;i ;®2=;§;_%.¤¢;_;;~   ~,   ·
‘“ ‘ :·;.   i` #~ `V"`   i f    . , ,
i lr . V “ ¤   f¥"?»%£i"‘     -..·—   "*‘.V· 4., ` · ¥
all . ( 1 ms   V ”` W       `*T?’*Z*¤·°*-ey`?   ~`.,‘ QL.;   ».`»  
lull Q(l · <¤¤··g$y;—&_@+w»   ijg  if Ii        ;
mm-C · _ ; X .v.Tj”"*¤$¤;,§;g@  .» ; .  zu .    A=,»  .. l l
. ·l · `**>E?i:`~   4   l {      ·.*; 7     J A
[L Wll _ ··-_ · .—~ ,   _ 4 _      -;      
l land l' ,° . X". -` ·   , .·   ~   = Me       .,*¤wjg;$;§¤·:¢;·». J i
¤   gig g*;(<»~ V ¢~. — A      ¤.__ — · _   ·  ·‘·      f
mp;] 1   = I'; ¢;__*S · t _ `;` ’     ’¢—2‘;!i'<’xj=` { ·~ .`_» *   Mr,   »_;*j ;·‘*l.  * .·ls;g;;.·y.$‘. ~ · g
S l   __ A 3, w,»i;§;, »¤~  1   ··   ·_—._;¤..‘· .. gl; e ”‘ *· . _ ·¤ »e ‘_§}’!——.;*f·   ,5   _ ‘ ·
—O) on ‘ · i"   t  i if   ‘ V `i·r*¤Q·  E     - ‘ { *—=*·=$i’§··:s  ~»>= ··  ¢ 4»   ¤ 5
U}   `» _     .§I3“%éf       Q.     l . ` I
I V
1·csul1» r U .
. V
Lcrablc . - :
2 1HLl(lL` _ . .  .\. - . V I Y
.   .-_V     3   -=v»   _       v--» _ ..   ~’=$· ~   ~·_·   ’.`Vv‘   — ‘ » ~ *
Hlshcd .  . .   VQ4 xl   -   q_ _    A     ~     ·.·. :  
E good 1 UX rx .   _`      V.   fj" V   _'    `  g
1 land. fg    .     ,. -_·   I
A     _ #   ·   _, _ if  _ ‘‘—»  
(l$lOI1i. : "~  · M     i r.; r
· ,_     v` ~ I *
slww "   ~    gv, . ;!;.’$‘.:" »
1Lucl<}‘- 4 . · _» ’   ~
»'Ol`Z1l)lC p _ _r y
Jasturc “ ` ` l ,
Od s€z1· . ' ’ e l Z
nqgg. , P¤$l’ure on sandston `l W K ' `
13 40 Huh befcr d e·S0l at estern entucky Agricultural Experiment Substa-
lelds Of · in 1925 esi? Gtter Improvement. Upper:] Typical scene when work was started »
is, were Sussqfrug 0*6 the eroded lslcpes at the right, bushes (mostly persimmon and l
  I  ‘ the smuuspmutsllznd b··:rs ln l’l'\€ l¤W 9|‘0UI1Cl Where a little topsoil remained, qnd
» corns a s in t e fore round. M'ddl · T '
d , was Cut and · 9 I €· he Same field after the brush
g1"0UH busi t Qfubbed, and piled on rocky bare spots and in gullies. Lower: A
r c re t ' . . —-—
dH`fCI·c]]l Coyeryl uunyint of llrnestone cnd phosphate started thI$ fleld Qfl fhg |'°¤d fg fe-
. i ¤W lt supports a good sad of bluegrass. In June, 'l94'l, when this . *
P Cl'|.|ye W
 , °$ l’¤k¤¤, the bluegrass was knee high.
/’/i
. //
/

 12 Exrizusiow Cmcutiux N0. 406
rock phosphate per acre; and Field 3 was treated with 1% tons of _
limestone and 600 pounds of superphosphate per acre. Field 1 was `
the least eroded and Field 3 the worst. The fields were seeded the last
of August to rye, and the following spring to a mixture of orchard
grass, redtop, Canada bluegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, white clover,
sweet clover, common lespedeza, and Korean lespedeza, at the rate of
17 pounds per acre, orchard grass predominating in the mixture. All
3 fields were pastured with yearling steers since 1929, inclusive. Be-
ginning with 1934, phosphates were applied as top dressings, making
· a total of 2,900 pounds of rock phosphate per acre on Field 2 and the
equivalent of 1,460 pounds of 20-percent superphosphate per acre on
Field 3, in 16 years (15 years of grazing). Field 3 was relimed at the
rate of 1 ton per acre in 1935. The attempt has been made to keep .
the total cost of phosphate treatment of Fields 2 and 3 equal. The _
results of the tests through 1943 are given below:
Fiel