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Show Wornout Land Needs Cultivation And Fertilizing to Regain Vigor The notion of giving worn-out farm land a "rest cure" has fortunately for-tunately Just about passed, says J. C. Hacklcman, professor of crops extension at the University of Illinois Illi-nois college of agriculture. "Calcium leaches out of the soil, and every ton of beef, pork or mutton or milk produced on these pastures removes nitrogen, phosphorus, phos-phorus, potassium and calcium or lime just as surely as does a crop of corn, oats, wheat or hay," Hacklcman says. "In addition, as these permanent pastures become less productive they provide less cover, and the result is more loss through erosion, until on rolling pastures pas-tures the present crop is largely weeds or unpalatable weed grasses." But these worn pastures are not hopeless, according to the crop specialist, spe-cialist, and the response of most of them to treatment is almost mlr- aculous. Five simple steps will transform the average worn-out pasture pas-ture into a productive acreage In one or, at most, two years. The steps are to test the soil and treat it with needed minerals, disc these minerals thoroughly while preparing prepar-ing a reasonably good seedbed, re-seed re-seed with a mixture of legumes and grasses, control grazing for at least a year and clip weeds, giving the legumes and grasses a chance. Because of an increase of cultivated culti-vated acreages during the war, a greater acreage Is now really ready for legumes than before the war, Hacklcman says. A majority of the fields limed in recent years have not yet grown a legume, he believes. Rock phosphate which was used to the full extent of its availability during the last war years will also show up in improved alfalfa and clover production. |