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Show j Needs of Corn I S. PHOSPHATg g Corn needs plenty to eat and drink to produce high protein yields. You can get extra pounds of protein and more bushels per acre, too, with a well-rounded bill of fare based on good soil management. manage-ment. University of Illinois research re-search men proved that in tests on a number of experiment fields. H. J. Snider of the agronomy staff reports that good soil management man-agement increased the corn's protein pro-tein content by nearly a pound per bushel. Corn grown on well treated land averaged 5.6 pounds of protein pro-tein per bushel, or about 10 per cent of the total weight. Corn on untreated soil averaged only 4.8 pounds of protein per bushel, or about 8.5 per cent. The well managed land had the benefit of liming and rotation built around well-fed deep-rooted legumes. le-gumes. The organic matter added by the legumes built good soil structure and tilth, improved the drainage and increased the soil's water holding capacity. That made it easier for corn roots to get at plant nutrients, oxygen and moisture. mois-ture. The fertilizer treatment included phosphate and potash where needed. On soils requiring more nitrogen than the legume crops provided, nitrogen fertilizer helped increase the corn's protein content. Snider says good soil management not only improved the corn's feeding value, but improves yield. |