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Show i Fiye-Pci;:l Prornfn j I -', MCdHS PROFITABLE g-- iV-n 1- SOuT TE5T1M3 f;;J A five-point program to " balance the soil's needs" and obtain maximum maxi-mum crop yields per acre at lowest production costs, was outlined by O. T. Coleman. Missouri university extension soils specialist. Here are the steps Coleman suggests: sug-gests: 1 Provide plenty of plant food In available form for growing crops. 2 Have soil tests made to find out whether the plant food supply Is in balance. Growing crops need a balanced ration the same as do humans and livestock. A soil test will be a guide in adding the kind and amount of plant nutrients the soil needs. 3 Get the soil in condition so crops can use the plant foods. This means building up the organic matter mat-ter supply. Organic matter can be added and soil tilth improved by growing well-fed deep-rooted legumes le-gumes such as alfalfa or sweet clover in the rotation. When the soil Is well stocked with plant nutrients and organic matter, minerals are released so that plant roots can more efficiently use them. 4 Keep water, plant nutrients ard soil at home by conservation melh ods. Where needed, these may include in-clude terracing and contouring to reduce runoff and erosion losses on upland soils. 5 Follow a well-balanced cropping crop-ping system. Rotate pasture and green manure crops regularly with grains. Livestock is a "must" to properly make use of pasture and roughage crops. Tests have shown that where a crop Is pastured off, about 73 per cent of the organic matter mat-ter Is returned to the sdU through manure. |