Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 19, Number 29, DeMotte, Jasper County, 17 June 1949 — Soil Practices To Be Purdue Topic [ARTICLE]

Soil Practices To Be Purdue Topic

Special Emphasis To Be Placed On Soil Conservation At Field Day June 30 Special emphasis will be placed cm soil conservation practices at the field day to be held near here by the department of agronomy of Purdue University Thursday, June 30. The field day will begin at the Throckmorton farm eight miles South of Lafayette on State Road 43 with conducted tours over the farm scheduled for 8 a.m. (CS). Visitors will observe watersheds under conservation treatments. Farmers attending the field day will have an opportunity to judge whether mulch tillage practices compare favorably with plowing for corn. The Purdue agronomists point out that certain kinds of topography lend themselves poorly to contour cultivation. On such soils there are advantages for mulch tillage practices, leaving the sod and other cover on top to protect the soil from erosion. The visitors to the field day will see various implments used in mulch tillage operations, and a demonstration of the Purdue tree planter developed by the deparment of forestry. The Purdue machine makes possible the planting of 800 to 1500 trees per hour by three men, compared to ten men needed by the common methods. A further feature at the Throckmorton farm will be a demonstration of gulley control and the observation of well managed bluegrass pastures. The second farm to be visited will be the Wea farm, located three miles south of Lafayette on Road 43. Newly developed-strains of wheat and oats which are resistant to certain insects and diseases will be seen. Principal speaker at the afternoon porgram to be held at the Wea farm will be Dr. H. H. Bennett, of Washington, D. C. Dr. Bennett was the founder of the Soil Conservation Service and many of the conservation methods in practice are credited to this pioneer in soil conservation.