122—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 12,1979
Loosen up those rock hard soils the natural way
NEWARK, Del. - “The
soil in my yard is as hard as
concrete ” Have you or any
oi your neighbors ever made
that complaint? You
probably iiave, since it’s
about die most frequently
heard comment from
homeowners seeding a lawn
or starting a garden.
The problem is usually
blamed on clay soil. But
more often, explains
University of Delaware
Extension soil specialist Leo
Cotnoir, it resulsts from soils
with a high silt content
These silt particles are much
smaller than sand, but not
small enough to form
aggregates like clay. They
can make the ground hard,
unworkable and very
inhospitable for most forms
of plaint life.
Nature’s answer to this
dilemma is organic matter
and sand the two best “all
natural” soil conditioners.
Far most of us, organic
matter in any form will be
the answer to changing that
bard ground into a loose,
friable, easily worked soil.
EXCEPTIONAL TEST & MILK
USDA, 1-79 Rpt. 29%
29D. Av. 24.132 M
PD +sl33 +1.020M
HFA..I-79 Rpt. 25%
PDT -.47 +I3BTPI
Sire: Dee-Ann Rag Apple Maple EX-91 PQ
Dam; Nor-Lene Heilo Alstar GP-84
cow index+llsoM +96BF 45% rpt
Records
20.620 M /5.2%\
23.460 M I 5.2% I
27.780 M I 5.0%
31.760 M \4.6%J
3y-4m
sy-5m
6y”7m
By-3m
ANN-MAPLE was bred to transmit test percent... and he does.
We know of no bull whose daughter level averages over 1,000 lb.
of butterfat. ANN-MAPLE daughters milk too, averaging over
24,000 lbs. of milk per lactation, with a PDM of +1,020!!!
For those low testing cows, call your ABS representative, and
ask for 29H3385 ANN-MAPLE.
Bangor, PA
Columbia, PA
Ephrata, PA
" Holtwood, PA
n Q Lebanon, PA
B| Q 9 Leola, PA
Newvil(e, PA
■Wf Port Deposit, MD
Port Murray, NJ
Reading, PA
Stewartstown, PA
Thomasville, PA
bs. West Grove. PA
Grass clippings, garden
refuse, garbage and leaves
are all good sources of this
organic material They may
be composted, but this is by
no means essential, says the
soil specialist. They’ll be just
as valuable if they are
worked directly into the soil
while fresh.
It’s not di&cult to add this
organic matter, either. For
example, when crops like
beets and radishes are
harvested, cut the tops off
and leave them lying on the
ground as you go down the
row. A small amount of soil
scratched up over them will
speed decomposition. Coarse
materials like corn stalks
can also be used. But they’ll
probably need to be chopped
up a little for easy in
corporation.
The beneficial effect of
organic matter comes from
its decomposition. This
might be a good point to
remember when mulching
plants, if your main concern
in mulching is to keep down
weeds and retain soil
moisture, long-lasting
29H3385 Nv-Lene Dee-AM MAPLE VMS
305 d
305 d
305 d
305 d
2x
2x
2x
2x
EricHemsohn
James Charles
Oarvin Yoder
Paul Herr
Paul Martin
Lynn Gardner
Jerry Baboms
R. James Benjamin ill
Robert Kay hart
Robert Greider
Tom Engle
Ira Boyer
Maurice Stump
materials such as tree bark
are fine. But if you’re con
cerned about improving the
soil, riiulches which
decompose rapidly are best.
One of the most effective
forms of organic matter for
soil conditioning is grass
roots. For this reason, a
Winter cover of ryegrass,
rye or barley can ber very
helpful.
Common ryegrass can be
seeded from late August
until the end of September.
You don’t have to wait foi
harvest It can be seeded
between rows of growing
crops. Just scatter the seed
and rake the ground lightly
to cover it Cereal grasses
like barley can be sown as
late as October. Or if you
don’t get to it sooner, try
planting rye up to early
November.
The problem with grass
cover crops for most home
gardeners is working them
into the ground, come
spring. A good cover seeded
in fall can produce a fairly
tough sod by March.
Working it under then
(4.2%)
1014 BF
+S7BF
10678 F
12318 F
13988 F
14738 F
215-588-4704
717-898-8694
717-733-0966
717-284-4592 T_' '.=■
717-949-2381 fIDO
717-656-6509 UQ3
717-423-6451 *
301-378-3540 MWMIM
201-689-2605 KEQ9SB
215-378-1212
717-993-6836
717-225-3758
215-869-9187 * A
requires effort equal to
several miles of jogging
The trick, in raising a
grass cover, is to keep a
close eye on it in the Spring.
Wait for good early growth,
says Cotnoir. But get it
worked in as soon as
vigorous growth starts or
you’ll really have a job on
your hands. Rye, for
example, can shoot up two or
three feet during a week or
so of warm Bpring weather.
If this happens, you’ll have a
hard time working it into the
ground. And while the
organic matter from the top
growth is useful, it’s the
granulating effect of the
roots of these grasses that is
most desirable.
Cotnoir says you can’t beat
sand for soil
modification in spots which
have defied your efforts with
mulch and compost. The
cure can be costly, but it’s
guaranteed to bring results.
Moderately coarse sand
the kind usually sold for
general concrete mixing
is best. To be effective
though, you will need to mix
the Lancaster County
Commissioners' office
expense budget
has nearly doubled.
Let's stop that trend. Now.
In just four years, our County Commissioners' Office has
permitted its office expense budget to soar from $427,953
to $824,209.
That's a giant leap of 93%.
We simply are not getting 93% more governmental ser
vices On Tuesday. May 15. nominate two men who have
publicly pledged to say NO to unharnessed spending in the
Commissioners' office and throughout Lancaster County
government
n
V' —**''
James E. Huber
County Commissioner
Republican
Ballot Position 18-A
Robert C. Boyer
County Commissioner
Republican
Ballot Position 14-B
They re part of this team of outstanding Republican candidates
Ronald L. BuckwaKer, forjudge, Court of Common Pleas 11-A(RJ, I I-C(D)
Wayne G. Hummer, for Judge Court of Common Pleas I 1) -D (D)
Esther G. Holder, for County Treasurer 2b-A „
Ethel M. Zook, for Prothonotary 24-A
Richard H. Winner, for Register of Wills 22-A
Thomas Williams, for Sheriff 27-A
Michael H. Ranch, for District Attorney 19-A
Whltlaw M. Show, 0.0., for Coroner 20-A
Mabel Kreider, for Clerk of Courts 21 -A
Paid for t'j the Republican Primary Committee of Lancaster County
about half soil and half sand
by volume, and this is where
the cost comes in. Be sure to
do a good'job of mixing the
two -materials, either by
hand or with a rototiller.
While the addition of this
much sand may not be
practical on a large scale, it
can easily be done when
planting shrubs or small
flower beds, for shrubs, dig
the hole at least twice as
large as needed. -Then mix
the soil you removed with an
equal amount of sand. Even
better would be a blend of
one part soil, one sand
PHILADELPHIA - A
Symposium on Permeability
and Grouqdwater Con
taminant Transport is
scheduled for Jiine 20 at the
Ben Franklin Hotel, here, by
the American Sodety for
Testing and Materials
(ASTM), the event is
sponsored by ASTM’s
Committee D-18 on Soil and
Rock.
Further information on the
In four short years
and one part peat or com
post. Use this modified soil
for backfilling around the
new plant.
The above treatment will
improve the texture and tilth
of your soil It’s also possible
to modify its pH level at the
same time. To do this, in
clude a half cup of limestone
in your mix, except when
setting out acid-loving plants
such as azaleas or
rhododendrons. If you want
to add a little plant food, too,
work a quarter cup of
superphosphate or a cup of
bone meal into your backfill.
Water meeting set
program may be obtained by
contacting Riggs at Tufts
University, Civil
Engineering Department,
Medford, MA 02153; Zimnye
at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, Civil Engineering
Department, Troy, NY
12181; or Ken Pearson,
ASTM Standards
Development Division, 1916
Race St, Philadelphia, PA
19103 (215/299-5520).
p
i'v
}^l