A -'actors Improve
I diak Crop Yield
( cond of 2 articles written
by I . i >on C. Kidman, describ
inj ' <lrs of an experimental
fai i .ducted at nearby Fort
Gr. t- ..)
Tt i' only plots which showed
be ■ til from the fertilizers weie
thn~ plowed at a depth of 16
inc ii thus turning up some of
the e eruption soil, and even
then lie benefits were not in all
case prominent enough to re
co finite figures
wheat and oats shewed
sli lenefit from all of the
nit feitilizeis, including
-‘ti nl ” The clover and pas
tu • n xture planted on plots
wl >ere plowed drep showed
s in • nefit from both the nit
ra nd phosphate fertilizers.
T \ eaetalilcs showed benefits
on orn the barnyard manure.
Ol i he fertilizers applied,
the n t ates showed best results,
wi'h l>a nvard manure leading
th iisi fish meal second, and
th< ommercial fertilizers last.
Ttiere are probably several
fac is to which we might ut
tribu e these poor results, but
on y i wo I feel that need be men
tion (I These are: (1) the prob
able leaching from the soil, by
the contirual rains, of the plant
nut tents before the plants could
reacti them; (2) the acid condi
tion in the soil which would
tend to keep the plants at a
sluggish rate of growth, there
fore making it difficult to de
termine any benefit from any
particular fertilizer applied.
Since the removxl of the vol
canic ash from the soil is too
costly for practical use on any
large plot, the attempt was made
to overcome this situation by
deep plowing.
The experiment was set up by
electing two acres of ground
and plowing one-half of each
acre to a depih of 16 inches,
turning up 4 to 6 inches of black
soil; the other half of each acre
was plowed only 8 inches in
depth and no black soil was
turned up. The two acres were
planted with red clover and
perennial rye grass respectively
The results of this experiment
showed a very definite advan
tage of deep-plowing over shal
low-plowing for Kodiak soil.
Red clover, for example, grew
6.5 inches tall by September 30
on the deep-plowed acre, as a
gainst only 4 inches in the shal
low-plowed lava soil Perennial
rye was 29 inches tall on the
black soil, only 24 inches on the
volcanic silicate. Yield of rye
forage (weighed wet) per acre
was 7200 pounds on ground
deep-plowed, 5600 pounds on
shallow-plowed. (Grains headed
up but did not fill well, and the
Kodiak season proved wholly
unsuited to corn.)
This experiment was begun
with the idea in mind to com
pare the growth and develop
ment of acid tolerant crops to
non-acid-tolerant crops Early
in the season, however, we found
that we had a strip of soil J
thorough the garden which was
more nearly neutral in soil re
action than the rest of the gar
den This gave us a much better
basis for our experiment.
The results were very marked
ly in favor of the more nearly
neutral soil. Peas for example,
had vines 40 inches long by
September 20 on the neutral
soil, only 22 inches long on the
acid (PH of 3). Hed clover was
twice as tall (12 inches) on the
neutral soil- Wheat and oats at
tained a height of 48 inches m
neutral soil as against 30 on acid
soil.
It was noticed throughout the
acidity experiment that those
crops grown on the more neutral
soil had a dark green color and
looked healthy in every respect
during the whole season. Those
crops grown in the more acid
soils were sluggish in growth,
pale green in color, and in many
cases developed small lesions on
the under leaves, and seeded
while still in an immature state.
It is true that the differences
shown here may not be entirely
due to the difference in the acid
ity of the soil, as such. It is very
possible that plant nutrients
may be much more abundant
and available in larger quantities
in the soil containing less acid
than in the soil containing more
acid, but since the addition of
fertilizers to some of the plots
in the less acid soils showed very
little benefit, it is felt that soil
acidity was the most responsi
ble factor in differences of grow
th on Kodiak.
In summarizing the results of
the Fort Greely Experimental
Farm during the summer of
1943, there are four factors I
have noted which I believe will
increase the success in growing
garden and forage crops here on
Kodiak island
These are: (I) The selection
of a well-drained, south slope.
(2) The neutralizing of the acid
soil, which could be accomplish
ed by the addition of 3 to 5 tons
of ground limestone per acre.
(3) Continued deep plowing of
the soil to a depth below the
volcanic ash deposit. (4) The ad
dition of organic matter to the
soil by plowing under green
manure crops or-by applying or
ganic materials direct.
If soldier-farmers of the fu
ture, and our civilian neighbors
on the island, can profit from
our experiments in increasing
their yields on Kodiak in the
future, we who had the oppor
tunity to conduct the first large
scale controlled horticultural
study here will feel amply re
paid.
Much work remains to be
done, particularly as regards a
daptation to variable wetness of
growing seasons, but the basic
facts necessary for agriculture
on Kodiak have been proven:
Crops will grow heie, and much
improved crops will grow when
proper measures are taken to
neutralize the island’s volcanic
ash topsoil.
ooO%n!- look at
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IT IF HE EVER
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AP Features
V T
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