Summary
P. J. Rood of Michigan State College’s Soils Extension, accompanied by county agent B. C. Mellencamp, spent August 26 and 27, 1932, doing soils work on Beaver Island. They took 21 samples from fields representing different soil types, examined the subsoil, and planned laboratory analyses of nitrogen, phosphorus, potash, and other elements connected to crop production.[^soil1932]
The report says five alfalfa fertilizer experiments would begin that fall. At each of five farms, the plan called for two one-tenth-acre plots: one could receive top dressing on an established stand and the other fertilizer could be plowed down for the next year’s planting. The named analyses were 0-20-20 and 0-20-0, intended to compare phosphate alone with phosphate plus potash.[^soil1932]
The five cooperating farmers were Wm. Schmidt, John Rickseger, David Wilson, Wm. Rickseger, and Joseph Schmidt. A soils map plotting island farms against soil types was left with Father McLaughlin for local farmers to consult.[^soil1932]
Evidence and limits
The event date covers the reported August field visit. The article says the fertilizer experiments would start in the fall; it does not report that the trials were completed, identify the farms’ locations, provide crop yields, or preserve the later laboratory analyses. The named people are all episode-qualified, and no family or civil identity is inferred from the surnames.
Open questions
- Did the five fertilizer trials occur, and what were their alfalfa results?
- Where are the 21 sample analyses, soil map, and Michigan State Extension field records?
- Which farms correspond to the five cooperating names, and can land or census records identify them?
- Which priest or parish record identifies Father McLaughlin and preserves the map?
See also
- Beaver Island
- P. J. Rood (1932 Beaver Island soils work)
- B. C. Mellencamp (1932 Beaver Island county agent)
- Wm. Schmidt (1932 Beaver Island alfalfa experiment)
- John Rickseger (1932 Beaver Island alfalfa experiment)
- David Wilson (1932 Beaver Island alfalfa experiment)
- Wm. Rickseger (1932 Beaver Island alfalfa experiment)
- Joseph Schmidt (1932 Beaver Island alfalfa experiment)
- Father McLaughlin (1932 Beaver Island soil map)
Sources
- Charlevoix County Herald, September 2, 1932, “FIVE FERTILIZER EXPERIMENTS STARTED ON BEAVER ISLAND.”Reports P. J. Rood of Michigan State College Soils Extension and County Agent B. C. Mellencamp’s August 26–27 soils work, 21 samples, subsoil examination, five planned alfalfa fertilizer experiments, named 0-20-20 and 0-20-0 analyses, five cooperating farmers, and a soils map left with Father McLaughlin.
- Charlevoix County Herald, September 2, 1932, raw issue OCR.Held raw OCR preserves the agricultural report independently of the normalized Markdown rendering.