This column cannot be specific in all cases. It is the job of the contestants to pick out the treatments that apply. For example, a field can be found that would need no mechanical treatment for the most intensive use. Therefore, practice 20 would be shown. A similar field in soil, slope, and erosion could be covered with undesirable brush and trees and would need practice 14. Should a field also be gullied, practices 14 and 19 would be used. Depending on soil, slope, cover, erosion, and most intensive use, practices 14, 15, 16, or 15 and 16 could be the correct answer. 
     Class I land in grass or cultivation would require practice 20. The same class of land covered by brush and trees would require practice 14. In other words, any field will need to have one or more of the possible mechanical practices checked that are shown under the heading "Mechanical" on the scorecard.

Other Factors

     "Other factors" shown on the condition sheet will be a key to treatment needs. These treatments are not shown under mechanical treatments, but have been discussed elsewhere in this booklet. When conditions warrant, these will be noted on the condition sheet along with other given information. The contestant will need to check the appropriate condition on the scorecard.

All explanations given in this booklet are for teaching and understanding.Because of the possibility of overlooking a difference between the narratives and the tables, the tables will be the final word in contest situations.

Setting Up and Holding a Land Judging Contest
Plan 
     The coordinator or chairman needs to set up a meeting of interested leaders and agencies. Determine who can help and make assignments. As soon as the contest date is set, leaders should select judges, helpers, and graders. In planning, consider the number of teams, divisions, and number of individuals that will participate. A team consists of three or four contestants, with the three high scores tabulated as the official team score. 

Site Selection
     Locate a farm where different conditions can be found to judge. Secure permission from the owner to use the area. Select four sites, dig pits, and prepare an official scoring key for each site, before the contest. This will insure that graders can score the contest in the shortest possible time. 

Preparing Field Sites
     Each site should have colored flags to indicate field boundaries of the area to be judged. The fields should be a minimum of 100 feet x 100 feet in size, but it does not necessarily have to be square. Two well-marked stakes should be placed 100 feet apart for contestants to use to determine slope. These should be the same distance above the ground and as much as possible with the normal slope of the land. A hole or trench must be dug to expose the depth of the soil profile. It is best to use string to mark off an area in the trench as an "off limits area" that contestants use only to determine topsoil thickness and soil depth. Representative topsoil and subsoil samples should be available in boxes and appropriately marked. If the soil is very dry, a water bottle should be available to moisten soil samples. 

Site Card
     This card provides the contestant with all necessary information to judge the site. It should be prepared in advance and placed at the site before the contest. Include the field number, thickness of original topsoil, soil test data, and any other factors on the card.

Conducting the Contest
      Register teams by using consecutive numbers, and team members by using 1,2,3,4. Have sets of land judging cards prepared ahead of time if a large number of contestants are expected. When the contest begins, #1 contestant will go to site 1, #2 to site 2, #3 to site 3, and #4 to site 4. Allow 15 to 20 minutes to judge each site. Additional time will be required if homesite evaluation is also being judged. Use a signal to start and stop the judging at each site. Each group then moves to the next site. Group 1 goes to site 2, Group 2 to site 3, Group 3 to site 4, and Group 4 to site 1. Sites do not always have to be arranged to fit this sequence. When using the computerized card, collecting of card is done when the contestant completes the last site. Have someone designated to pick up the cards and take them to the graders. This procedure allows groups of 20 to 40 people to move without confusion.