70 T. Lyttleton Lyon and James A. Bizzell 



lected daily from July 28, 1899, to August 10, 1900. Analyses were 

 made every eighth day. Beans were raised on the land in 1899 and 

 beets in 1900. From these data the authors estimate the calcium oxide 

 (CaO), the magnesium oxide (MgO), and the potassium oxide (K2O) 

 removed from one acre in the drainage water during one year to be as 

 follows: calcium oxide (CaO), 554 pounds; magnesium oxide (MgO), 

 123 pounds; potassium oxide (K2O), 7.4 pounds. 



Norton (1908) made a study of the drainage basin of Richland Creek, 

 Arkansas, covering an area of 84,954 acres of farm land that had never 

 received fertilizers. The streams were measured every two weeks from 

 January 6 to December 23, and samples of water for analysis were taken 

 at the same time. From the data obtained Norton concluded that the 

 loss from one acre of soil during the year amounted to 81 pounds of lime 

 (CaO), 10 pounds of magnesia (MgO), 4.8 pounds of potash (K2O), and 

 3 pounds of soda (Na20). 



Gerlach (1910 b) reports experiments on eleven plats of land in Posen, 

 where the annual rainfall was 20 inches and the percolation 20 per cent. 

 The annual loss of lime (CaO) per acre was 190 pounds and of potash 

 (K2O) 5.5 pounds. 



On glancing over these experiments with many different soils it is seen 

 that the quantities of the bases vary greatly with the soils used, par- 

 ticularly when the soils are kept free of vegetation. With some soils 

 the application of lime increased the removal of calcium in the drainage 

 water, but generally it did not do so in the quantities used. Magnesium 

 generally responded to lime applications, but there were few soils that 

 gave any indication of a liberation of potassium by lime, except possibly 

 in the form of gypsum. 



The application of potassium salts resulted, in general, in a liberation 

 of calcium and of magnesium. The experiments bring out strikingly th(} 

 retentiveness of the soil for potassium, and the comparatively easy 

 solubility of calcium, at least in soils heavier than sand. The Florida 

 soil lost great quantities of potash, but it was a coarse sand and heavily 

 manured with potash salts. In some soils the application of potassium 

 salts did not increase the removal of potassium, while in other soils the 

 opposite was the case. 



The quantities of the bases removed in the drainage water from the 

 soils used in these experiments are given in table 56: 



70 



