228 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



tially of a sandy character, and are most deficient in potash and least 

 in phosphoric acid. Frequently they are deficient in humus. 



"The muck soils of the peninsula arc uniformly of a fertile character. The purest 

 muck beds, occupying vast areas in the central and southern peninsula, extending 

 from Osceola County southward into the Everglades, are unusually rich in nitrogen, 

 but, in most cases, are deficient in potash, phosphoric acid, and lime. Vast tracts of 

 this land in Osceola and Dade counties have already been drained by cutting canals 

 through the muck beds, and are now in a high state of productiveness. Other rich 

 muck areas lie along either bank of the Kissimmee River, which connects Lake 

 Okeechobee with Lake Kissimmee. Still other vast muck deposits occur south of 

 Lake Okeechobee and extend into the Everglades. In addition to the above, muck 

 deposits of varying areas occur all over Florida. 



"As a rule, the purest muck deposits contain the smallest stores of mineral plant 

 food, but are richest in nitrogen. Many samples are reported in this bulletin, how- 

 ever, which are very pure mucks and which, in addition to nitrogen, contain notice- 

 ably large supplies of both phosphoric acid and lime. Only in potash do they 

 appear to be very deficient. 



"The average amounts of the several so-called essential plant foods occurring in 

 all muck analyses reported are as follows: Nitrogen, 1.9411 per cent; potash, 0.0443 

 per cent; phosphoric acid, 0.0897 per cent. 



"In some instances the muck soils contain excessive 'amounts of chlorin in the 

 form of common salt.'' 



Physical effects of lime on soils, J. B. Reynolds (Ontario Agr. 

 Col. and Expt. Farm Rpt. 1897, pp. 3, 3, fig. 1). — Series of zinc cylinders, 

 the bottoms of which were closed with wire gauze, were filled in differ- 

 ent cases with clay (80 per cent) and humus (20 per cent), clay (80 

 and 90 per cent) and lime (10 and 20 per cent), and sand (90, 94, 98, 9L), 

 and 99.5 per cent) and lime (0.5, 1, 2, 6, and 10 per cent). These cylin- 

 ders were placed in water just deep enough to come in contact with 

 the bottom of the soil, and the time required for the water to reach the 

 surface of the soil, the water content of the soil thus moistened by cap- 

 illarity, and the condition of the soil after drying were noted. The 

 conclusions reached were that lime increases the water capacity of all 

 soils and that it makes clay more pervious and friable and sand closer 

 and more adhesive. 



Experiments in capillarity with long tubes, J. B. Beynolds ( On- 

 tario Agr. Col. and Expt. Farm Rpt. 1897, pp. 4, o,fig. 1).— A brief record 

 is given of observations on the rise of water in long tubes filled with 

 loam from different depths (0 to 6, 6 to 12, and 12 to 18 in.) in the soil, 

 and with pure sand, sandy soil, and clay loam. The rapidity of rise of 

 water increased but the percentage of water absorbed decreased with 

 the depth at which samples of loam were taken. The capillary rise 

 was most rapid in the pure sand, but ceased when a height of 20.6 in. 

 above the level of the standing water was reached, this limit being 

 attained in 5 days. The rate of capillary rise in all cases decreased 

 with the height above the level of free water. The fine clay soil 

 absorbed about 35 per cent more water than either of the other samples. 



Analyses of -waters {California Sta. Rpt. '1895-1897 ', pp. 76-10$). — Analyses show- 

 ing mineral constituents in 16 samples of lake and stream waters, 32 samples of 

 spring waters, and 44 samples of well waters are reported. 



