WATER SOILS. 931 



ments are very great. The loss of uitrogen was smallest in alluvial 

 soils producing' a luxuriant growth of plants. 



The greatest loss of lime was observed in the bare alluvial soil. 

 Even in soils bearing crops the loss of lime was considerable, especially 

 where potash manures were used. It is estimated that in soils rich in 

 lime the animal loss of this constituent may be as much as 2,67G to 

 3,508 lbs. per acre. 



Only very small quantities of phosphoric acid were found in the 

 drainage water of the different soils. Potash was removed in somewhat 

 larger amounts. The loss of this constituent was greatest in bare soils, 

 and least in soils bearing plants with extensive root systems. The loss 

 of sulphuric acid was but slightly smaller in the soil bearing crops than 

 in bare soils. The loss of chlorin, however, was six times as great in 

 the bare soils as in those bearing crops. Soils bearing luxuriant vege- 

 tation yielded only a small amount of drainage water, even with abun- 

 dant rainfall. For this reason the losses were reduced to a minimum 

 in such soils. The perennial plants are best adapted to preventing loss 

 by drainage. 



Composition of drainage water from fertilized and unfertilized 

 moor soils, with special reference to nitrogen, B. Tacke, H. Immen- 

 DORFF, and H. MiNSSEN (Landw. Jahrb., 27 {1898), Sup. -J, pp. 349-391, 

 fig. 1). — These studies were made with soils in glass cylinders 25 by 35 

 cm. in size, fitted with a device for drawing off the percolating water at 

 will. The results obtained indicate that a very small part of the nitro- 

 gen compounds of upland moor soils is readily transformed into ammo- 

 nia and nitrates. The rest firmly withstands such change. In lowland 

 moor soils the amount of such readily transformed compounds is much 

 greater. A moderate application of lime which does not completely 

 neutralize the acids present does not iucrease the transformation of the 

 insoluble nitrogen compounds, but promotes nitrification of the more 

 readily decomposable compounds by improving the texture and aera- 

 tion of the soil. The application of larger amounts of lime resulted in 

 increased nitrification in the upland moor soils, but had little influence 

 on lowland moor soils rich in lime. In sand-covered lowland moor soils 

 the conditions were more favorable for nitrification than in unlimed or 

 normally limed and fertilized upland moor soils. Applications of 

 potash salts, phosphates, and lime in normal amounts did not materi- 

 ally increase the ammonia in the drainage water of upland moor soils. 

 Kainit and Thomas slag decreased the amount of ammonia in the 

 drainage water of lowland moor soils. When nitrate of soda was 

 added to the other fertilizers, however, the amount of ammonia in the 

 drainage was appreciably increased. 



The phosphorus compounds of moor soils are very insoluble, and 

 those applied in fertilizers are quite firmly fixed in the soil. With 

 continued applications of phosphoric acid, however, more of this 

 substance appears in the drainage. 



