SOILS — FERTILIZEES. 215 



matter accumulations, and miscellaneous nonagricultural material. Fifty soil 

 tj'pes of 18 series are mapped, of which the Stevens silt loam, the Loon sandy 

 loam and the Waits silt loam glacial drift soils, and the Huckleberry silt loam 

 residual soil are the most extensive agricultural types. Chemical analyses of 

 100 representative samples of the principal soil types are also reported, the 

 results of which are taken to indicate that the lime content of the soils is gen- 

 erally sufficient, the phosphoric acid and potash contents are fairly high in all 

 except the sandier series, and the organic matter and nitrogen contents are 

 generally low on all but the loamj' soils. 



Soil survey of Buffalo County, Wisconsin, W. J. Geib, C. Lounsbury, L. 

 Cantkell, T. J. DuNNEWALD, and O. J. Noek (U. S. Dept. Agr., Advance Sheets 

 Field Opera f ions Bur. Soils, 1913, pp. 50, fig. 1, map 1). — This survey, made in 

 cooperation with the State of Wisconsin, was issued October 23, 1915. It deals 

 with the soils of an area of 439,680 acres on the middle-western boundary of 

 Wisconsin, which topographically is divided into undulating to strongly rolling 

 uplands proper, terraces and level valley areas, and overflow plains of the 

 present streams. With the exception of the flood plains of the largest streams 

 the county is naturally well drained. 



The upland soils are predominantly silty and the terrace, valley, and flood 

 plain soils have been derived mainly from erosion of the uplands. Including 

 rough stony land, peat, and meadow, 19 soil types are recognized, of Avhich the 

 Boone silt loam is the most extensive and is considered to be one of the most 

 desirable soils in the county. The Union silt loam, second in extent, and the 

 La Crosse series, consisting of dark-colored terrace soils, are also classed among 

 the best agricultural soils of the county. 



The productivity relations in different layers of a soil profile, A. von 

 NosTiTZ (Landiv. Jahrb., 47 {1914), ^o. 1, pp. 113-152, pis. 2, figs. 2; abs. in 

 Chem. Abs., 9 (1915), No. 12, pp. 1648, 1643; Chem. Zentbl., 1915, I, No. 5, pp. 

 214, 215; Internat. Inst. Agr. [Rome], Mo. Bui. Agr. Intel, and Plant Diseases, 

 6 (1915), No 4, PP- 542-544)- — The work of others bearing on the subject is 

 reviewed and pot culture experiments and chemical, physical, mechanical, and 

 biological studies are reported. The purpose was to determine the relative pro- 

 ductive powers of the surface soil and subsoil of different soils and the reasons 

 therefor. The soils used were a loamy sand soil containing little humus, a sandy 

 loam containing much fine sand, and a strong clayey loam containing much 

 humus. All the soils, except the loamy sand, were tested in three layers, the sur- 

 face soil being the top 25 cm., the subsurface soil the layer from 25 to 50 cm., 

 and the subsoil the layer from 50 to 75 cm. The loamy sand was tested in two 

 layers to a depth of 50 cm. 



The results in general showed that the productive power of the soils decreased 

 as the depth of the soil layer tested increased. The difference in productivity 

 between the surface and subsoil was lessened by proper fertilization, but was not 

 removed. 



The decrease in crop yield with increasing depth of soil layer tested was not 

 always accompanied by a corresponding decrease in content of mineral matter 

 in the crop, this being in some cases relatively higher in crops obtained from 

 deeper layers. The low relative productivity of the deeper soil layers was found 

 to be caused by less bacterial activity and a smaller content of humus, nitrogen, 

 and soluble phosphoric acid in the deeper layers than in the surface soil. 



Effect of temperature on movement of water vapor and capillary moisture 

 in soils, G. J. BouYorcos (U. S. Dept. Agr., Jour. Agr. Research, 5 (1915); No. 

 4, pp. 141-172, figs. 11). — Experiments conducted at the Michigan Experiment 

 Station with light and heavy sandy loam, two types of silt loam, clay, and quartz 

 sand, each of which contained a large number of different moisture contents 



