SOILS FERTILIZERS. 1047 



soils of the Willamette Valley, one of which is virgin and the others have been used 

 i" »r a number of years in onion groM ing, are reported. 



These soils when virgin are composed largely of organic matter of a peaty nature. 

 They are porous, light, and loose, with no tendency to bake or form lumpa The 

 analyses show that their nitrogen content is large. Potash i- presenl in liberal quan- 

 tities, hui is of low availability. Phosphoric acid is not deficient and is largely in 

 available form. The soils contain Bufficienl lime to keep them sweet, and lime is 

 always in excess of magnesia. 



The nitrogen content of the virgin soil was L.56 percent and varied from »>.7s to 

 2.06 per cent in 3 of the cultivated soils. The total potash content was 0. 1 l per cent 

 in the virgin soil and varied from 0.1 to 0.28 per cent in the other soils. The phos- 

 phoric-acid content was 0.26 percent in the virgin soil, varying from 0.21 to 2.3 per 

 cent in the cultivated soils. The availability of the potash and phosphoric ;ici<l was 

 determined by digestion in 0.5 per cent hydrochloric acid. 



Report on the soils of Dorset, with suggestions on manuring, cultivation, 

 etc., J. Percival I Univ. Col. Reading, Agr. Dept., Ann. Rpt. Soils Dorset, 7 (1905) t pp. 

 50, map 1). — This report summarizes in a simple manner the more practical results 

 of tin- analyses of 100 samples of soil from various parts of Dorsetshire which have 

 been previously reported | E. s. h., 15, p. 857), the information being adapted espe- 

 cially to those ensured in fanning in Dorset. 



"The first part of the report contains general information as to manure-. In this 

 part will he found a description of some of the chief kind- of manures and suggestions 

 as to the use of manures for various crops. Some note- on Lrrass mixtures are also 

 given. The second part of the report contains a description of the various kinds of 

 soils in the county according to their geological formations; and suggestions are given 

 on points connected with the manuring ami cultivation of each class of soil, largely 

 based upon the analyses of typical soils, of which a list (with the results) is given 

 for each district." 



A geological map is given which makes it possible to locate the different classes of 

 soils discussed. It is shown that a large proportion of the area consists mainly of 

 chalk formation, while another large area is occupied by a series of sands of low fer- 

 tility. The chief deficiency of the chalk soils seems to he potash. 



On loess soils and loess marls, II \i. i:\kk. K ling, and Engels | Vrtljschr. /:<<>/<r. 

 Lahdw. Rat, 10(1905), No. •>', pp: 447^455 \. — This article describes the various types 

 of loess occurring in the Rhenish Palatinate and discusses their origin ami transfor- 

 mations, especially their changes in lime content. Examinations of a large number 

 of samples show a variation of 0.08 to 6.05 percent of lime in the surface soil and 

 0.19 to 47 per cent in the Bubsoil, ranging from pure sandy Iocs- to loess marl. The 

 chemical and physical make-up of the latter is considered in detail. 



The fertilizer requirements of Hessian soils, E. Haselhoff ( has Dungungs- 

 bedurfnw der hessischen Boden, pp. 89; Fuhling's Landw. Ztg., 55 {1906), No. ■ •', pp, 

 73-Sl). — The composition and fertilizer requirements, as determined by pot experi- 

 ments, of Hessian soils of different geological origins are discussed. 



The soils tested wen- of basalt, bunter-sandstein, shell lime, graywacke, and clay 

 slate types. The composition of the different soils and of the rocks from which they 

 were originally derived is given. All of the .-oils responded to applications of nitro- 

 gen. Their behavior toward potash was variable, depending upon their origin 

 and content of available potash as shown by analysis. The basalt, shell lime, and 

 clay slate soils were benefited by applications of phosphoric acid, the graywacke 

 soils did not respond to such applications, and hnnter-sandstein soils varied in their 

 behavior toward phosphoric acid according to the amounts of available phosphoric 

 acid present as shown by analysis. < >nly the basalt soils showed a need of lime. It 

 was concluded that pot experiments are a reliable means of determining the fertilizer 

 requirements of soils, 



