9 
236 NORTHEAST EXPERIMENT FARM. 
methods for the determination of acidity of soils were tried, 
but satisfactory results were not obtained with any of the 
methods, direct titration withstandard alkali solution gave 
the most satisfactory results. It was found that a gram of 
dry soilcontained organic acids equivalent to from .02 to .03 
grams of hydrochloric acid. There is nearly 2 percent of 
acid in terms of hydrochloric acid in these soils. The differ- 
ence in the amount of acid in the various samples was small, 
the soils which had been drained and plowed showing a 
tendency to contain slightly less acid than the raw undrain- 
ed muskegs. Cultivation appears to have lessened the acidi- 
ty. This is due undoubtedly to the decay of vegetable mat- 
ter and organic acids. 
The amount of volatile matter in all of the soils is ex- 
ceedingly high, ranging from 85 to 95 per cent, the largest 
amount being present in the raw muskeg sample at a depth 
of 3 feet where but littledecay had taken place. The amount 
of mineral matter in the samples ranged from about 5 to 15 
per cent, and is no more than is ordinarily found in agricul- 
tural crops. Straw will frequently yield more ash or mineral 
matter than is found in some of these samples. The sample 
which produced the bJue joint hay contained 85 per cent of 
volatile or vegetable matter while the raw muskeg contained 
from 90 to 95. Draining, stripping of moss, plowing and 
other treatment which the muskeg received has reduced the 
vegetable matter in sample No. 7 to 85 per cent. From the 
analysis of these samples, it would appear that a portion of 
the vegetable matter must first undergo decay before a 
natural grass crop can be produced and such a crop can not 
be produced when more than 85 percent of vegetable matter 
is present. 
The amount of nitrogen in all of the soils was high, ten 
times more than is found in soils from the same locality but 
of different origin. In bringing the muskeg into condition 
so as to produce blue joint, the amount of nitrogen is ap- 
parently reduced. Since nitrogen is one of the elements 
which forms a part of the vegetable matter of soils, a loss of 
vegetable matter would necessarily be followed by a corre- 
sponding loss of nitrogen. 
The amount of humus materials in the soil ranges from 
