Comparative Chart 



12 



ELEMENTS 



LONG ISLAND 



ADJACENT MAINLAND 



ENGLAND 



Lime contained in 

 limestone rock, 

 burned lime, burn- 

 ed shells and 

 wood ashes. 



No limestone rock on Long 

 Island, but enough in most 

 soils for plant -food. Not 

 enough, however, to correct 

 acid condition in some sec- 

 tions, which is indicated by the 

 failure of clover and timothy, 

 while sorrel appears. Removal 

 of crops exhausts lime. 



Lime used to make 

 other plant - food avail- 

 able, and clay soil work 

 easier. Not necessary on 

 Long Island. 



Lime is used to correct 

 acidity in cold wet soils, rich 

 in humus. 



Humus, or decayed 

 vegetable matter 

 contained in wood 

 and leaves decay- 

 ing in the forest, 

 in stable manure 



j- and straw, sod, 



clover plowed un- 



^ der, salt hay, sea- 



i- weed, etc. 



K 



u 



h. 



Small amount of humus be- 

 cause of long cultivation and a 

 warm areated soil, in which the 

 humus soon decays. Leaf- 

 mold is comparatively thin in 

 the forests, rarely over 2 to 4 

 inches. It is frequently de- 

 stroyed by fire. 



Soil cultivated less and 

 humus decays less rap- 

 idly. Leaf-mold accumu- 

 lates because covered by 

 snow. In summer the 

 subsoil holds up mois- 

 ture, preventing oxidiza- 

 tion and preserving the 

 leaf-mold. Leaf-mold in 

 the forests accumulates, 

 becoming 6 to 12 inches 

 thick. It holds moisture, 

 prevents floods, droughts, 

 and favors the growth of 

 young evergreens. 



Damp, cool climate favors 

 the formation of humus, as 

 leaf-mold and peat. 



Summary of f e r - 

 tility. 



Other chemical ele- 

 ments are oxygen, sili- 

 con, carbon, sulphur, 

 hydrogen, chlorine, 

 fluorine, boron, alumi- 

 num, magnesium, so- 

 dium, iron, manganese. 



Sufficient of these 

 elements exist in Long 

 Island and most other 

 soils. 



Of the $40,000,000 annually 

 spent in the United States for 

 commercial fertilizers, Long 

 Island uses as much or more 

 than any portion, per acre, be- 

 sides immense quantities of 

 stable manure. It pays mar- 

 ket-gardeners, because of the 

 highly favorable conditions for 

 quick growth of succulent 

 vegetables and good transpor- 

 tation to market. 



Not equally favorable 

 to the growth of vege- 

 tables, but grapes, fruits, 

 berries, grass and dairy 

 products, can be grown 

 profitably. 



Soil temperature, 

 winter. Depth of 

 freezing. 



On average winters the soil 

 is alternately frozen and 

 thawed. On cold winters the 

 ground is frozen deeply be- 

 cause of absence of snow and 

 leaf-mold. No sap can be sent 

 up to replace that lost by the 

 effect of the bright warm sun 

 and dry winds, and the ever- 

 green foliage is dried out and 

 partly browned. 



Ground stays frozen. 

 It is not frozen so deeply 

 under the snow or leaves. 

 Evergreen seedlings are 

 protected. 



Ground does not freeze 

 deeply. 



Early and late 

 frosts. Length of 

 season. 



Long growing season. Soil 

 temperature of 45 required 

 for growth, is quickly reached 

 in April. Early growth not 

 often killed by late frosts, as 

 the air is warmed by the ocean 

 and sound, and radiation on 

 frosty nights is checked by 

 moist air from the ocean. In 

 autumn the frosts are late, 

 from the same reason, permit- 

 ting late growth of flowers. 



Shorter season. Fruit 

 blossoms are often killed 

 by frost. Watermelons 

 and other southern vege- 

 tables cannot be grown so 

 well as on Long Island. 

 Soil often wet, cold and 

 late. Vegetables for mar- 

 ket not generally grown. 



The change from summer 

 to winter is so slight that 

 some plants native to a 

 wider range do not ripen 

 and are winter-killed. 



Geological forma- 

 tion. 



No bed rock except near 

 Hell Gate, Long Island City. 

 Formation entirely of loose 

 material deposited in the 

 ocean and washed up by the 

 waves, or carried on the ice and 

 left as it melted, or washed out 

 from the glaciers. The finer 

 particles and most soluble por- 

 tions are washed away and 

 settle on the ocean bottom. 



Bed - rock underlying 

 most soils and slowly 

 forming soil and adding 

 fertility. Ledges of rocks 

 interfere with digging 

 large trees and render 

 care necessary in select- 

 ing trees to move. 



