N. H. AGE. EXPERIMENT STATION. 



[Bulletin 170 



A chemical analysis of the soil is of little use when studied 

 alone for showing the needs or capacity of that soil. However, 

 a chemical analysis may be valuable when taken in connection 

 with field experiments and analyses of crops. Preliminary ob- 

 servations showed a considerable range in the amounts of potas- 

 sium oxide in soils which were producing good yields of hay and 

 which were known to be good haj^ soils. The range varied from 

 about 1% to about 3|% potassium oxide. Average results 

 show that samples taken from heavy clay lowland soils may 

 carry 3.00% K2O. The range on these soils varies from 2.21% 

 to 3.96%. Upland soils may average 2.24% with a range from 

 2.05% to 2.75%. Lighter soils will carry less. 



No proportional relation could be established between the 

 yields and the percentage of potash in the crop. The total 

 amount of potassium removed appeared to be directly propor- 

 tional to the amount of hay produced. 



The data given in Table I shows the yield and the amount of 

 potassium oxide in the crop. 



Table I 



Figure 1 shows graphically the relation between the amount 

 of hay produced and the potassium oxide it contained. 



