44 NATURE AND PROPERTIES OF SOILS 



Table VI 



COMPARATIVE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF A PRODUCTIVE MIN- 

 ERAL SOIL AND CERTAIN REPRESENTATIVE PEAT 

 AND MUCK SOILS. 



Soils 



Representative 

 mineral soil 

 Minnesota peat * 

 Minnesota peat * 

 Minnesota Muck 1 

 Minnesota Muck * 

 Florida peat 2 

 Canadian peat 3 

 German peat 4 

 (Low lime) 

 German peat 4 

 (High lime) 



CaO 



.70 



.31 



2.52 



.35 

 4.00 



phosphorous and, especially, potash. It is also a good prac- 

 tice to start vigorous decay by the applicaton of barnyard 

 manure, as the nitrogen carried by muck soils is usually not 

 very readily available to plants. 5 



1 Alway, F. J., Agricultural Value and Beclamation of Minnesota Peat 

 Soils; Minn. Agr. Exp. Sta., Bui. 188, Mar., 1920. 



"Pickel, G. M., Muck: Composition and Utilisation; Fla. Agr. Exp. 

 Sta., Bui. 13, 1891. 



'Kept. Can. Exp. Farms, 1910. Eept. of chemist, p. 160. 



4 Fleischer, M., Die Anlage und die Bewirtschaftung von Moorwiesen 

 und Moorweiden; Berlin, 1913. 



5 Publications regarding the practical utilization of peat and muck 

 lands: Kobinson, C. S., Utilisation of Muck Lands; Mich. Agr. Exp. 

 Sta., Bui. 273. 1914. Whitson, A. K., et al., The Improvement of Marsh 

 Soils; Wis. Agr. Exp. Sta., Bui. 205. 1914. Stevenson, W. H., and 

 Brown, P. E., Improving Iowa's Peat and Alkali Soils; la. Agr. Exp. 

 Sta., Bui. 157. 1915. Smalley, H. E., Management of Muck Land 

 Farms in Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan; U. S. Dept. Agr., 

 Farmers' Bui. 761. 1916. Thompson, H. C, Truck Growing on Peat 

 Soils; Jour. Amer. Peat Soc, Vol. II, No. 3, pp. 113-125. 1918. 

 Alway, F. J., Agricultural Value and Reclamation of Minnesota Peat 

 Soils; Minn. Agr. Exp. Sta., Bui. 188. Mar., 1920. 



