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THE ILLmOIS 





Soils of Kentucky and Illinois. 



We hare before referred to the Q-eologi- 

 cat Report, made by D. D. Owen, State 

 Geologist of !ECentiicky, to the Legislature 

 of that State, last winter, professing to 

 "compare the soil of Illinois with the Blue 

 Grass Limestone soils of Kentucky," We 

 give below extracts from that Report which 

 will enable the reader to understand, clear- 

 ly, the results of the analysis of the soils, 

 and the deductions therefrom by Dr. Owen. 



"The Illinois soil analyzed by Dr. Owen 

 was taken from the prairie on the Missis- 

 sippi, in Illinois a few miles east of Keo- 

 kuk." The following is given as the result 

 of the analysis: 



Organic and volatile matter 9,OS0 



4.1umlna.. ~. 2,40P 



Carbonate of lime i ^.. ».... 890 



Magnolia. - fi3d 



PtuMpfaorio asid.. ...<..............., „.;..^. 17£ 



Bulpborlc acid, not estimated..... ............Hi 



Potaeh i. 197 



Soda 100 



Band and insoluble iiUicates... .84,470 



:';:-'^:-: :: 100,168 



In communi^tmg ^he result of this an- 

 alysis. Dr. Peter remarks: 



"Notwithstanding the luxuriance of the 

 growth of the first crops on the prairie soil, 

 occasioned partly by the large amount of 

 available nourishing matter afforded by the 

 decay of the thick sod, it is evident from the 

 above analysis, that, taking into considera- 

 tion durability as well as immediate fertility, 

 as ascertained by the chemical analysis of 

 the soil itself, apart from the sod there are 

 many of our Kentucky soils which take the 

 second rank, when compared with those of 

 the blue grass region, which yet are fully 

 equal to this prairie soil. 



Compared with the first rate soils of Ken- 

 tucky that of the prairies contains a much 

 smaller {jroportion of alumina and oxide of 

 iron, as well as lime, magnesia, phosphoric 

 acid and alkalies. It contains a much lar- 

 ger proportion of fine sand and doubtless a 

 larger proportion of the coarser sand than 



our best soils, and, therefore, while its large 

 quantity of organic matters is held in the 

 soil with a small force of attraction, because 

 of the large proportion which the sand and 

 silica bears to the alumina and oxide of iron; 

 and hence they are readily soluble and im- 

 jnediately available in the productiou of 

 luxuriant crops; these very circumstances 

 will cause its more spfeedy exhaustion ; and 

 when the accumulated store of organic mat- 

 ter has been consumed by thriftless has- 

 bandry, this soil cannot rank beyond & 

 second rate position. ^:' ^ ■ I ^^ v^j;:i-v^j;j 1 

 By a comparison of ttiier coil^ithent^ 6t 

 this Illinois prairie soil with the average 

 soils of Kentucky, fdr example with (a). of 

 the following tablcj, which is au upland ^oil 

 of Eranklin county, waters of Benson, near 

 Hardinsville, and (b) ; a sub •carboniferous 

 soil of the Barren limestoiie formation, Bar- 

 ren county, we perceive that these Kentucky 

 soils are as a whole in noways inferior: 



b 



6,S0O 



Organic and ▼' latile mat wt,i..^.^^,sx..ji ^.9,18S 



Alumina only in (b.) alumina including oxide of 



iron and magneae (a) ..„„, 8,100 



Oxide of iron 



Carbonate of lime.......»....... .,..,„........ 31§l 



Carbonate of magnesia in (a,) magnesia alone in 



Brown oxide of maganesa ...V...-. 



Phosphoric acid .„„ 3(S 



Sulphuric acid oeS 



Potash.^..... ; „. 173 



Soda 049 



Sand and losoluble silicates 



Loss in (a,) loss and sulp-acid in (b).. 



r.b. ...M JSV, i04 



8.460 

 2,296 



.SD& 



'2S4 



' 169 



197 

 090 



8yj686 

 ' 197 



100,000100,000 



The Franklin county soil is eveu rather 

 richer in organic and volatile matter; both 

 are richer in argillaceous matter^ the Frank- 

 lin- county soil is considerably richer in 

 phosphoric acid and the Barren county soil 

 is almost equal to it and contains the same 

 amount of alkalies. 



If we compare the Illinois soil with the 

 best Kentucky soils we find that there would 

 require to be added to the Illinois soil, for 

 each acre, to m'ske it equal in the amount of 

 fertilizer for only six inches in depth: 



107,236-poun'ie of ferruginous clay. 

 . 20,660 do of limestone. 



1.881 do of phosphoric acid, o* :.'-''' 



S,802 do of on leached ashe*. 

 ."592 do of soda, or - - 



^bS do of common salt. 



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