LYSIMETER EXPERIMENTS — II 71 
In respect to the concentration of potassium in the drainage water from 
the bare and from the planted tanks, the Volusia and the Dunkirk soils 
are in accord. It is probable that this is to be accounted for, in part at 
least, by the greater volume of percolate from the bare soil, but it seems 
possible that the plant growth effects a solvent action on the soil potas- 
-sium which is indicated by the fact that the total removal of potassium 
in the crops and in the drainage combined is greater than that in the drain- 
age from the bare soil. 
Effect of liming on removal of potassium 
The application of lime to this soil resulted in a decrease in the quantities 
of potassium contained in the drainage water and in the crops. This is 
shown in table 25: 
TABLE 25. Average ANNUAL REMOVAL OF POTASSIUM FROM LIMED AND FROM UNLIMED 
; TANKS 
(In pounds per acre) 
Potassium removed from Potassium 
planted tanks leached 
: ; from cor- 
Soil treatment Tank a e Tank eqn’ 
drainage | crops Total unplanted 
water tanks 
Motwlimed ee acs... os Se. 13 88.6 | 35.08 | 123.68 14 99 
LUNE icles OO eee eae 15 57.8 | 33.12 | 90.92 16 69.9 
There is nothing in this experiment to indicate that the application 
of lime caused the liberation of potassium. The same was true of the ex- 
periment with Dunkirk soil. It may be remarked, however, that if the 
application of lime did liberate any potassium from the surface soil, it 
may have been absorbed by the lower layers of soil and thus have been 
removed from the drainage water. 
The concentration of the drainage water from the limed and from the 
unlimed soil does not give any more indication of the liberation of potassium 
than do the quantities removed. The concentration of potassium is stated 
in table 26: 
