1922] WOODARD—SOIL FERTILITY 87 
cropped as in the virgin land in both surface and subsoil. The 
cultivated soils had been cropped for thirty to forty years. 
Lyon and Bizzevt (44) found an increased loss of sulphur in 
the drainage when burnt lime was used, while MacIntireE, WILLIS, 
and Hotpinc (47) found the loss greater for calcium carbonate 
than for calcium oxide. It seems the carbonate favors bacterial 
action much more than the oxide. 
ROBINSON (59, 60) analyzed a large number of soil samples 
from different parts of the United States for sulphur and phos- 
phorus. Most of them were low, some extremely low, in both 
phosphorus and sulphur. Many of the samples were much lower 
in sulphur than phosphorus. Brown and KELLocce (11) analyzed 
samples of Iowa soils and found the sulphur content varied from 
719 to 938 pounds per acre in the surface soil, while the phosphorus 
content varied from 1289 to 1538 pounds per acre. SHEDD (62) 
analyzed samples of Kentucky soils and found the sulphur content 
in the surface soil varied from 213 to 1080 pounds per acre in virgin 
soil, and from 180 to 560 pounds per acre in cultivated soils. The 
phosphorus content in the surface soil ranged from 320 to 5860 
pounds in virgin soil, and from 320 to 7240 pounds in cultivated soil. 
Some sulphur is brought down from the air in rain water. 
The amount is probably greater during periods of heavy rainfall 
than when the precipitation is slight. Near cities, where a large 
amount of coal is burned, the amount is probably much greater 
than in country districts far from cities and railroads. The data, 
however, are too meager to form any definite conclusions. Hatt 
(26) reports sulphur analyses of rain water at Rothamsted from 1881 
to 1887 which give an annual average of seven pounds of sulphur 
in the rain water per acre per year. Analyses by Hart and PETERSON 
(27) at the University of Wisconsin for part of a year led them to 
the conclusion that the amount in one year would be approximately 
the same as found at Rothamsted. Srewarr (67) analyzed rain 
water at the University of Illinois and obtained as a seven-year 
average 45.1 pounds of sulphur per annum. All of these analyses 
are of rain water collected near cities. The water in the rain 
gauges is likely to be contaminated by dust and soot and by the 
droppings of birds which roost on the rain gauges. 
