

NATUEE AND PROPERTIES OF SOILS 



Table YI 



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 ^ 

 Minnesota Mnck ^ 

 Florida peat ^ 

 Canadian peat ^ 

 German peat ^ 

 (Low lime) 

 German peat * 

 (High lime) 



Organic 

 Matter 



MlNEEAL 



Matter 



N 



PA 



K,0 



5.00 



95.0 



.25 



.15 



1.80 



94.00 



6.0 



1.70 



.16 



.04 



59.00 



40.3 



2.35 



.36 



.17 



50.6 



49.4 



1.92 



.40 





41.4 



58.6 



1.78 



.21 





68.4 



31.6 



2.63 



.20 



.17 



74.3 



25.7 



2.19 



.20 



.16 



97.0 



8.0 



1.20 



.10 



.05 



90.0 



10.0 



2.50 



.25 



.10 



CaO 



.70 

 .31 



.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.^ 



^ Alway, F. J., Agricultural Value and Bedamation of Minnesota Peat 

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



^Pickel, G. M., Muclc: Composition and Utilisation; Fla. Agr. Exp. 

 Sta., Bui. 13, 1891. 



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



* Fleischer, M., Die Anlage und die Bewirtschaftung ^von Moorwiesm 

 und Moorweiden; Berlin, 1913. 



= Publications regarding the practical utilization of peat and muck 

 lands: Eobinson, C. S., Utilisation of Muclc Lands; Mich. Agr. Exp. 

 Sta., Bui. 273. 1914. WhitsoUj A. E., et al,, The Improvement of Marsh 

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

 Brown, P. E., Improving Iov>a's Feat and Alkali Soils; la. Agr. Exp. 

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

 Farm^ in NortJiern Indiana and Southern Michigan; U. S. Dept. Agr., 

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

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

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

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



