1921.] The Improvement of Peaty Soils. 



35 



The following analyses of soils are taken from the 

 St. Biiryan's district, between Penzance and Land's End; for . 

 purposes of comparison the values for a highly fertile potato 

 soil near Penzance are also given: — 





1 ; t'\ K i( 11 1 

 M 00 1-. 



Near Boscavven. 



LutlgvaM, 



['enhance. 





Waste 



Cul t i val ('( 1 



H ighly fcrt 

 so 



ile potato 

 il. 







Fine gravel ... 

 Coarse sand 

 Fine sand 

 Silt 



Fine silt 

 Clav 



- 



21-0 



S-1 

 4-7 

 1 -1 



9-3 

 18-1 

 20 '.J 

 21-1 

 8-8 

 2-2 



8-0 



16- 4 

 30 -8 



17- 2 

 9 2 

 1-5 



Surface. 

 2-8 

 9-7 

 .")7-(J 

 2 "9 

 7-4 

 1-4 



Sub?oil. 

 4-6 

 1 1 it 



ii;-9 



9 "4 

 9 2 

 1-3 



Stones 





].-> 



10 



23 





Organic matter (loss 













on ignition) ... 



11-8 



13-2 



10-0 



8-8 



9-4 



Nitrogen 



0-34 



0-39 



0-37 



0-19 



0-19 



Carbonate (as calcium 













carbonate) 



nil 



nil 



nil 



3-2 



2-0 



Acidity 



present 



high 



present 



absent 



absent 



Ph value * 



4-8 



4(; 



5-2 







Lime requirement f<jr 













neutralisation f 



<>-40 



0-73 



0-44 



none 



none 



Phosphoric Acitl 













(P2O,) Total 



0-10 





f!-08 



0-25 





I'otash (K.,0) Total... 



0-o2 



0-2S 





0-44 





*This measures tlie intensity of the acidity but not tlie ([uantity ; 7-2 is the 

 neutral point and the lower the Ph figure the greater the intensity. 



fThis measures the quantity of acidity and also the amount of lime absorbed in 

 other ways. The Hutchinson-McLennan method is used. 



The soils were all deep, and the subsoils, both at Boscawen 

 and Trevidder, closely resemble the surface soils; the figures 

 are omitted for the sake of brevity. Other waste areas in the 

 district were similar in character to the Boscawen area; the 

 analytical details need not, therefore, be given. 



All that these waste soils need is clearing to remove gorse 

 and bracken, then deep ploughing, finally a good dressing of 

 lime and phosphates. The smallness of the difference between 

 Boscawen waste and cultivated land shows that there is nothing 

 in the soil to prevent cultivation. There are, of course, 

 marked differences from the fertile potato soils of Penzance, 

 both in the soil and even more in the position, but these could 

 be used for several types of farming and for either small or 

 large holders. 



Note. — References to the literature on this subject may be 

 •obtained on application to the Ministry. o 2 



