36 
SOIL SURVEY OF JACKSON COUNTY 
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND FERTILITY OF THE MEDIUM HEAVY 
SOILS 
These soils vary in the content of plant food as shown by the 
chemical analyses. In general the loams are better supplied 
with prosphorus and nitrogen than are the fine sandy loams. 
The latter possess about 1,500 to 1,700 pounds of nitrogen per 
acre eight inches deep while the loams have from 500 to 700 
pounds more. The fine sandy loams show about 800 pounds of 
phosphorus while the loams have about 1,000 pounds an acre, 
eight inches. 
Potassium is present in considerable amounts in all the soils, 
varying from 20,000 to 40,000 pounds an acre, eight inches. The 
acidity ranges from slight to strong. 
The need for lime is most marked in the Vesper fine sandy 
loam and to a somewhat less degree in the Boone fine sandy loam. 
This group of soils is adapted to a variety of crops and with 
the exception of the Vesper fine sandy loam, which is naturally 
deficient in drainage they produce good crops of corn, potatoes, 
oats, alsike clover and timothy and some tobacco. 
It is more difficult to keep up the content of organic matter 
in these soils than in the heavier silt loams. Lime will be 
needed on all of the types when alfalfa is to be grown and 
may be required to insure a good stand of clover. (See p. 
for discussion on liming.) 
The use of acid phosphate will in most cases prove to be profit¬ 
able. This applied broadcast to grain crop seeded to clover 
will not only increase the grain crop but will aid in insuring a 
good growth of clover or alfalfa which in turn will increase 
the organic matter and nitrogen content of the soil (For dis¬ 
cussion of commercial fertilizer see page ). 
On the Vesper fine sandy loam tile drainage is needed since 
this soil is too wet much of the time for most crops to do well. 
Tiling is made more difficult by the presence of the blue shale 
clay and shale rock layers at varying depth in the subsoil. 
Knolls and rolling areas in this soil produce good crops. 
In the improvement of the type drainage is the first step. 
The soil is low in organic matter and phosphorus and is in need 
of lime, but the supply of potassium is large and this high po¬ 
tassium content appears to be general. With proper drainage 
and fertilization together with the use of lime, this soil offers 
good opportunities for agricultural development. 
