GROUP OF POORLY DRAINED SOILS. 
ness with which the ground is prepared. A much less expen¬ 
sive and complete drainage system would be necessary to fit 
this land for tame hay such as timothy and alsike clover than 
would be needed to fit it for corn, sugar beets and other culti¬ 
vated crops. For its highest development agriculturally, a tile 
drainage system in which the laterals are not more than eight 
to ten rods apart would be essential. 
The chief difference between peat soils and upland soils con¬ 
sisting largely of earthly matter, is that they have relatively 
small amounts of the mineral elements phosphorus, potassium, 
calcium, and magnesium, and have extremely high amounts of 
nitrogen in the organic matter. The average percentage of 
phosphorus in the peats of this region so far analyzed is 0.135 
per cent. This means that in an acre of soil to a depth of a 
foot there is approximately only 675 pounds, or in two feet 
1,350 pounds, in comparison with upland soils which have ap¬ 
proximately twice these amounts. Moreover, the acid condition 
of these soils renders the phosphorus less available than in non- 
acid soil. 
The deficiency of potassium in these soils is greater than 
that of phosphorus. They contain on the average of 0.3 per 
cent of this element, while good upland clay loam soils average 
2 per cent, or over six times as much expressed in percentage. 
When the greater weight of the upland soils is taken into ac¬ 
count it will be found that they contain in the upper two feet 
120,000 pounds per acre, while the peat soils contain but 3,000 
pounds. 
A large amount of organic matter in these soils gives them 
an extraordinary amount of nitrogen. They average 2.5 per 
cent of this element, while the upland silt loam soils of this 
region contain but about 0.12 per cent and this only in the 
surface eight inches—the amount in deeper layers being much 
less. 
As a result of this difference in the chemical composition the 
peat soils are very unbalanced. Their rational treatment re¬ 
quires the use of fertilizers containing especially the elements 
phosphorus and potash. These elements are contained in rela¬ 
tively small amounts in barnyard manure and good applica¬ 
tions of manure will secure good yields of crops on peat soils, 
but manure contains large amounts of nitrogen not needed 
bv the peat, so that when a farm includes upland soils as well 
