C. Experiment Station 
7 
Potash may be deficient on some of these soils and the effect of 
kainit can well he due in part, at least, to the actual need of the crop 
for potassium. Just why the potash should prevent the deposition of 
iron in the nodal tissues of corn is a question unanswerable until more 
data shall have been obtained. 
The beneficial influence of stable manure, too, seems difficult of ex¬ 
planation unless it be true that the manure serves to inoculate the soil 
with an ammonifying flora thereby rendering the soil less acid during 
the early growth of the crop. 
Chemical Inyestigations 
For the purpose of studying the fundamental causes of the peculiari¬ 
ties of these muck soils, samples for analysis were taken from the lime- 
test plats at the Branch Farm at Wenona. 
The soils under this test have been cropped continuously to corn for 
six years, with no planting of other crops. Lime was applied in the 
form of hydrated lime, ground limestone and marl in amounts equiva¬ 
lent to one, two, three and four tons per acre of calcium carbonate at 
the beginning of the test and again three years later. 
Fertilizer has been applied to each crop at the rate of 300 lbs. of a 
3-8-3 mixture composed of dried blood, acid phosphate and potash 
manure salt. The plan did not include a test of the separate ingredients 
of this fertilizer mixture so the results for fertilizer treatments 
represent the average effects of all the fertilizer components whether 
harmful or beneficial. 
The composition of the soil sample from the untreated plat is shown 
by the following analysis: 
TABLE II 
Composition of Muck Soils from Experimental Plats 
Per cent in 
moisture- 
free soil 
Volatile matter.52.86 
Silica .42.69 
Ferric oxide .23 
Aluminum oxide . 3.67 
Phosphoric anhydride.11 
Sulphur trioxide .36 
Calcium oxide .17 
Magnesium oxide .22 
Potash.45 
Nitrogen . 1.118 
Reaction (pH) . 3.62 
