V*; THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY "- 5& * fe'-v*iM V-i &. -, 1% I RON CIRCULATING CHECK FOR UNBOUND CIRCULATING COPY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS Agricultural Experiment Station BULLETIN NO. 157 PEATY SWAMP LANDS; SAND AND "ALKALI" SOILS BY CYRIL, G. HOPKINS, J. E. READHIMER, AND o. s. FISHER URBANA, ILLINOIS, JULY, 1912 SUMMARY OF BULLETIN No. 157 1. There are many thousand acres of peaty swamp land in northern Illinois, much of which produces almost no crops because the soil is deficient in the element potassium, altho it is rich in all other elements of plant food. Page 95. 2. On the University of Illinois soil experiment field near Tampico (White- side county), on peaty swamp soil, the addition of potassium produced yields of 41 to 55 bushels of corn as an average of the years 1902, 1903 and 1904, while, with no potassium applied, no ear corn was produced. Page 97. 3. On the University of Illinois soil experiment field near Momence (Kan- kakee county), on peaty swamp soil, potassium produced an average of 44.6 bushels of corn for 9 years, while without potassium the average yield was only 3.6 bushels. Page 100. 4. Some kinds of peaty swamp soil will improve with the right kind of cultivation, and finally become very productive soils which will not require the continued use of potassium, while other kinds will probably always require potassium to be applied. Page I2J. 5. Some kinds of peaty swamp soils after years of cultivation are found to resemble sand ridge soil, which is most deficient in the element nitrogen, which can be obtained from the air at very slight cost by means of suitable legumin- ous crops. Page 122. 6. Nitrogen applied to the University of Illinois soil experiment field near Green Valley (Tazewell county), on sand ridge soil, has increased the value of six crops from $56.00 to $129.00 per acre. Page 123. 7. Certain kinds of farm manure produce fairly good results on some peaty swamp soils, but commonly it is better farm practice to use the manure on other kinds of soil and buy potassium for the peaty swamp soils. Page 128. 8. There is no more profit in starving plants than there is in starving ani- mals. While heavy applications of potassium must sometimes be made at first, with proper management only light applications will be required after a few years. Page 129. 9. The so-called "alkali" soils of Illinois, which are also being investi- gated, are not the same as peaty swamp soils. Page 130. PEATY SWAMP LANDS; SAND AND "ALKALI" SOILS BY CYRIL, G. HOPKINS, CHIEF IN AGRONOMY AND CHEMISTRY, J. E. READHIMER, SUPERINTENDENT OP Son, EXPERIMENT FIELDS, AND O. S. FISHER, FIRST ASSISTANT IN Son, FERTILITY There are immense areas of peaty swamp lands in the northern and nortlrcentral parts of Illinois. As a rule these soils do not grow good crops. When first broken they sometimes yield one or two fair crops of corn, but generally the third crop is very poor, and afterwards little or no corn is produced. Oats do somewhat better, but usually the yield of grain is very unsatisfactory, even when a fair amount of straw is grown. These soils are usually very black and very rich in organic matter, and they are frequently drained at great expense with the expectation that they will be very productive and almost inexhaustible, but not infrequently they yield disappointment and financial loss. These peaty swamp soils are present in large areas in Lee county, in southern Whiteside county, in Rock Island county, in the northeastern part of Henry county, and in the northwestern part of Bureau county. In Kankakee and Iroquois counties, in northern Mason county, and southwestern Tazewell county, large tracts of peaty soil are found; and smaller tracts are found in the counties of Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Lake, DeKalb, and Kane, and there is more or less of this soil in several other north- ern counties, such as Kendall, Will, LaSalle, Grundy, Livingston, etc. Some peaty soil has been found in northern Ford county, and small tracts in western McLean and northern Champaign counties. This soil is also known to extend into northern Indiana,* southern Wisconsin,* and to a considerable extent into Iowa. Of the counties in which considerable areas of peaty swamp soils are known to exist, Whiteside, Bureau, Kankakee, Tazewell, Lake, Winnebago, Kane, DuPage, and LaSalle have already been surveyed in detail. The survey has been started in Iroquois and Mason, and will be completed during the season of 1912. Boonej DeKalb, and Rock Island have been agreed upon and will prob- ably be completed during the season of 1913. *The experiment stations of Indiana and Wisconsin have published some results of investigations relating to similar soils (See page 117.) 95 96 BULLETIN No. 157 [July, Commonly the peaty soil occupies the lower lying areas, but sometimes it is found in tablelands. It is ahvays on land which was at one time poorly drained. The peaty soil varies from almost pure brown peat, containing 80 percent or more of combustible material, to black muck, con- taining much less organic matter. In some places these soils ex- tend continuously over tracts of considerable size (sometimes over several square miles), to the exclusion of other types of soil; but more commonly the peaty soils occupy irregularly shaped areas scattered about in bodies of land of different kinds. Sandy land is frequently found adjoining or surrounding the tracts of peaty soil, and sand is the most common subsoil found under peaty swamp soils, altho a clay subsoil is found in places, and sometimes the peaty soil is underlain, at a depth of only a few feet, with limestone rock. Occasionally the peaty soil adjoins ordinary Illi- nois prairie land. Peat itself consists largely of partially decayed sphagnum moss or coarse grass, swamp sedge, flags, etc., which grew in the water which once covered these areas. In growing, the moss, grasses, etc., obtain carbon and oxygen from the carbon dioxid in the air, and hydrogen from water, being similar to other plants in this respect. The water in which the sphagnum moss and grass grows is more or less stagnant. It is usually seepage or surface-drainage water, and contains sufficient nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other essential elements of plant food to meet the needs of the growing vegetation. Both nitrogen and phosphorus enter into fairly stable organic combinations with carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and when the vegetation changes to peat, and even when the peat partially decays, these two elements (especially the nitro- gen) are largely retained in the organic matter. The potassium, however, reverts more largely to the soluble form and it is finally lost to a greater or less extent in the drainage waters flowing from the peat bogs. Probably most of the Illinois beds are grass peat, altho there is some moss peat in the state. Indeed, in the detail soil survey of Lake county one swamp of several acres was found where the sphagnum moss is still growing luxuriantly over a bed of moss peat. Where the soil consists very largely of decaying peat to a depth of 30 inches or more it is called deep peat (Soil Type No. 1401, Bulletin 123). As shown in Bulletin 123, deep peat contains in one million pounds of surface soil about 35,000 pounds of nitrogen, 2000 pounds of phosphorus, and 2900 pounds of potassium. This shows in the surface 6^3 inches of an acre about five times as much nitro- gen as the rich black clay loam prairie. In phosphorus content these two soil types are about equal, but the peat contains less 1912] PEATY SWAMP LANDS; SAND AND ALKALI SOILS 97 than one-tenth as much potassium as the black clay loam. Thus the total supply of potassium in the peat to a depth of 6^3 inches (2930 pounds) would be equivalent to the potassium requirement (73 pounds) of a hundred-bushel crop of corn for only 40 years, or if the equivalent of only one- fourth of one percent of this is annually available, in accordance with the rough estimate sug- gested in Bulletin 123, about 7 pounds of potassium would be liberated annually, or sufficient for about 10 bushels of corn per acre. A considerable number of the peaty swamp soils from different places in the state have been analyzed by the Experiment Station, and all of them are found to be very rich in nitrogen, well supplied with phosphorus, but very deficient in potassium, as compared with the ordinary fertile soils of the state. Some preliminary field tests gave results strongly indicating the need of applying the available potassium to these soils. Pot- culture experiments gave similar indications, and the field experi- ments which are reported in this bulletin certainly furnish very conclusive proof of the power of potassium to increase the pro- ductive capacity of some of these soils. TAMPICO SOIL EXPERIMENT FIELD This, as one of the regular University of Illinois soil experi- ment fields, was located in the N. E. 40 of the S. W. Y^ of Section 6, Township 19 N., Range 7 E. of the 4th P. M., on the farm of Mr. J. H. Milligan, about five miles northeast of Tampico, Whiteside county, Illinois. The soil consists of black peaty material, rich in organic matter to a depth of sixteen inches. Be- tween 1 6 and 30 inches the material is lighter in color and quite sandy, with little organic matter. The subsoil below 30 inches is almost pure coarse sand. This soil is fairly representative of con- siderable amounts of land in southern Whiteside and adjoining counties, which is non-productive, or of very low productive ca- pacity, especially for corn. This field consists of ten tenth-acre plots, numbered from 101 to 1 10. The individual plots are each two rods wide and eight rods long, each plot being surrounded by a cropped and cultivated border one-fourth rod wide, which makes one-half rod division strips between adjacent plots. The treatment applied to these different plots is what we call our "complete fertility test." It in- cludes trials with applications of the elements nitrogen, phos- phorus, and potassium, singly, in all possible double combinations, and all three together, all in connection with lime ; also a double test as to the effect of applying lime, first with lime alone, and finally with the three elements added. The plan will be easily 98 BULLETIN No. 157 [July, understood by reference to the tabular statements. (L, means lime, N means nitrogen, P means phosphorus, and K means potas- sium, from the Latin name kalium, this symbol (K) being used for potassium by all nations.) Nitrogen is applied in the form of dried blood, a material containing about i2 l / 2 percent of nitrogen. About 800 pounds of dried blood per acre sre used each year. This would furnish about 100 pounds of nitrogen, or as much as is contained in 100 bushels of corn. Of course the nitrogen is purchased and applied in readily available commercial form in order to ascertain as quickly as pos- sible if the soil is in need of nitrogen. If this were found to be the case it would simply indicate that in farm practice more nitrogen should be obtained from the air by means of leguminous crops, as we are doing in our rotation experiments (see Bulletins 123 and 125), and not that commercial nitrogen should be bought and applied to the soil (100 pounds of commercial nitrogen would cost about $15, while nitrogen can be obtained from the air with clover and other legumes, which are usually profitable crops to raise for their own sake.) The phosphorus is applied in steamed bone meal. This mate- rialcontains about I2J/2 percent of the element phosphorus in quite readily available form. About 200 pounds of steamed bone meal per acre are applied each year. This furnishes 25 pounds of phosphorus, or more than is contained in a loo-bushel crop of corn, the grain containing about 17 pounds and the stalks 6 pounds of that element. Owing to the fact that the steamed bone meal is not completely available the first season, the first annual applica- tion is usually 400 instead of 200 pounds (phosphorus in steamed bone meal usually costs from 10 to 12 cents a pound, the steamed bone meal itself being $25 to $30 a ton). Potassium is applied in the form of potassium chlorid (con- taining about 42 percent of potassium), or potassium sulfate (also containing about 42 percent of that element). About 200 pounds of the salt are applied the first year, and 100 or 200 pounds per acre each year afterward. One hundred bushels of corn contain about 19 pounds of potassium in the grain and 2 pounds in the cobs, and the corresponding three tons of stalks contain about 52 pounds of that element. If the stalks or the ashes from the stalks are left on the land, well distributed, the annual loss in potassium is only about 20 pounds for a very large crop of corn, and TOO pounds of potassium chlorid will furnish 42 pounds of the ele- ment potassium. If both grain and stover are removed, about 200 pounds must be added each year. PEATY SWAMP LANDS; SAND AND ALKALI SOILS 99 The results obtained from the Tampico soil experiment field in 1902 to 1904 are shown in Table i. It should be stated that al- tho lime was applied to certain plots in this field in the be- ginning of the experiment, in accordance with our regular plan of "complete fertility tests," it has produced no effect whatever, and the subsequent analysis of soil samples taken at the time the field was located also shows that the soil is not in need of lime. (Lime is added to supply calcium as an element of plant food, and also to correct any possible acidity of the soil, and thus to insure good physical conditions where the elements of plant food are added.) TABLE 1 CROP YIELDS IN SOIL EXPERIMENTS, TAMPICO FIELD, 1902 TO 1904 Soil plot No. Soil treatment applied Yield per acre Value of 3 crops at 35c per bu. 1902 Corn, bu. 1903 Corn, bu. 1904 Corn, bu. Total yield for 3 years 101 102 None ; 26 9* 26.9 $ 9.41* L/ime (and K after 2 years) 103 104 105 L/ime nitrogen 34.1 45.4 45.2 124.7 $ 43.64 L/ime, potassium 106 107 108 L/ime, nitrogen, phos- phorus 37.6 35.3 58.7 46.8 44.1 43.0 140.4 125.1 $ o 49.14 43.78 L/ime, nitrogen, potassium L/ime, phosphorus, potassium 109 110 L/ime, nitrogen, phos- 56.5 49.4 65.9 58.6 44.0 35. 6f 166.4 143.6 $58.24 50.26f Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium * 125 pounds potassium sulfate per acre was applied to Plot 102 in 1904. t No potassium was applied to Plot 110 in 1904. It will be observed that every plot to which potassium was applied produced a fair crop of corn, varying from 41 bushels to 55 bushels per acre as a three-year average, while not an ear of corn was produced on any plot not treated with potassium. Even the yield of stover, or barren stalks, was small on plots not re- ceiving potassium. There was considerable variation in the yield of corn from the plots treated with potassium during 1902 and 1903. This was almost entirely due to the excessive rainfall and consequent injury to some plots from too much water. Like much 100 BULLETIN No. 157 [July, of these swamp lands, this field was not sufficiently well drained to protect it in wet seasons. Plots 109 and no, especially, and Plot 107, to some extent, were on slightly higher ground than the other plots, which is believed to account largely for the higher yields on those plots. In 1904, when the season was normal, no such differences occurred. Plate i shows the corn growing on Plot 106 with nitrogen and phosphorus, on the left, and on Plot 105 with potassium, on the right. { The yields on Plots 5, 7, and 8 are probably considerably lower for 1902 and 1903 owing to the very wet seasons than they would otherwise have been. It is evident that the excessive amount of water in the soil retarded the nitrification of the organic nitro- gen naturally contained in the soil in very large amounts; while the nitrogen supplied in the form of dried blood, being in the sur- face soil and very easily nitrified, did effect some increase in the yield wherever both potassium and nitrogen were added. This effect was plainly apparent during the growing season, the stronger growth and darker color of the plants treated with nitrogen in connection with potassium being distinctly discernible. Of course this result does not indicate that commercial nitrogen could be used with profit on this soil, but rather that the field needs better drainage in such wet seasons. This soil is naturally several times richer in nitrogen than the most fertile soils of the corn-belt. It is also well supplied with phosphorus. With more perfect drain- age and a plentiful supply of potassium, this soil is undoubtedly capable of producing even more than 65 bushels of corn to the acre. Plate 2 shows the 1903 crop growing on the Tampico field. The upper view shows Plot 5 (potassium) on the left, and Plot 6 (nitrogen and phosphorus) on the right. The lower view shows Plot 6 (nitrogen and phosphorus) on the left, and Plot 7 (nitro- gen and potassium) on the right. (This soil naturally contains an abundance of lime, a small amount of which was added to these plots in the beginning of the experiment before the soil had been analyzed. The lime was not needed, however, and it has pro- duced no effect.) The experiments on the Tampico field were discontinued after 1904. MOMENCE SOIL EXPERIMENT FIELD This is also one of the regular University of Illinois soil ex- periment fields. It is located in the N. E. 40 of S. E. % of Section 6, Township 30 N., Range n W. of 2nd P.M., on the farm of Mr. C. C. Porter, about three miles south of Momence, Kankakee 1912} PEATY SWAMP LANDS; SAND AND ALKALI SOILS 101 fc W O O * g 102 BULLETIN No. 157 PEATY SWAMP LANDS; SAND AND ALKALI SOILS 103 county, Illinois, on peaty swamp soil which is underlain with im- pure limestone at a depth of two to three feet, with about 12 inches of yellow sandy subsoil between the black soil and the underlying rock. A considerable part of the north half of Plots 101 and 102 and a smaller part of the other plots extend over somewhat dif- ferent land where the soil contains sufficient available potassium to produce a medium crop of corn in a good season,* The south halves of the plots are on soil which is fairly representative of the most non-productive phase of this peaty swamp soil. There are very large areas of swamp soil in Kankakee and adjoining counties of very low productive capacity, much of which will re- spond to the same treatment as this field. (There are some prob- able exceptions, ho\vever, which will be noted below,) Series 100 is laid out in the same manner and received the same kinds of treatment as the Tampico field. Table 2 shows the results which were obtained during a period of ten years (1902 to 1911). During the ten years the field has been under the control of the University, nine corn crops and one oats crop have been grown. The average yield of corn on the fourf plots receiving no potas- sium has amounted to but 3.6 bushels per acre, while the average yield of the fourf plots treated with potassium, at the average rate of 154.3 pounds of potassium sulfate per acre per annum, has amounted to 44.6 bushels. The yields for 1902 are not as reliable as those for later years because the crop was considerably injured during that season on account of inadequate drainage, a condition which was corrected before the 1903 crop was grown on this field. Nevertheless the effect of potassium on the 1902 crop was very marked. The total average value of the nine crops of corn (at 35 cents a bushel) on the four plots receiving no potassium amounted to $11.41, \vhile the total average value of the nine crops of corn on the four plots receiving potassium amounted to $140.56, a dif- ference of $129.15. The cost of the potassium at $50.00 per ton for potassium sulfate was $34.72. The average yearly increase on the nine corn crops due to potassium amounted to $10.49 P er acre, or 372 percent on the investment. Including the oats crop, which showed much less effect from potassium, the total average value of the ten crops from the four plots without potassium amounted to $16.03, while the total aver- *In locating our soil experiment fields, we endeavor to select as uniform land as possible, but if there is any apparent difference in the field we always try to put the check plot with no treatment on the best soil in order that the effect of the treatment shall not be exaggerated. fPlots 102 and no are not included in the averages. 104 BULLETIN No. 157 [July, age value from the four plots receiving 154.3 pounds of potas- sium sulfate per acre per annum amounted to $147.17, a difference of $131.14. The average yearly increase on the ten crops due to potassium amounted to $9.25 per acre, or 340 percent on the in- vestment. Both nitrogen and phosphorus have produced some effect on the Momence field, especially during the later years. For the first four years nitrogen, as an average of two tests each year, showed an apparent loss of 2.3 bushels of corn per acre, but during the last five years , there has been a gain of 5.3 bushels of corn per acre. During the first four years phosphorus made an average gain of 2.8 bushels of corn per acre, while during the last five years the gain has been 13.0 bushels of corn per acre, or a nine- year average gain of 8.5 bushels per acre. Phosphorus not only increased the yield sufficient to pay its cost when applied in the form of steamed bone meal at the rate of 200 pounds per acre per annum, but it also improved the quality of the corn by hasten- ing its maturity. During the later years the increase has been sufficient to pay the cost of the treatment and to leave a clear gain of $2.05 per acre, or 82 percent net on the investment. With no provision for fresh, active vegetable matter, the phosphorus in the soil is less readily available than that applied in steamed bone, which contains some readily decomposable organic matter. Plates 3, 4, and 5 show the crops growing on the Momence field in 1903. Plates 3 and 4 show Plots I, 2, 3, 4, and 5, in the order given. The upper view in Plate 3 shows Plot i, to which no treat- ment was applied. On the right, looking over Plots 2, 3, and 4, we see Plot 5, to which potassium was applied. The lower view in Plate 3 shows Plot 2, to which lime only was applied. On the right we see the good corn in Plot 5, beyond Plots 3 and 4. The upper view in Plate 4 shows Plot 3, to which nitrogen was applied, on the right of which is Plot 4, with Plot 5 beyond. The lower view of Plate 4 shows Plot 4 (phosphorus) on the left, and Plot 5 (potassium} on the right, where the corn yielded 72 bushels to the acre. The upper view of Plate 5 shows Plot 5 (potassium') on the left, Plot 6 (nitrogen and phosphorus) in the middle, and Plot 7 (nitrogen and potassium} on the right. Potassium on Plot 5 made 72 bushels, and on Plot 7 potassium with nitrogen made 71 bushels of good sound corn (80 pounds per bushel), while Plot 6, between those two, made less than 4 bushels of nubbins. The lower view in Plate 5 shows the effect of potassium on buckwheat on the Momence field, potassium having been applied on the right, and nothing applied on the left. 1912} PEATY SWAMP LANDS; SAND AND ALKALI SOILS 105 5s a roO rO - SrO 00 00 O vO - O ~' 3 * O f TH rO 't- LO TH rO >/) TH rH VO O VO ro TH TH TH _T . sfs M 01 O\ LO MOO oo i^ rq TH rJ O TH VO t^ 00 N TH IO 00 vo o n ~ . ^0" rO O\ TH TH r< I> 00 * TH rO t> * o o o> "6" 00 VO rH oo n M rO TH O\ rO 00 M, 00 VO -J VO vo S|3 rO TH VO rH VO VO * rO >O ON O vo vo l> I? . sis * * C- 1 M TH ' VO O^ TH TH TH rJ- V5 , * 8 '"'o' oo vb VO rN rO O\ O VO TH O iO '^ VO rO xo TH VO "I "O^ 00 & VO rO TH 00 >* VO iO ro Oi 00 M -1- * CM 1|5 00 -H rO } VO TH <* ro VOiO O ' ro ri rO * M O rO TH M* TH VO VO N, rO << M O> TH TH rO TH rO 00 * VO O TH^^ ^ O TH rO 1> M TH IO * N 04 ] ? 6:3 IS S3 ss sis M ' '3.2,0 S3 I 1 TH o o o TH TH TH coo TH TH TH TH rH % H^ 2 a .SJ o - o Is 81 d rX 21 106 BULLETIN No. 157 [July, as W c a { i w a W CJ z w s I CO w cu 55 O a; O O PEATY SWAMP LANDS; SAND AND ALKALI SOILS 107 108 BULLETIN No. 157 [July O O Sw M < O 1 w 2 " K W w V W s? I9iz\ PEATY SWAMP LANDS; SAND AND ALKALI SOILS 109 In Tables 3 and 4 are recorded the results from Series 200 and Series 30x3, Momence experiment field, 1904 to 1911. The work was not begun on these series until 1904. A rotation consisting of two crops of corn, one of oats, and one of clover has been practiced. Instead of applying nitrogen in commercial form as on Series 100, the nitrogen has been provided for in legume crops, cover crops, and crop residues in the system of grain farm- ing, and in farm manures in the live-stock system. The legume cover crops and crop residues have been made use of since the beginning, but no manure was applied till 1908 after the first clover crop of 1907. The manure was applied in proportion to the crop yields. Where larger crops were produced more manure was applied; and, of course, more manure was applied to Series 300 than to Series 200. The phosphorus was applied in the form of pure steamed bone meal, carrying 12^2 percent phosphorus, at the rate of 200 pounds per acre per annum. No potassium has been applied to Series 200, but potassium has been applied to the whole of Series 300 at the rate of 150 pounds of potassium sul- fate per acre per annum. Common salt (sodium chlorid) was ap- plied to the north half of all the plots of Series 200 at the rate of 600 pounds per acre in the spring of 1908. So far as it is possible to observe, no effect has been produced by the salt. The land on which Series 200 and Series 300 are located is naturally more productive than that on which Series 100 is located. The untreated land of Series 200 will produce under favorable conditions 10 to 15 bushels of corn per acre. The south half of Plot 202 occupies the area of an old stack bottom. For this reason the yields from this plot are too large for the first three or four years. The yields from Plots 201 and 203 were also influenced but not to the same extent. As an average of sixteen tests extending over the last four crops, phosphorus has returned only $3.95 per acre in increased crop yields on Series 200, but $5.77 on Series 300. In neither case is the increase sufficient to pay for the phosphorus in 200 pounds of steamed bone meal per acre per annum, the amount ap- plied to these fields. If finely ground raw rock phosphate had been used with the same effect, the increase would have paid the cost on Series 200 and more than paid the cost on Series 300. The manure paid in increased crop-yields $4.04 on Series 200, and $9.70 on Series 300. On neither series was the increase more than sufficient to pay for the manure, which, as stated above, was applied in proportion to previous crop yields. The potassium produced an increase in eight years amounting to $42.98 per acre. 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W. l / 4 of Section 19, Township 23 N., Range 5 W. of 3rd P. M., on the farm of W. N. Sunderland, about four miles east of Manito, Illinois, just across the line in Tazewell county, on alkali soil consisting of peaty, clayey sand with some gravel, and containing sufficient total po- tassium for normal crop yields. A three-year rotation of corn, oats, and wheat is practiced on this field, and as there are three series, all crops are represented every year. In Table 6 are recorded the treatments applied and the results obtained on the new Manito field for 1907 to 1911. 116 BULLETIN No. 157 [July, TABLE 6. CROP YIELDS IN SOIL EXPERIMENTS ON PEATY ALKALI SOIL: NEW MANITO FIELD, 1907 TO 1911 Soil plot No. Soil treatment applied 1907 Corn, bu. 1908 Corn, bu. 1909 Corn, bu. 1910 Corn, bu. 1911 Corn, bu. Value of 5 Crops 1 None 8.8 34.9 8.6 8.0 20.6 $28 . 32 2W 2E 3 4 5 Manure, 6 tons.... Manure, 12 tons - . Potassium sulfate.. Calcium sulfate None 43.5 64.9 73.1 5.0 5.4 29.1 23.2 38.7 13.4 10.3 35.7 44.5 31.6 21 4.6 67.5 75.5 51.8 4.8 14 6 j 35.2 35.2 15.7 18 8 79.51 80.64 14.35 18 80 Soil plot No. Soil treatment applied 1907 Oat_ b u ' 1908 Oats, bu. 1909 Oats, bu. 1910 Oats, bu. 1911 Oats, bu. Value of 5 crops 1 39.1 19.9 63.0 57.5 5.6 $55.53 2W Manure, 6 tons 24.0 62.5 i _,. ,. 2E 3 4 5 Manure, 12 tons .... Potassium sulfate.. Calcium sulfate .... j 28.1 41.9 25.4 19,3 23.8 20.3 17.5 18.1 67.5 62.6 63.8 65.3 j 59.6 68.8 39.8 37.5 14.4 15.6 5.3 10.6 57.30 62.76 45.54 45.24 Soil plot No. Soil treatment applied 1907* 1908 Wheat bu. 1909 Wheat bu. 1910 Wheat bu. 1911 Wheat bu. Value of 4 crops 1 None .. 24.5 13.5 7.7 11.3 $39.90 2W 3 4 5 Manure, 6 tons Manure, 12 tons . . Potassium sulfate.. Calcium sulfate . . None (27.6 '27.8 20.1 21.5 22.7 24.1 18.3 14.7 2.0 J13.0 22.0 7.0 7.7 14.7 16.0 5.7 6.0 55.09 58.87 33.25 26.04 * The field was secured too late to seed wheat for 1907. The manure is applied once during the rotation for the corn crop at the rate of 6 tons per acre to the west half of Plot 2 and at the rate of 12 tons per acre to the east half of Plot 2. The potassium has been applied at the rate of 148 pounds of potassium sulfate per acre per annum. For the first three years, 1907 to 1909, 400 pounds per acre were applied in 1907, but since then it has been applied every year. Plot 4 was divided into four equal parts and calcium sulfate (land plaster, gypsum) was applied at the rate of 2 tons, 4 tons, 8 tons, and 16 tons, per acre, at a cost of $6.00 per ton. None has been applied since 1907. The calcium sulfate has produced no increase whatever. It was applied with the thought that by double decomposition and PEATY SWAMP LANDS; SAND AND ALKALI SOILS 117 leaching the harmful magnesium might be removed. Thus far, however, it does not seem to have produced the desired result in these field experiments. Both the manure and the potassium have produced good re- sults. The soil on this field is not uniform, and, as has always been the practice, the check plots were given the advantage by being located on the better soil. This is readily seen by examining the yields, especially for Plot I. As a result of this the increases recorded do not fully represent the total effect of the soil treat- ment. The effect of the manure has been to increase the value of the corn crop for the five years by $55.95; of the five oats crops by $6.91; and of the four wheat crops by $22.12; or a total for all crops of $84.98, or $1.89 per ton of manure. In almost every instance where the yields were kept separate the heavier applica- tion of manure has produced the larger yield. The 6 tons of manure contained only about 60 pounds of potassium, which is not as much as the three crops removed. It is only about one-third as much as was provided in the potassium sulfate at the rate of 150 pounds per acre per annum. The 12 tons of manure per acre also did not supply as much potassium as is needed on this soil because when a larger amount was applied in the 150 pounds of potassium sulfate a still further increase in the yield resulted. From the results of the first three years where 400 pounds of potassium sulfate per acre were applied for the rotation, it would seem that it is better to apply the potassium annually rather than in large amounts at long intervals. The effect of the potassium has been to increase the value of the corn crop for the five years by $57.08; of the five oats crops by $12.37; an d of the four wheat crops by $25.90; or a total for all crops of $95.35. As an average of the five years, the 150 pounds of potassium sulfate produced an increase in crop yields valued at $6.36 per acre, which gives a net profit of $2.60 per acre per annum. One hundred fifty pounds of potassium sulfate, cost- ing $3.75, has produced as large an increase as 3 tons of good stable manure. This reduces the value of the manure to $1.25 per ton as compared with potassium sulfate for treating peaty alkali land. RESULTS OF INVESTIGATIONS IN INDIANA AND WISCONSIN As previously stated, the Indiana and Wisconsin experiment stations have reported some investigations of non-productive soils, including some peaty swamp soils. 118 BULLETIN No. 157 [July, Bulletin 57 of the Indiana Agricultural Experiment Station on "The Improvement of Unproductive Black Soils," by Professor H. A. Huston, published in 1895, contains the following general conclusions : "The use of straw or kainit has proved very profitable as a means of temporary improvement of such lands. "The permanent improvement of such lands must be effected by efficient drainage." In the summary of Bulletin 95 of the Indiana Station, which was published in 1903, and which is essentially a reprint of Bulle- tin 57, Professor Huston inserts the following additional conclu- sion: "On black lands containing considerable sand but not having a high water level, kainit and other potash salts have proved very profitable fertilizers for corn." The Indiana Agricultural Experiment Station has in press a new bulletin on "Unproductive Black Soils," giving the results of experimental work carried on during the last eight years. This bulletin corroborates the conclusions given in previous bulletins. The Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station has published a number of bulletins on the drainage and treatment of the marsh lands of Wisconsin. Among the more recent publications are Bulletin 139, "Principles and Maintenance of Soil Fertility;" Bulletin 146, "Drainage Conditions of Wisconsin;" Bulletin 199, "The Principles and Practice of Land Drainage ;" and Bulletin 205, "The Development of Marsh Soils." The authors of these bulletins in summing' up their conclusions make the following statements : "The drainage of marshes is the first step toward improvement. On large marshes the organization of drainage districts and the co-operation of a num- ber of adjoining landowners is necessary, but thousands of farms include some marsh land which can be readily drained by the owners without legal diffi- culties. "Proper tillage of marsh lands is of the utmost importance. Heavy roll- ing, by packing the loose peat soil, produces a firmer seed bed which is better adapted to cultivated crops, especially small grains. "Fertilization of marsh soils is important on account of the unbalanced condition of the elements which they contain. Marsh soils are excessively rich in nitrogen, but are frequently deficient in phosphorus and potash. While barnyard manure will supply the last two elements, these can be supplied in commercial fertilizers, allowing the use of barnyard manure on upland soils where its nitrogen as well as its mineral elements are needed. Under such special conditions it is profitable to use commercial fertilizers supplementing the manure of the farm. "Acidity develops in marsh soils quite commonly where lime carbonate is not brought in from, surrounding higher land. This acidity, however,_ does not interfere with the growth of crops provided the soil is properly fertilized. Very commonly acid soils require phosphate fertilizers as well as potash. The acidity of marsh soils in the southeastern part of the state is very generally neutralized by the lime carbonate in the water seeping in from the surround- ing higher lands of this limestone section. PEATY SWAMP LANDS; SAND AND ALKALI SOILS 119 "The crops best adapted to marsh lands include corn, potatoes, cabbage, buckwheat, and timothy and alsike clover for hay. When the soil is thoroughly firmed by rolling, small grains can be grown, of which wheat and barley are best, with oats and rye second. Excellent tame grass pastures can be developed on these marshes with proper care." PLANT FOOD IN DIFFERENT SOILS* It is true that plants are composed very largely of the elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, that carbon and oxygen are ob- tained from the carbon dioxid in the air, and that hydrogen is one of the elements of which water is formed. It is also true that plants must be supplied with the elements sulfur and iron, but these two elements are required by plants in relatively small amounts, and practically all soils are abundantly supplied with them. The other five elements of plant food, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, cal- cium, and magnesium, are required by plants in very considerable amounts, and they may be present in soils in limited quantities. Nitrogen is a constituent of organic matter. Consequently, if a soil is rich in organic matter (humus or vegetable matter), it is also rich in nitrogen; and if a soil is poor in organic matter, it is also poor in nitrogen. If more nitrogen is needed it can best be obtained by growing leguminous crops, provided with the proper nitrogen-gathering bacteria, which have power to obtain nitrogen from the air. Phosphorus is also associated with organic matter to some ex- tent, so that a soil very rich in organic matter (as peaty soils) is not only exceedingly rich in nitrogen, but it is usually well sup- plied with phosphorus. In the light-colored timber soils, and in worn prairie soils, phosphorus is more or less deficient in the soil. It can be supplied profitably in steamed bone meal, and more profitably in finely ground rock phosphate, but it should be used in connection with leguminous crops or farm manure. Potassium is commonly associated with clay. It is contained in all ordinary Illinois soils, as the common prairie soils, in great abundance. Peaty soils not mixed with clay are, as a rule, very deficient in potassium. Sand soils also are usually poor in avail- able potassium, altho the total supply may be quite large, but locked up in the sand grains. Sand soils are likewise commonly deficient in some other elements of plant food, especially in nitro- gen. Calcium is contained in all limestone, and dolomitic limestone, which is the abundant limestone of northern Illinois, contains both calcium and magnesium. *For more complete information regarding the different elements of plant food the reader is referred to Bulletin 123, "The Fertility in Illinois Soils," a copy of which will be sent upon request to anyone interested in Illinois agri- culture. 120 BULLETIN No. 137 [July, With these facts in mind, it is possible for the farmer to esti- mate with some degree of accuracy what will be required to in- crease the productive capacity of the different kinds of peaty swamp soils, and whether the treatment must be continued in- definitely, year after year, or whether the soil is likely to improve after a few years. GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING PEATY SWAMP SOILS Peaty s\vamp soils may well be separated arbitrarily into five fairly distinct classes : 1. Soils in which the very peaty material extends to a depth of three or four feet at least and often to much greater depths. 2. Soils with one to three feet of .peaty material resting on deep sand. 3. Soils with one to three feet of peaty material resting on rock, usually with some inches of sandy material between the two. 4. Soils with six inches to three feet of peaty material resting on a clayey subsoil. 5. Soils with only a few inches of peaty material resting on sand. If the soil has one to three feet of very peaty material and this is underlain with a deep sand subsoil or with sand resting on rock, or if the peaty soil itself is very deep (3 or 4 feet or more), then the land is almost certainly deficient in potassium, and the chief part of the potassium required to produce crops must always be supplied, either in the form of commercial potassium salts or in farm manure, because of the simple fact that it cannot be furnished by either the soil or subsoil in sufficient quantities for continuous large crops. As the one to three feet of peaty material is exceed- ingly rich in organic matter, and is much richer in nitrogen, and usually somewhat -better supplied with phosphorus, than the most fertile normal soils in the corn belt, that land is not in need of either of those elements, and probably it will be unnecessary to grow clover or to apply phosphorus on such soils for many years. Indeed, it seems altogether likely that the most profitable system of farming for such soils is almost continuous corn, unless some rotation should become necessary because of corn insects. As farm manure contains about as much nitrogen as potassium, and also some phosphorus, it is better farm practice to use farm manure on sandy land, for example, which is usually somewhat deficient in available potassium, and very greatly in need of nitrogen and or- ganic matter, than it is to use the manure on this peaty soil which needs only potassium. Ordinary farm manure contains about 8 1912} PEATY SWAMP LANDS ; SAND AND ALKALI SOILS 121 pounds of potassium in a ton, and some of this is not very readily available, excepting in such kinds as horse manure which decom- pose quickly. If one has abundance of farm manure, and does not need to use it all on lighter soils, of course it should be applied to the peaty soils rather than not be used at all; but under the ordinary farm conditions, where the supply of farm manure is very limited, it is good practice to purchase commercial potassium for such peaty lands as need it. As stated above, there are some peaty soils which are underlain with clay subsoils lying from 6 inches to three feet below the sur- face. Such subsoils almost invariably contain an abundance of po- tassium. Some of these are the soils which will ultimately "farm out," to use a phrase local to the Kankakee swamp region, which means that with continued farming the soil gradually improves until it finally becomes a normally fertile soil, even without any special treatment. The time required for this improvement will depend upon the condition and method of management of the soil. The desired result is usually accomplished by getting some of the clayey subsoil mixed with the more peaty top soil. Sometimes this can be done by deeper plowing; sometimes by the tramping of live stock, where the subsoil is near the surface. Some soils of this class are temporarily benefited very markedly by even light applications of potassium, either in farm manure (preferably horse manure) or in commercial form. This will furnish sufficient po- tassium to give the corn a start, and the corn roots will thus be enabled to grow sufficiently to reach the clayey subsoil which will then furnish an abundance of potassium for a large crop. This may last for a year or two only, when it will be found necessary to supply more potassium to the top soil ; or, the one or two years' cropping and cultivation may result in the compacting of the sur- face soil, the mixing of the clayey subsoil with the peaty top soil, or the bringing up of sufficient potassium from the subsoil into the top soil by the roots of corn and weeds and the corn-stalks (which, it should be remembered, are quite rich in potassium, and which are usually either burned or plowed under) so that no further ap- plication of potassium may be necessary. Thus, the so-called "farming out" process may be hastened very materially, and with decided profit on some soils, by applying potassium in some form, especially where the peaty top soil is too deep to admit of reaching the clayey subsoil with the plow. In its original condition this type of peaty land (that is, a peaty top soil underlain with a clay subsoil) contains an abundance of all of the elements of plant food ; but the difficulty is that the nitrogen is nearly all in the top soil, while the potassium is very largely in 122 BULLETIN No. 157 [July, the subsoil (both soil and subsoil commonly contain enough phos- phorus), and the chief problem with these particular soils is to bring these elements together in the top soil sufficient for the needs of the growing crop, especially during its earlier growth before its roots reach the lower stratum. Very satisfactory results have been obtained upon this parti- cular kind of soil, in Ford county, Illinois, simply by means of very deep plowing, as on Mr. S. K. Marston's farm in what is called "Vermilion Swamp," in northern Ford county. A careful examination was made by the Experiment Station of land in this swamp some years ago. The soil produced very poor crops of corn, but the clayey subsoil was found to be within the reach of the plow, and it w r as then agreed with Mr. Marston that a trial of deep plowing should be made, and the result has been very suc- cessful, as will be seen from the following extracts from a letter received from Mr. Marston : "ONARGA, ILL., October 31, 1903. "DR. C. G. HOPKINS, "DEAR SIR : "I went to my farm yesterday to ascertain the effect of the fertilizers that I had used. My tenant says he can see no perceptible effect. But I can say that deep plowing has done the business. I saw yesterday some of the finest, soundest, heaviest corn I ever saw, and the yield sixty bushels to the acre. My tenant is a thorough convert to deep plowing. His plowing this year is nearly a foot deep. We have decided that the soil contains all necessary constituents. Deep plowing seems to be a great success. "Respectfully, "S. K. MARSTON." There is still another kind of peaty swamp land which must be mentioned. This is land whose soil consists of only a few inches of peaty material, which is underlain by sand to a depth of several feet. We have found quite extensive areas of this type of soil, especially in the southeastern part of Kankakee county. The sandy subsoil will usually furnish somewhat more available potassium than the peaty material, and the sand, being near the surface, be- comes mixed with the peaty material by plowing and cultivation, so that this soil may produce fair crops for a few years. But after the rather small amount of organic matter becomes reduced by cultivation, this type of soil is but little different from ordinary sand soil, which is usually very poor in nitrogen and rather low in all elements of plant food. If the sand contains some clay, which is quite frequently the case, it will be better supplied with potassium than with the other elements. As a rule it is deficient in available potassium, and after a few years of cropping it also becomes deficient in nitrogen. It will be of interest and value even to farmers who may have such very sandy swamp soils to know of the results which have 1912} PEATY SWAMP LANDS; SAND AND ALKALI SOILS 123 been obtained from our "complete fertility tests" on the sand ridge soil in Tazewell county, a type of soil which is more deficient in nitrogen. This is one of the regular University of Illinois soil experiment fields. It is located in the S. W. 10 of N. W. 40, of N. W. X of Section 3, Township 22 N., Range 5 W. of 3rd P. M., about two miles southwest of Green Valley, Tazewell county, Illinois, on the farm of Mr. J. C. Drake. The soil is typical of the cultivated sand ridge soil, and fairly represents very large areas of sandy land, not only in Tazewell' and Mason counties, but also in Whiteside and adjoining counties, Kankakee and adjoining counties, and in smaller areas in many other parts of Illinois. In composition this soil averages about 1400 pounds of nitro- gen, 800 of phosphorus, and 31,000 pounds of potassium in the surface 6^3 inches (2 l / 2 million pounds). The high percentage of potassium shows that this soil is not a pure quartz sand, but is to a considerable extent of granitic origin. In composition this soil is extremely poor in nitrogen, rich in potassium, and fairly well supplied with phosphorus, if we consider its very porous character and the very deep feeding range afforded to plant roots. This field was broken out of pasture in 1902. In Table 7 are reported all results secured in the six years 1902 to 1907 from that part of the Green Valley field where the nitrogen as well as the other elements were supplied in commercial form. (This ex- perimental field was conducted on leased land and this work was discontinued after six years.) Plots i (especially) and 2 in this series were naturally more productive than the other plots, it being the regular custom of the Experiment Station to use the most productive land for the un- treated check plots if any such differences are apparent when the field is established, as was the case in this instance. Plot i serves only as a check against the lime treatment, and the average of Plots 2, 4, 5, and 8 gives a more reliable basis of comparison for ascertaining the effect of nitrogen. A four-year rotation of corn, corn, oats, and wheat was prac- ticed on this part of the Green Valley field, and at the end of six years we are at the middle of the second rotation. To facilitate summarizing the six years' results the total value of the six crops from each plot is shown in the last column, and at the bottom of the table are shown the average increase in yield for each year and the total value of the six years' increase ( i ) for nitrogen under the four conditions, (2) for phosphorus in addition to nitrogen (2 tests each year), and (3) for potassium in addition 124 BULLETIN No. 157 [July, TABI,E 7. CROP YIEL.DS IN Soil, EXPERIMENTS, GREEN VALLEY FIEU> Soil plot No. Sand ridge soil Grain, bushels per acre Total value of crops for 6 years Treatment applied 1902 Corn 1903 Corn 1904 Oats 1905 Wheat 1906 Corn 1907 Corn 1 2 None 68.7 68.2 56.3 42.0 49.7 35.9 18.3 19.0 32.9 17.8 35.3 29.5 $ 92.86 77.41 Lyime 3 4 5 6 7 8 68.6 30.3 23.1 65.4 24.9 20.1 44.4 20.3 16.9 23.5 16.7 16.5 62.9 10.4 8.4 58.9 13.1 12.8 117.08 44.32 38.32 L/ime, potassium L/ime, nitrogen, phosphorus 57.4 70.0 49.8 69.8 72.9 39.6 51.9 54.7 36.9 26.8 36.5 13.7 70.8 74.8 18.3 64.7 73.6 27.7 123.69 141.19 66.21 L/ime, nitrogen, potas- sium L/ime, phosphorus, 9 10 L/ime, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium Nitrogen, phosphorus, 69.5 57.2 69.8 66.1 47.8 50.0 36.2 26.5 66.4 66.0 73.6 71.9 135.05 122.47 Average gain for nitro- 23.5 6.8 5.9 37.8 3.8 .7 22.3 3.1 .3 14.3 11.2 1.5 55.0 3.8 3. 46.9 11.8 2.9 72.71 17.79 .22 & Ave sii Ave ph rage gain for potas- rage gain for phos- orus over nitrogen to nitrogen (2 tests each year). Nitrogen is so clearly the limit- ing element that the only question regarding phosphorus and po- tassium is, will either of them effect a further increase after nitrogen has been applied. As an average of four tests covering six years, the addition of nitrogen to this sand soil has produced increases valued at $72.71 an acre, averaging $12.12 a year, at a cost of $15.00 a year for 100 pounds of nitrogen in dried blood. In one instance the in- crease produced has actually exceeded in value the cost of the nitrogen applied, if we disregard the cost and effect of the potas- sium. Thus, the total value of the six crops from Plot 5, treated with lime and potassium, is $38.32, while $141.19 is the corre- sponding value for Plot 7, which differs from Plot 5 only by the addition of nitrogen. Under these conditions 600 pounds- of nitrogen costing only $90.00 have produced an increase of $102.87 per acre in six years. So far as we have discovered this is the only instance where the use of commercial nitrogen has paid its cost in the production of ordinary farm crops in Illinois, and even here we must not overlook the fact that $15 worth of potassium was associated with /9/ - **': *' /t* 1 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA Q.630.7IL6B C001 BULLETIN. URBANA 153-1651912-13 30112019528428