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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

Agricultural Experiment Station

Jgijg'&vnr

SOIL REPORT NO. 34

MARION COUNTY SOILS

Bt R. S. SMITH, E. A. NORTON, E. E. DbTURK, F. C. BAUER,
and L. H. SMITH

URBANA, ILLINOIS, NOVEMBER, 1926

■

The Soil Survey of Illinois was organized under the general supervision
of Professor Cyril G. Hopkins, with Professor Jeremiah G. Mosier directly
in charge of soil classification and mapping. After working in association
on this undertaking for eighteen years, Professor Hopkins died and Profes-
sor Mosier followed two years later. The work of these two men enters so
intimately into the whole project of the Illinois Soil Survey that it is im-
possible to disassociate their names from the individual county reports.
Therefore recognition is hereby accorded Professors Hopkins and Mosier for
their contribution to the work resulting in this publication.

STATE ADVISOBY COMMITTEE ON SOIL INVESTIGATIONS

1926-1927

Balph Allen, Delavan

F. I. Mann, Oilman

N. P. Goodwin, Palestine

A. N. Abbott, Morrison
G. F. Tullock, Bockford
W. E. Riegel, Tolono

RESEARCH AND TEACHING STAFF IN SOILS
1926-1927

Herbert W. Mumf ord, Director of the Experiment Station
W. L. Burlison, Head of Agronomy Department

Soil Physics and Mapping
R. S. Smith, Chief
O. I. Ellis, Assistant Chief

D. C. Wimer, Assistant Chief

E. A. Norton, Associate
M. B. Harland, Associate
R. S. Stauffer, Associate

D. C. Maxwell, Assistant
M. R. Isaacson, Assistant

Soil Fertility and Analysis

E. E. DeTnrk, Chief

V. E. Spencer, Associate

F. H. Crane, Associate

J. C. Anderson, First Assistant
R. H. Bray, First Assistant

E. G. Sieveking, First Assistant
H. A. Lunt, First Assistant

B. Cowart, Assistant

M. P. Catherwood, Assistant

F. M. Willhite, Assistant

Soil Experiment Fields
F. C. Bauer, Chief*
H. J. Snider, Assistant Chief
John Lamb, Jr., Associate
M. A. Hein, Associate
C. J. Badger, Associate
A. L. Lang, Associate
A. U. Thor, First Assistant
J. E. McKittrick, Assistant
L. B. Miller, Assistant

Soil Biology

O. H. Sears, Assistant Chief
F. M. Clark, Assistant
W. B. Carroll, Assistant
W. B. Paden, Assistant

Soils Extension

F. C. Bauer, Professor*
C. M. Linsley, Associate

Soil Survey Publications
Li. H. Smith, Chief
F. W. Gault, Scientific Assistant
Nellie Boucher Smith, Editorial
Assistant ■

* Engaged in SolU Extension as well as in Soil Experiment Fields.

(

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

It is a matter of common observation that soils vary tremendously in their
productive power, depending upon their physical condition, their chemical com-
position, and their biological activities. For any comprehensive plan of soil
improvement looking toward the permanent maintenance of our agricultural
lands, a definite knowledge of the various existing kinds or types of soil is a
first essential. It is the purpose of a soil survey to classify the various kinds of
soil of a given area in such a manner as to permit definite characterization for
description and for mapping. With the information that such a survey affords,
every farmer or landowner of the surveyed area has at hand the basis for a
rational system of improvement of his land. At the same time the Experiment
Station is furnished an inventory of the soils of the state, upon which intelli-
gently to base plans for those fundamental investigations so necessary for solving
the problems of practical soil improvement.

This county soil report is one of a series reporting the results of the soil sur-
vey which, when completed, will cover the state of Illinois. Each county report
is intended to be as nearly complete in itself as it is practicable to make it, even
at the expense of some repetition. There is presented in the form on an Appendix
a general discussion of the important principles of soil fertility, in order to help
the farmer and landowner to understand the significance of the data furnished
by the soil survey and to make intelligent application of the same in the mainte-
nance and improvement of the land. In many cases it will be of advantage to
study the Appendix in advance of the soil report proper.

Data from experiment fields representing the more extensive types of soil,
and furnishing valuable information regarding effective practices in soil manage-
ment, are embodied in form of a Supplement. This Supplement should be re-
ferred to in connection with the descriptions of the respective soil types found
in the body of the report.

While the authors must assume the responsibility for the presentation of this
report, it should be understood that the material for the report represents the
contribution of a considerable number of the present and former members of the
Agronomy Department working in their respective lines of soil mapping, soil
analysis, and experiment field investigation. In this connection special recogni-
tion is due the late Professor J. G. Hosier, under whose direction the soil survey
of Marion county was conducted, and to Mr. H. C. Wheeler, who was in direct
charge of the field party in the construction of the map.

XI UR8A;

CONTENTS OF SOIL REPORT No. 33
MARION COUNTY SOILS

PAGE

LOCATION AND CLIMATE OF MARION COUNTY 1

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION 1

SOIL FORMATION 2

Geological History 2

Soil Development 4

Physiography and Drainage 4

Soil Groups 5

INVOICE OF THE ELEMENTS OF PLANT FOOD IN MARION COUNTY SOILS. ... 7

The Upper Sampling Stratum 8

The Middle and Lower Sampling Strata 10

DESCRIPTION OF SOIL TYPES 13

(a) Upland Prairie Soils 13

(b) Upland Timber Soils 18

(d) Residual Soils 22

(e) Old Swamp and Bottom-Land Soils 22

APPENDIX

EXPLANATIONS FOR INTERPRETING THE SOIL SURVEY 24

Classification of Soils 24

Soil Survey Methods 26

PRINCIPLES OF SOIL FERTILITY 27

Crop Requirements with Respect to Plant-Food Materials 28

Plant-Food Supply 28

Liberation of Plant Food 30

Permanent Soil Improvement 31

SUPPLEMENT

EXPERIMENT FIELD DATA 41

The Odin Field 42

The Toledo Field 55

The Newton Field 57

The DuBois Field 62

The Ewing Field 64

MARION COUNTY SOILS

By R. S. SMITH, E. A. NORTON, E. E. DeTURK, F. C. BAUER, AND L. H. SMITH1

LOCATION AND CLIMATE OF MARION COUNTY

Marion county is located in the central southern part of Illinois, near the
center of that area commonly referred to as "Egypt." The county is square in
shape, is of medium size, and contains 565 square miles. It lies entirely within
the geological area now thought by geologists to be of pre-Illinoisan age.

The climate of Marion county is characterized by a wide range between the
extremes of winter and summer and by an abundant, fairly well-distributed
rainfall with the exception that the months of July and August are likely to be
drouthy. In some years the rainfall during these months is excessive and comes
in the form of thunder showers which beat the ground and are otherwise harmful.
The average annual rainfall during the past thirty years, as computed from
Weather Bureau stations in the vicinity of Marion county, has been 40.34 inches.
The average rainfall by months for this period has been as follows: January,
3.03 inches ; February, 2.63 ; March, 3.24 ; April, 3.85 ; May, 3.98 ; June, 4.19 ;
July, 3.39; August, 3.57; September, 3.66; October, 3.02; November, 2.95;
December, 2.83.

The greatest range in temperature for any one year during the past thirty
years, also computed from Weather Bureau stations in the vicinity of this county,
was 126 degrees in 1899. The lowest temperature recorded was 22° below zero in
February, 1899; the highest, 113° in July, 1901. The average date of the last
killing frost in the spring is April 14 ; the earliest in the fall, October 16. The
average length of the growing season is 185 days.

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

Marion county is distinctly agricultural; there is no large industry of
importance in the county other than that of farming. Farming, however, is
tending toward specialized crops, because of certain soil characteristics and the
influence of climate. According to the Fourteenth Census of the United States,
there were 3,097 farms in Marion county in 1919, the average size of farm being
106.8 acres, 90.7 of which were improved. Of these 3,097 farms, 22.8 percent
were operated by tenants in 1919. The number of farms has decreased slightly
in the past twenty years, and there has been also a slight decrease in tenantry
corresponding to the decrease in farms over the same period.

The principal crops grown in this county are fruits, hay, corn, wheat, and
oats. The following tables show the acreage and yield of the more important
field crops for the year of 1919, as given by the above-mentioned Census.

1 R. S. Smith, in charge of soil survey mapping; E. A. Norton, associate in soil survey
mapping; E. E. DeTurk, in charge of soil analysis; F. C. Bauer, in charge of experiment fields;
L. H. Smith, in charge of publications.

Soil Report No. 34

[November,

Crops

Acreage Production

Corn

Wheat ,

Oats

Rye

Timothy

Timothy and clover mixed .

Clover

Redtop ,

Silage crops

Corn for forage

32,052
30,638
33,059
2,987
13,403
'2,546

346
32,184

819
10,473

285,994

371,056

578,532

25,713

11,522

2,779

415

22,803

3,250

11,461

bu.

tons

Yield per acre

8.9 bu.

12.1 bu.

17.5 bu.

8.6 bu.

.86 ton

1.09

1.20

.71

3.96

tons
tons
ton
tons

1.09 tons

In considering these figures it should be borne in mind that they represent
the yields of a single year only, those of 1919, which appears to have been an
exceedingly poor year for corn. Figures furnished by the U. S. Department of
Agriculture give the following average acre yields for the ten-year period 1911-
1920: corn, 18.3 bushels; wheat, 12.8 bushels; oats, 18.6 bushels; tame hay, .93
ton. Leguminous crops such as cowpeas and sweet clover have been given con-
siderable attention during the past five years.

Fruits, particularly apples, peaches, and strawberries, have been fairly
remunerative in the past and give promise to be more so in the future. The
following figures show the production in Marion county for the last Census year :

Tree Fruits Production

Apples 170,138 bu.

Peaches 27,800 bu.

Pears 26,519 bu.

Cherries 390 bu.

Small Fruits Production

Strawberries 351,938 qts.

Raspberries 4,793 qts.

Blackberries and dewberries.. 30,410 qts.

Grapes 48,248 lbs.

Marion county is not an important livestock county. The total value of all
livestock and livestock products in 1919 was $3,730,776. The following figures
from the 1920 Census show the character of the livestock interests :

Animals and Animal Products Number Value

Horses 11,401 $750,981

Mules 1,847 157,920

Beef cattle 5,340 250,497

Dairy cattle 16,078 875,979

Sheep 7,837 89,778

Swine 13,488 156,939

Eggs and chickens 562,010

Dairy- products 477,289

SOIL FORMATION

GEOLOGICAL HISTORY

Previous to the Glacial period the country thruout the state of Illinois was
generally rough, having been cut by numerous streams into hilly topography.
During the Glacial period snow and ice accumulated in the region of Labrador
and to the west of Hudson Bay in such large amounts that the mass pushed
outward from these centers, chiefly southward. In moving across the country
from the north, the ice gathered up all sorts and sizes of materials including
clay, silt, sand, gravel, boulders, and even immense masses of rock. Some of these
materials were carried several hundred miles as the ice pushed forward, and an
immense amount of rock powder was produced by the grinding or file-like action
of the rock material imbedded in the ice.

1926] Marion County 3

During this period at least six distinct ice advances occurred that were
separated by long periods of time. They are listed as follows, in the order of their
occurrence : the Nebraskan, the Kansan, the Illinoisan, the Iowan, the early
Wisconsin, and the late Wisconsin. While geologists have accurately traced the
limits of advance of the later glaciations, the exact area covered by the earlier
ones is difficult to determine because of the effect of subsequent glaciations.

The material transported by the glaciers varied with the character of the
rocks over which they passed. Granites, sandstones, limestones, shales, etc., were
torn from their lodging places by the enormous denuding power of the ice sheet
and ground up together, thus forming an immense amount of fine sediment.
A pressure of 40 pounds a square inch is exerted by a mass of ice 100 feet thick,
and these ice sheets were hundreds, or possibly thousands, of feet in thickness.
The materials carried along in the ice, especially the boulders and pebbles, be-
came powerful agents for grinding and wearing away the surface over which
they passed. Preglacial ridges and hills were rubbed down, valleys were filled
with debris, and the surface features entirely changed. The mixture of materials
deposited by the glacier is known as boulder clay, till, glacial drift, or simply
drift.

A glacial advance prior to the Illinoisan extended over most of the state and
covered Marion county. Many of the preglacial ridges or valleys were rubbed
down or covered up with drift by this ice sheet, so that all surface indications
of preglacial topography have been completely obliterated. The upland in the
northern part of the county was covered to an average depth of 18 to 25 feet,
the deposit being more shallow to the south. Along the southern border of the
county the drift is about 12 feet deep, and on the ridges it is rarely over 10 feet
and often no more than 5 feet. The old valleys were filled to depths of 40 to
100 feet. The comparatively level surface thruout Marion county is the result of
glacial denudation and deposition.

It should be understood that the glacial drift itself makes up only part of
the actual soil material in this county, for after the Glacial period this region
was partially covered by a stratum of wind-blown, silty material known as loess.
This wind-blown material was the rock flour produced by the grinding action
of the glacier which was carried out and deposited in the flood plains and river
bottoms during the time the glacier was melting and receding. There it dried,
was picked up by the wind, and carried over the upland as dust. It was sorted
and re-sorted by the wind, the coarser materials being deposited near the source
and the finer or lighter material being carried many miles. Marion county
received only a shallow deposit of this silty loess because it was some distance
from any main drainage outlet, The loessial deposit probably varies from a few
inches on the east side of the county to a few feet on the west,

The glacial drift which has been exposed on or near the surface during the
long interval of time which has elapsed since its deposition has weathered into
finely divided particles with only an occasional pebble, chiefly chert, remaining.
It is very difficult, and perhaps impossible, to distinguish between this thoroly
weathered drift and loess. In all probability this decomposed glacial material
has become mixed with the wind-blown, silty loess, giving the county a loess-like

4 Soil Report No. 34 [November,

covering varying from 20 inches in the eastern part to about 4 feet in the western
part. On the steep slopes, where erosion has removed some or all of this loess-
like material, the sandy, pebbly drift is exposed and forms the soil material.

SOIL DEVELOPMENT

Glacial till and silty loess, principally a mixture of the two, are the soil
materials from which the soils of Marion county have been derived. The agencies
of weathering acted upon these deposits causing the leaching of certain minerals,
the accumulation of others, and the movement of particles into layers, zones, or
horizons. This, with the addition of organic matter from the decay of roots and
other plant growth, formed the soil.

The soil was probably much darker in color and much more productive in
the earlier periods of its existence than at present. As time went on two im-
portant changes occurred in the soil which served to reduce its productivity.
Shrubs and trees appeared near the stream channels and in well-drained areas,
and forests gradually spread over the prairies. In upland forests the residues
consist mainly of fallen leaves, branches, and dead trees, which become almost
completely destroyed either by burning or by exposure to the oxygen of the air
and to fungi. The second important change which took place in the soil was the
concentration of the smaller soil particles, thru the downward movement of soil
water, into a restricted zone, known as the B horizon, until their accumulation
impaired underdrainage. The impervious layer or "tight clay" thus formed
has been commonly, tho erroneously, called "hardpan. " This condition caused
the soil to become water-logged in the rainy seasons, and extremely dry during
summer and fall, thus retarding the accumulation of organic matter. The soils
of Marion county are characterized by a strongly developed B horizon, or ac-
cumulative zone.

PHYSIOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE

Marion county is one of the most level counties in the state. It does not have
extremes in topography ; in fact, there is less than 150 feet of difference in the
altitude of the highest and lowest points in the county. The altitudes of some
of the places are as follows : Centralia 500 feet above sea level ; Fairman, 530 ;
Kell, 607; Kinmundy, 609; Patoka, 512; Odin, 529; Salem, 546; Sandoval,
490 ; Vernon, 525. There are three areas in the county, each covering 10 to 20
square miles, which have rolling topography; one, in the southwest part of
Kinmundy township (Township 4 North, Range 3 East) : the second, the east
half of Haines township (Township 1 North, Range 3 East) ; and the third, the
southern part of Centralia township (Township 1 North, Range 1 East). The
remainder of the county is flat to undulating, except for a few preglacial knolls
which rise from 15 to 60 feet above the surrounding country, and for slopes
caused by recent stream erosion along the main drainage outlets.

Marion county lies within two well-defined drainage basins, the Kaskaskia
and Little Wabash rivers (see drainage map, Fig. 1). About 60 percent of the
county is drained by the Kaskaskia system. The dividing line between it and
the Little Wabash system lies in a north-south direction about three miles east of
the center of the county, the line bending toward the northeast as it approaches

3IfRJ E. JEFFERSON

(a) UPLAND PRAIRIE SOILS

R.2 E. Base

: TIO -

LID

ooo Residual

200 Ridge Soils

300 Lower lllinoisan Glaciation

Scale

O V4 -W 1 2MQes

Gray silt loam on tight clay
Brown-gray silt loam on tight clay

(b) UPLAND TIMBER SOILS

33u Yellow-gray silt loam

3^| Yellow silt loam

| "Nnl

329 Drab silt loam

Light gray silt loam on tight clay

SOIL SURVEY MAI
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AGR

Line

R.3 E

*COUNTY

lEEND

IDGE SOILS
| Gray-red silt loam on tight clay

r'ellow-g-ay silt loam

(d) RESIDUAL SOILS

099 j Rock outcrop (sandstone)
. ' , I Small areas rock outcrop

R.4- E.

(e)l300OLD SWAMP AND BOTTOM-LAND SOILS
1331 ! Deep gray silt loam

1354 Mixed loam

1321

Drab clay loam

\P3F MARION COUNTY
RlJLTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

1926]

Marion County

*ie

R 2 £

B3E

R 4 E

Fig. 1. — Drainage Map of Marion County Showing Stream Courses

the northern border. Drainage of the western part of the county is west, then
south to the Mississippi river, while that of the eastern part is south to the Ohio
river. Surface drainage is in the early maturity stage.

Even tho drainage channels are fairly well established thruout the county,
underdrainage remains a difficult problem. The tight clay subsoil has proved
to be an obstacle which yet remains economically impossible to overcome. Tiling
is not successful and open surface ditiching is the only practical means of remov-
ing the excess water from the land.

SOIL GROUPS
The soils of Marion county are classified under the following groups:

(a) Upland Prairie Soils, including the upland soils that have not been
covered with heavy forests.

(b) Upland Timber Soils, including nearly all the upland areas which are
now, or were formerly, covered with forests.

(c) Ridge Soils, including those formed on preglacial ridges under good
drainage and well-aerated conditions. (They are designated on the map as of
the 200 group, morainal soils.)

(d) Residual Soils, including the rock outcrops from which the loess and
till have been removed by erosion.

Soil Report No. 34

[November,

(e) Bottom-Land Soils, including the overflow lands or flood plains along
streams, the swamps, and the poorly drained lowlands.

Table 1 gives the area of each type of soil in Marion county and its per-
centage of the total area. It will be observed that about 90 percent of the county
consists of upland prairie and upland timber soils in about equal proportions.
The accompanying map, appearing in two sections, shows the location and
boundary lines of the various types.

For explanations concerning the classification of soils and the interpretation
of the map and tables, the reader is referred to the first part of the Appendix.

Table 1. — Soil Types of Marion County, Illinois

Soil
type
No.

Name of type

Area in
square
miles

Area

in
acres

Percent

of total

area

(a) Upland Prairie Soils (300)

330

Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay1

251.87

.60

2.82

161 197

384

1 805

44.55

328
329

Brown-Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay

Drab Silt Loam

.11

.5'

255.29

163 386

45.16

(b) Upland Timber Soils (300)

334

Yellow-Gray Silt Loam1

199.73
41.32
15.67

127 827
26 445
10 029

35.32

335

Yellow Silt Loam

7.30

332

Light Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay

2.77

256.72

164 301

45.39

233
234

Gray-Red Silt Loam On Tight Clay1

Yellow-Gray Silt Loam1

1.57
2.62

1 005

1 677

.28
.46

4.19

2 682

.74

(d) Residual Soils (000)

099

Rock Outcrop

.01

.001

(e) Old Swamp and Bottom-Land Soils (1300)

1331

Deep Gray Silt Loam

24.85

23.86

.08

15 904

15 270

4.40

1354

Mixed Loam ■

4.22

1321

Drab Clav Loam

.01

48.79

31 225

8.63

Water

.46

294

.08

Total

565 . 46

361 894

100.00

'This is the name under which the type was originally mapped. Later investigation has
shown the desirability of making certain differentiations within the type; these are described
in the text.

R. I E

FAYETTE

(a) UPLAND PRAIRIE SOILS

000 Residual

200 Ridge Soils

300 Lower lllinoisan Glaciation

Scale

O V4 % 1 2MOfiS

Gray silt loam on tight clay
Brown-gray silt loam on tight clay

(b) UPLAND TIMBER SOILS

.T,t Yellow-gray silt loam

35
335

Yellow silt loam

329 Drab silt loam

332 I Light gray silt loam on tight clay

SOIL SURVEY MAP
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AGRI

'Li

R.3 E

C.OTrNrn

R.^ E

■ IDGE SOILS
I Gray-red silt loam on tight clay

lYellow-gray silt loam

(d) RESIDUAL SOILS

099 Rock outcrop (sandstone)

(e) 1300 OLD SWAMP AND BOTTOM-LAND SOILS
Deep gray silt loam

i * » Small areas rock outcrop

1354 , Mixed loar

,32,

Drab clay loam

)F MARION COUNTY
I LTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

•

1926] Marion County 7

INVOICE OF THE ELEMENTS OF PLANT FOOD
IN MARION COUNTY SOILS

In order to obtain a knowledge of its chemical composition, each soil type
is sampled in the manner described below and subjected to chemical analysis
for its important plant-food elements. For this purpose samples are taken
usually in sets of three to represent different strata in the top 40 inches of soil;
namely, an upper stratum (0 to 6% inches), a middle stratum (6% to 20 inches),
and a lower stratum (20 to 40 inches).

These sampling strata correspond approximately in the common kinds of
soil to 2 million pounds per acre of dry soil in the upper stratum, and to two
times and three times this quantity in the middle and lower strata respectively.
This, of course, is a purely arbitrary division of the soil section, very useful in
arriving at a knowledge of the quantity and distribution of the elements of plant
food in the soil ; but it should be borne in mind that these strata seldom coincide
with the natural strata as they actually exist in the soil and which are referred to
in describing the soil types a.s "horizons" A, B, and C. By this system of
sampling we have represented separately three zones for plant feeding. The
upper, or surface layer, includes at least as much soil as is ordinarily turned
with the plow, and this is the part with which the farm manure, limestone, and
other fertilizing materials are incorporated.

The chemical analysis of a soil, obtained by the methods here employed,
gives the invoice of the total stock of the several plant-food materials actually
present in the soil strata sampled and analyzed. It should be understood, how-
ever, that the rate of liberation from their insoluble forms, a matter of at least
equal importance, is governed by many factors, and therefore is not necessarily
proportional to the total amounts present.

For convenience in making application of the chemical analyses, the results
as presented here have been translated from the percentage basis and are given
in the accompanying tables in terms of pounds per acre. In this the assumption
is made that for ordinary types a stratum of dry soil of the area of an acre and
6% inches thick weighs 2 million pounds. It is understood, of course, that this
value is only an approximation, but it is believed that with this understanding,
it will suffice for the purpose intended. It is a simple matter to convert these
figures back to the percentage basis in case one desires to consider the information
in that form.

With respect to the presence of limestone and acidity in different strata, no
attempt is made to include in the tabulated results figures purporting to represent
their averages in the respective types, because of the extreme variations fre-
quently found within a given soil type. In examining each soil type in the field,
however, numerous qualitative tests are made which furnish general information
regarding the soil reaction, and in the discussion of the individual soil types
which follows, recommendations based upon these tests are given concerning the
lime requirement of the respective types. Such recommendations cannot be made
specific in all cases because local variations exist, and because the lime require-
ment may change from time to time, especially under cropping and soil treat-
ment. It is often desirable, therefore, to determine the lime requirement for a

8 Soil Report No. 34 [November,

given field, and in this connection the reader is referred to the section in the
Appendix dealing with the application of limestone (page 31).

THE UPPER SAMPLING STRATUM

In Table 2 are reported the total quantities of organic carbon, nitrogen,
phosphorus, sulfur, potassium, magnesium, and calcium in 2 million pounds of
the surface soil of each type in Marion county.

In connection with this table attention is called to the variation among the
soil types with respect to their content of the different plant-food elements. It
will be seen from the analyses that the variation in the organic-carbon content
of the different soils is accompanied by a similar variation in the nitrogen content.
The organic-carbon content, which serves as a measure of the total organic matter
present, is usually from 10 to 12 times that of the total nitrogen. This close
relationship is explained by the well-established facts that all soil organic matter
contains nitrogen, and that most of the soil nitrogen (usually 98 percent or more)
is present in a state of organic combination. This close relationship is also main-
tained in the middle and lower sampling strata, altho it is generally a more
narrow ratio at the deeper levels, owing to the more rapid dissipation of soil
carbon as compared with nitrogen.

The organic matter, with the accompanying nitrogen, shows some variation
among the different soil types but is comparatively low thruout the county. Of
the ten soil types for which analyses are reported in this county, only two types
contain more than 30,000 pounds of organic carbon in the surface stratum of an
acre. These are Drab Clay Loam, Bottom, and Yellow-Gray Silt Loam, Ridge,
each containing approximately 43,000 pounds an acre. The remainder of the
soils in the county range in organic-carbon content from a minimum of 12,860
pounds an acre in Yellow Silt Loam, up to 29,590 pounds in Deep Gray Silt Loam,
Bottom. The total nitrogen figures are correspondingly low, being in the latter
two types 990 and 2,900 pounds respectively. Because of the small amounts of
both nitrogen and organic matter in these soils, it is particularly important to
grow legume crops frequently as green manures and plow them down, in addi-
tion to conserving and using all the animal manure which can be produced.

Other elements are not so closely associated with each other as are organic
matter and nitrogen. However, there is some degree of correlation between sulfur,
another element used by growing plants, and organic carbon. This is because a
considerable, tho varying, proportion of the sulfur in the soil exists in the
organic form, that is, as a constituent of the organic matter. The sulfur content
of Marion county soils is on the whole rather low. It ranges, in the surface soil,
from 310 pounds to 1,100 pounds an acre. However, only two types, Yellow-
Gray Silt Loam and Drab Clay Loam, contain more than 520 pounds.

The sulfur available to crops is affected not only by the amount and solubility
of that contained in the soil, but also by the amount which is brought down
from the atmosphere in the rainfall. Sulfur dioxid escapes into the air in the
gaseous products from the burning of all kinds of fuel, particularly coal, and
possibly to some extent from the decay of vegetable and animal residues. The
gaseous sulfur dioxid is soluble in water and consequently it is dissolved out of

1926] Marion County 9

the air by rain and brought to the earth. In regions of heavy coal consumption
the amount of sulfur thus added to the soil is large. At Urbana, during the eight-
year period from 1917 to 1924 there was added to the soil by the rainfall 3.5
pounds of sulfur per acre per month, as an average. Similar observations
have been made in localities in southern Illinois for shorter periods. At Sparta,
in Randolph county, in 1921, there was added in the rainfall 3.51 pounds of
sulfur an acre in May, 7.78 pounds in August, and 9.96 pounds in September.
At Ewing, in Franklin county, during the entire season of 1921 the average
monthly precipitation contained 2.27 pounds of sulfur an acre. These figures
will afford some idea of the amount of sulfur added by rain and also of the wide
variation in these amounts under different conditions. On the whole, these facts
would indicate that the sulfur added from the atmosphere sufficiently supple-
ments that contained in the soil, so that a need for sulfur fertilizers is not likely
in Marion county.

The potassium content of the surface soil ranges from 24,680 pounds an
acre in Light Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay to 35,300 pounds in Drab Clay
Loam. From a quantitative point of view, the least of these amounts is far above
maximum crop requirements. However, the rate at which potassium is liberated
in available condition from these large reserves varies widely, and the state-
ments concerning the use of potassium fertilizers in another part of this report
are an indication that crop yields may be limited on some of the soils of Marion
county by a deficiency of available potassium.

The phosphorus content of the soils of the county is generally low, ranging
from 490 pounds an acre in Yellow Silt Loam up to 1,040 pounds in Drab Clay
Loam.

The amounts of soil calcium are uniformly low, but not lower than is to be
expected in mature soils which are acid. Soil acidity and calcium deficiencies
are very frequently, but not always, associated. The smallest amount of calcium
in the Marion county soils analyzed, 3,650 pounds an acre, is found in Yellow-
Gray Silt Loam. The largest amount found is 8,160 pounds in Drab Clay Loam.
These are all non-carbonate soils. Calcium is utilized by crops in fairly large
amounts, so that in acid soils low in calcium content, this element possibly may
not become available rapidly enough to supply crop needs. The liming of such
soils, however, will supply any calcium deficiencies in addition to the correcting
of acidity.

The content of magnesium in Marion county soils averages about 25 per-
cent higher than that of calcium. This preponderance of magnesium is a frequent
occurrence in heavy, mature soils which have been subjected to much leaching,
and, as in the case here, is most pronounced in the lower levels. The smallest
amount of magnesium found is 4,230 pounds an acre. Considering the crop
requirements for this element, it is doubtful whether magnesium ever becomes
a limiting factor in crop production. This statement, however, does not imply
the superiority of high-calcium limestone as a soil amendment, The usual com-
mercial grades of high-calcium and magnesian limestones are approximately
equal in neutralizing value, and both types of stone also contain an abundance
of calcium to make good anv soil deficiencies in this element.

Soil Report No. 34

[November,

THE MIDDLE AND LOWER SAMPLING STRATA

In Tables 3 and 4 are recorded the amounts of the plant-food elements in
the middle and lower sampling strata. In comparing these strata with the upper
stratum, or with each other, it is necessary to bear in mind that the data as given
for the middle and lower sampling strata are on the basis of 4 million and 6
million pounds of soil, and should therefore be divided by 2 and 3, respectively,
before they are compared with each other or with the data for the upper stratum,
which is on a basis of 2 million pounds.

With this in mind, it will be noted in comparing the three strata with each
other, that all of the soil types diminish rather rapidly in organic matter and
nitrogen with increasing depth, and that this diminution is very marked even in
the middle stratum. The percentages of the other elements remain about the
same, or increase slightly in the lower strata with the exception of sulfur and
phosphorus, which in some cases decrease with increasing depth. Phosphorus
has frequently been found to be low in the middle stratum, altho this condition is
not so prevalent in Marion county as is usually the case. It may be attributed

Table 2. — Plant-Food Elements in the Soils of Marion County, Illinois

Upper Sampling Stratum: About 0 to 6% Inches

Average pounds per acre in 2 million pounds of dry soil

Soil
type
No.

Soil type

Total
organic
carbon

Total
nitro-
gen

Total
phos-
phorus

Total

sulfur

Total
potas-
sium

Total
magne-
sium

Total
calcium

Upland Prairie Soils (300)

330

328

Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay. •

Brown-Gray Silt Loam On Tight

Clay

28 550

24 520

26 820

2 840

2 520
2 840

890

540
620

520

360
440

25 730

27 060
25 810

4 230

4 680

5 450

4 480
4 420

329

Drab Silt Loam

5 490

Upland Timber Soils (300)

334

Yellow-Gray Silt Loam

23 010

12 860

22 930

2 140
990

2 050

610
490

720

430
310

400

29 410
35 210

24 680

5 540
7 590

5 530

3 650

335

Yellow Silt Loam

3 760

332

Light Gray Silt Loam On Tight
Clay

4 010

Ridge Soils (200)

233

Gray-Red Silt Loam On Tight
Clay

27 380
43 180

2 720
4 000

760

780

460
1 100

27 300

28 640

5 200

7 640

4 320

234

Yellow-Gray Silt Loam

5 620

Old Swamp and Bottom-Land Soils (1300)

1331
1354

Deep Gray Silt Loam

Mixed Loam1

29 590

2 900

700

510

33 070

7 300

6 620

1321

Drab Clay Loam

43 960

4 180

1 040

1 100

35 300

10 920

8 160

LIMESTONE AND SOIL ACIDITY.— In connection with these tabulated data it should
be explained that the figures for limestone content and soil acidity are omitted not because of any
lack of importance of these factors, but rather because of the peculiar difficulty of presenting in
the form of general numerical averages reliable information concerning the limestone requirement
for a given soil type. A general statement, however, will be found concerning the lime require-
ment of the respective soil types in connection with the discussions which follow.

'On account of the heterogeneous character of Mixed Loam, chemical analyses are not included
for this type.

1926]

Marion County

Table 3. — Plant-Food Elements in the Soils of Marion County, Illinois
Middle Sampling Stratum: About 634 to 20 Inches

Average pounds per acre in 4 million pounds of dry soil

Soil
type
No.

Soil type

Total
organic
carbon

Total
nitro-
gen

Total
phos-
phorus

Total
sulfur

Total
potas-
sium

Total
magne-
sium

Total
calcium

Upland Prairie Soils (300)

330
328

329

Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay. .
Brown-Gray Silt Loam On Tight

Clay

Drab Silt Loam

27 280

44 400
40 620

3 070

3 560
3 270

1 050

1 400
1 200

720

840
340

55 540

57 640

42 560

9 770

9 760
9 800

8 050

7 280
10 830

Upland Timber Soils (300)

334
335
332

Yellow-Gray Silt Loam.

Yellow Silt Loam

Light Gray Silt Loam On Tight
Clay

15 120
11 730

15 540

1 880
1 550

1 960

1 230
970

1 340

500
450

580

62
70

220
750

54 140

11 260

12 710

11 360

4 670
4 690

6 680

Ridge Soils (200)

233
234

Gray-Red Silt Loam On Tight

Clay

Yellow-Gray Silt Loam

29 000
54 400

3 480
5 520

1 240
1 360

2
2

60 680
57 200

14 880
20 520

7 760

8 160

Old Swamp and Bottom-Land Soils (1300)

1331
1354
1321

Deep Gray Silt Loam .

Mixed Loam1

Drab Clay Loam

20 770
38 480

3 430

3 800

1 190

1 360

570

090

12 910

7i 320

9 110
16 040

LIMESTONE AND SOIL ACIDITY.— See note in Table 2.

•On account of the heterogeneous character of Mixed Loam, chemical analyses are not in-
cluded for this type.

2No analysis available; sample exhausted.

to the removal of phosphorus from this stratum by the roots of growing plants
and subsequent incorporation with the surface soil in the accumulated plant
residues.

It is frequently of interest to know the total supply of a plant-food element
accessible to the growing crops. While it is impossible to obtain this information
exactly, especially for the deeper-rooted crops, it seems probable that practically
all of the feeding range of the roots of most of our common field crops is included
in the upper 40 inches of soil. By adding together for a given soil type the
corresponding figures in Tables 2, 3, and 4, the total amounts of the respective
plant-food elements to a depth of 40 inches may be ascertained.

Considered in this manner the tables reveal a considerable variation with
respect to the relative abundance of the various elements among the different soil
types, as measured by crop requirements. We may compare in this way two
extreme soil types in the county, namely, Drab Clay Loam, Bottom, and Yellow
Silt Loam, Upland. The respective amounts of nitrogen in the two soils to a
depth of 40 inches are 11,640 and 4,100 pounds an acre, which is equivalent to
the nitrogen contained in the same number of bushels of corn, since a bushel of
corn contains approximately a pound of nitrogen. The Drab Clay Loam thus
contains nearly three times as much of this element as the Yellow Silt Loam.

Soil Report No. 34

[November,

Table 4. — Plant-Food Elements in the Soils of Marion County, Illinois
Lower Sampling Stratum: About 20 to 40 Inches

Average pounds per acre in 6 million pounds of dry soil

Soil
type
No.

Soil type

Total

organic

nitro-

phos-

sulfur

potas-

magne-

carbon

gen

phorus

sium

Total
calcium

Upland Prairie Soils (300)

330
328

329

Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay. .
Brown-Gray Silt Loam On Tight

Clay

Drab Silt Loam

26 710

3 300

2 080

970

83 020

28 060

26 820
39 620

3 660
3 920

2 460
1 500

660
540

86 520
76 720

27 060
20 200

18 160

11 520
16 060

Upland Timber Soils (300)

334

Yellow-Gray Silt Loam

18 920
8 560

16 290

2 100

1 560

2 070

2 040
1 340

1 800

500
640

960

91 770
101 940

85 470

25 220

27 140

28 590

12 110

335

Yellow Silt Loam

9 900

332

Light Gray Silt Loam On Tight
Clay

17 910

Ridge Soils (200)

233

234

Gray-Red Silt Loam On Tight

Clay..

Yellow-Gray Silt Loam

25 020
30 420

3 360
3 780

1 800
1 440

87 720
98 100

19 520
35 760

16 620
20 700

Old Swamp and Bottom-Land Soils (1300)

1331
1354

Deep Gray Silt Loam

Mixed Loam1

15 520

2 280

2 220

640

104 660

26 060

10 380

1321

Drab Clay Loam

33 600

3 660

2 040

107 040

35 880

25 680

LIMESTONE AND SOIL ACIDITY.— See note in Table 2.

'On account of the heterogeneous character of Mixed Loam, chemical analyses are not included
for this type.

2No analysis available; sample exhausted.

Drab Clay Loam also contains considerably more phosphorus than Yellow Silt
Loam. The former contains 4,440 pounds of phosphorus, which is equivalent to
25,990 bushels of corn, as compared with 2,800 pounds in the latter, equivalent
to 16,510 bushels of corn.

A comparison of the total amounts of potassium in the different soil types is
of little direct importance when it is considered that the soil containing the
smallest total amount of this element (Drab Silt Loam, 329) has in it potassium
equivalent to that contained in three-quarters of a million bushels of corn. This
large total supply of potassium should not be interpreted to mean that there
can be no need for additions of potassium salts in crop production, for potassium
minerals in the soil become soluble very slowly, and upon the rate of liberation
during the growing season rests the answer to the question whether potassium
should be supplied in a form readily available to crops.

The two soil types considered above vary widely in calcium content, the
amounts contained to a depth of 40 inches being 49,880 pounds in Drab Clay
Loam and only 18,350 pounds in Yellow Silt Loam. The relative amount of
calcium is not of so great importance directly in connection with the corn crop
as it is with respect to legumes. A ton of red clover hay, for example, contains
approximately 29 pounds of calcium. These two soils therefore contain as much
calcium as would be removed in 1,720 and 630 tons of red clover hay respectively.

1926] Marion County 13

The above statements are not intended to imply that it is possible to predict
how long it might be before a certain soil would become exhausted under a
given system of cropping. Neither do the figures necessarily indicate the imme-
diate procedure to be followed in the improvement of a soil, for other factors
enter into consideration aside from merely the amount of plant-food elements
present in the soil. Much depends upon the nature of the crops to be grown, as to
their ability to utilize plant-food materials, and much depends upon the con-
dition of the plant-food substances themselves as to their availability. Finally,
in planning the detailed procedure for the improvement of a soil, there enter
for consideration all the economic factors involved in any fertilizer treatment.
Such figures do, however, furnish an inventory of the total stocks of the plant-
food elements that can possibly be drawn upon ; and in this way these chemical
data contribute fundamental information for the intelligent planning, in a broad
way, of systems of soil management that will conserve and improve the fertility
of the land.

DESCRIPTION OF SOIL TYPES

(a) UPLAND PRAIRIE SOILS

In the following descriptions of soil types an effort is made to describe the
types which occur in Marion county as they are recognized at the present time.
It will be observed that several of the types as they appear on the soil map, which
was completed in 1915, are now recognized to include two or more types. The
topographic position and the situations in which each of these new types occur
is stated so that, in most cases, they can easily be recognized in the field.

The upland prairie soils of Marion county occupy 255.29 square miles, nearly
one-half of the total area of the county. They range in color of surface soil from
gray to grayish brown, owing to the variation in the amount and condition of the
organic matter. The surface color of the prairie soils is darker than that of the
timbered soils, owing to their higher content of organic matter, derived very
largely from the roots of prairie grasses. If the present climatic conditions have
prevailed ever since the Glacial period, it is unlikely that the soil ever contained
any more organic matter or was any darker than at present. It is probable,
however, that more favorable climatic conditions prevailed at some time after
the retreat of the glacier, and that the soils were richer and darker, containing
more organic matter which has since been reduced by the present rather high
amount of rainfall, relatively open winters, and hot, diy summers. Because of
their great age and loss of mineral plant food, the common prairie soils of southern
Illinois have become incapable of supporting a luxuriant plant growth.

The reason for the existence of so large an extent of prairie soil in the state
remains debatable. Normally forests invade and spread over the land, particu-
larly in a country where the climate and rainfall are so nearly optimum for the
development of forest vegetation as here. This prairie condition may be due to
unnatural or accidental causes, such as forest fires continually nipping the new
growth ; but it more likely is due to the drainage conditions in the soil. Most
of the prairie land is relatively flat, and prior to artificial drainage was probably

14 Soil Eeport No. 34 [November,

saturated with water or even covered with shallow lakes or ponds during a portion
of each year. These shallow lakes or ponds were probably dry only in late summer
and fall, at least not more than a few months each year. Forest vegetation would
have difficulty in making a start in a soil which remained water-logged most of
the year, while the prairie vegetation which matures in a relatively short time
could make some growth during each dry season.

Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay (330)

Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay, as it was mapped in Marion county, covers
an area of 251.87 square miles, or nearly 45 percent of the total area of the
county. This type as originally mapped is now recognized to include several
types, each with a distinct profile, and each of which is associated with a char-
acteristic topographic expression. The original name, Gray Silt Loam On Tight
Clay, has been retained for the designation of one of these types and new names
applied to the others. The new names adopted are as follows: Deep Gray Silt
Loam On Tight Clay, Gray Silt Loan On Orange-Mottled Tight Clay, Yellowish
Gray Silt Loam On Orange-Mottled Tight Clay, and Gray Silt Loam On Reddish
Brown Clay. The description of each of these types follows, together with a
statement as to its occurrence and suggestions for its management.

Deep Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay occurs in depressions at the heads of
small streams or drainage channels, at the base of long slopes, and in level basins.
The areas usually are not large, but the type is rather extensive thruout the
county. This type has received, and in many places is still receiving, a silty
wash, brought down in the run-off as sheet erosion during hard rains, from ad-
joining higher land. These low-lying, level areas originally were poorly drained
and marshy, but now surface drainage is fairly well established. Inasmuch as
the impervious layer lies moderately deep, underdrainage can be successfully
provided in many places.

The At horizon, 0 to 10 inches, is a silt loam, brownish gray in color, mealy,
laminated, and friable in structure. In certain areas black iron concretions are
found in this horizon. The A2 horizon, 10 to 24 inches, is a light brownish gray
to gray silt loam, mealy, friable, and iron-stained. A thin, ashy-gray layer occa-
sionally occurs below 20 inches. The B horizon, 24 to 35 inches, is a mottled,
pale yellow clay, plastic, compact, and somewhat impervious. Iron concretions
are usually present in abundance. Occasionally this horizon has a drabbish cast,
which probably is due to an excessively marshy condition. The C horizon, below
35 inches, is a mottled, pale yellow, friable, clayey silt loam.

Management. — Deep Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay is medium to strongly
acid to a depth of 35 or 40 inches. The portion of the type which occupies gentle
slopes has good surface drainage and, with an accessible outlet, tile drainage will
work satisfactorily on either the gentle slopes or on the low-lying level areas
because of the depth at which the impervious layer or "tight clay" lies.

This type is low in organic matter and the first step in increasing its pro-
ductivity is to add sufficient limestone for the growing of clover and then to
make one of the clovers, preferably sweet clover, one of the regular crops in the

1926] Marion County 15

rotation. After the organic matter and nitrogen deficiency has thus been taken
care of, trial should be made of one or more of the commonly used phosphates.
This type, properly managed, is one of the best upland soils in the county, and
can be better utilized for the production of grain crops than any other upland
soil.

Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay is found on the flat and gently undulating
plains. This type includes possibly one-third of the area of the entire type as
it is shown on the soil map of the county. The surface material is loess-like, but
sandy, pebbly, glacial till is encountered at depths varying from 10 to 50 inches.
This type presents the normal soil profile developed under conditions of exceed-
ingly poor drainage. Its topography is flat to gently undulating, and both the
surface and underdrainage are very poor.

Numerous small areas known as ' ' slick spots " or " scalds ' ' occur, which are
easily recognized by their light gray or greenish gray color in the lower horizons
when exposed in road cuts and along drainage channels. Their formation is
probably associated with the movement of seepage water which has resulted in
the accumulation of mineral salts and changes in the soil profile. Iron and lime
are always present to some degree, and often in concretionary form. The con-
centration of salts in these areas inhibits plant development and often is so strong
that plant growth is prevented entirely.

The Ax horizon, 0 to 8 inches, is a brownish gray, mealy, laminated, friable
silt loam. The A2 horizon, 8 to 17 inches, is an ashy, light gray, friable silt loam.
The B horizon, 17 to 28 inches, is a mottled, yellow, plastic, impervious tight clay,
often containing some sand and small pebbles mixed with black iron concretions.
In the "slick spots" the B, or tight clay, horizon usually occurs immediately
under the Aa, or surface, and presents a very pale, greenish yellow appearance,
with numerous small pebbles present. The Ca horizon, below 28 inches, is a
mottled, yellow, friable, silty clay loam containing many iron concretions, and
having a distinct columnar structure for the first 8 or 10 inches.

Management. — Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay is low in nitrogen and organic
matter and is strongly acid. It has the same management requirements as Deep
Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay, described above, but will respond less favorably
to good farming, because drainage is very poor, owing to the nearness of the
plastic subsoil to the surface and the presence of numerous scald spots. Tile
cannot be used to improve drainage on this type. If this land is to be farmed
efficiently, it is necessary to use limestone and grow sweet clover. Any addi-
tional treatment should be on a trial basis. There are indications that potash
salts may be used at a profit for corn and trial applications of rock or acid phos-
phate should be made for wheat.

This type produces good timothy hay following the application of limestone
and growth of sweet clover. Redtop is a common crop on this soil, both hay and
seed being produced. In growing the above crops, some sort of rotation, including
a legume, should be used so that the yields may be maintained. The yield of hay
or seed usually shows a marked decrease after four or five years of continuous
cropping. This soil is also adapted to growing apples. It is not a good soil for

16 Soil Report No. 34 [November,

corn, but will produce satisfactory yields in seasons which are climatically favor-
able, if sweet clover has been grown and turned under. Wheat also may be grown,
but a relatively large proportion of poor yields may be expected.

Gray Silt Loam On Orange-Mottled Tight Clay occurs on undulating to
gently rolling areas. It is equally as extensive thruout the county as Gray Silt
Loam On Tight Clay. The loess-like surface covering is about 30 inches deep
where the sandy pebbly drift is encountered. This type was formed under poor
to fair surface drainage, as is indicated by the undulating to gently rolling
topography and by the character of its profile. Slick spots occur on this type but
are not numerous.

The A1 horizon, 0 to 7 inches, is a brownish gray, mealy, friable silt loam
with a distinctly laminated structure. The A2 horizon, 7 to 17 inches, is an
ashy-gray, friable silt loam. The A3 horizon, 17 to 21 inches, is an orange-
mottled, ashy-gray, slightly compacted silt loam. The B± horizon, 21 to 26
inches, is an orange-mottled, gray, plastic, impervious tight clay. The B2 horizon,

26 to 31 inches, is a pale yellow mottled, very compact, plastic clay with numerous
iron concretions. The C horizon, below 31 inches, is a pale yellow or gray,
mottled, silty clay loam with iron concretions, and a columnar structure for the
first 8 or 10 inches. This horizon is more friable than either the Bx or B2 horizon
but is not so friable as the C horizon of the two types previously described.

Management. — This type requires the same management as Gray Silt Loam
On Tight Clay. It has good surface drainage and is a somewhat better soil than
Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay.

Yellowish Gray [Silt Loam On Orange-Mottled Tight Clay occurs on the
rolling land. The areas of this type are rather small but are scattered thruout
the county. The loess-like surface covering is shallow, seldom more than 18
inches deep, the material below this being rather sandy. On account of the
rolling topography, a profile was developed under fair to good surface drainage
conditions. This rolling topography is due to the presence of preglacial knolls
which were not smoothed off by the glacier, and to an uneven deposit of glacial
drift. Most of these areas have had a light forest growth on them at some time.

The A1 horizon, 0 to 6 inches, is a brownish yellow to brownish gray, friable
silt loam with laminated structure. The A2 horizon, 6 to 12 inches, is a yellowish
gray, mealy, friable silt loam. The A3 horizon, 12 to 16 inches, is an orange-
mottled, yellowish gray, slightly compacted, silty clay loam. The Bl horizon,
16 to 22 inches, is an orange-mottled, yellowish gray, plastic, impervious tight
clay. The B2 horizon, 22 to 27 inches, is a yellow, mottled, plastic, very compact
clay with iron concretions, and often is sandy and pebbly. The C horizon, below

27 inches, is a yellow, mottled, medium-friable, silty clay loam, containing heavy
iron concretions, sand, and small pebbles.

Management. — This type is medium to strongly acid in the surface soil and
strongly acid in the subsoil. It is good orchard land and is also well adapted
for small fruit and vegetable growing. Sufficient limestone should be applied
to grow sweet clover if orchard is to be set ; and if vegetables are to be grown,
the same procedure should be followed unless liberal applications of manure can
be made, tho an excess of limestone should be avoided.

1926] Marion County 17

This soil may be used for the general farm crops, and if so used, should be
given the same management as recommended for Deep Gray Silt Loam On
Tight Clay, page 14.

Gray Silt Loam On Reddish Brown Clay occurs on low knolls and slopes
where drainage has been very good. This type is not extensive. The sandy,
pebbly till is rather close to the surface ; in fact, the loess-like covering is seldom
more than 10 inches thick. Sheet erosion probably has removed some of the
surface material from these areas.

The A2 horizon, 0 to 9 inches, is a brownish gray, friable silt loam. The Bx
horizon, 9 to 17 inches, is a reddish brown, very compact, somewhat impervious,
plastic clay. The C horizon, below 17 inches, is a brown or drabbish yellow,
mottled, sandy or silty clay loam, containing iron concretions and small pebbles.

Management. — The very limited extent of this type makes its management
of concern only to a few individuals. Anyone who recognizes the type as occur-
ring on his farm is asked to write to the Experiment Station for information
regarding it.

Brown-Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay (328)

The total area of Brown-Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay as mapped in this
county is less than one square mile. It is all confined to the south-central part
of the county. The topography of this type is undulating, and the drainage is
poor. It differs from Deep Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay, described above, only
in that it has a slightly deeper and darker colored A horizon. The description
and management of Deep Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay (page 14) apply also
to this type.

Drab Silt Loam (329)

Drab Silt Loam is not extensive, and is confined principally to three areas
in the northeastern part of the county. This type occurs in low flat places which
originally were very poorly drained and swampy. The areas have received a
deposit of silt, varying in thickness from several inches to more than a foot, which
was brought down by sheet erosion from the surrounding slopes. The drainage
of this type can be improved by artificial methods, such as deep surface ditching
and tiling. This type closely resembles Deep Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay
described above.

The Ax horizon, 0 to 11 inches, is a dark gray, laminated, friable silt loam.
The A2 horizon, 11 to 26 inches, is a drabbish gray, friable silt loam, containing
yellow iron concretions. The B horizon, which is variable and often deeper than
26 to 38 inches, is a yellow, mottled, drabbish gray, compact, medium-plastic
clay, containing numerous iron concretions. The C horizon, below 38 inches, is a
pale yellow, mottled, more friable silty clay loam, containing iron concretions.

Management. — The reader is referred to the discussion of the management
of Deep Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay, page 14, for suggestions regarding the
management of Drab Silt Loam.

18 Soil Report No. 34 [November,

(b) UPLAND TIMBER SOILS

The upland timber soils of Marion county occupy 256.72 square miles, about
the same area as that of the upland prairie soils. Timber appears first near the
stream channels where the soil is well drained, and gradually spreads out over the
prairies as the drainage lines are extended. The soil map of this county shows
clearly how the timber has spread from the main drainage outlets. It also shows
that in the well-drained rolling land, the timber has spread farther away from
the main drainage channels, than in the flat, poorly drained areas. Much of the
original timber of this county has been cut off, and the areas cultivated, but the
soil still retains the effects left by the long-continued forest growth.

Timber soils are characterized by a yellowish or yellowish gray color, which
is due in part to the low organic-matter content. In forests the vegetable material
from trees accumulates upon the surface, and is either burned or suffers almost
complete decay by being exposed to the air. Grasses, with their abundant amounts
of humus-forming roots, grow but sparsely because of the shade. Moreover, the
organic matter that had accumulated before the timber began growing is dissi-
pated thru various decomposition processes, with the result that the nitrogen and
organic-matter contents of the soil are low.

Japanese clover, or lespedeza, a legume which will grow in a strongly acid
soil, has spread over the timber soil of this region. It affords some pasture but
is particularly beneficial in retarding erosion on cleared areas by checking run-off.

Yellow-Gray Silt Loam (334)

Yellow-Gray Silt Loam occurs principally in the outer timber belts along
streams and is by far the most extensive timbered soil type in the county. It
covers an area of 199.73 square miles, more than one-third of the entire area of
the county. The same situation exists with reference to this type, as it is shown
on the soil map, as was described above in the case of Gray Silt Loam On Tight
Clay. Yellow-Gray Silt Loam, as it was mapped in Marion county, is now
recognized as including two types as follows : Yellow-Gray Silt Loam On Tight
Clay, which occurs on flat, poorly drained areas, and Yelloiv-Gray Silt Loam On
Compact Medium-Plastic Clay, which occurs on areas having fairly good surface
drainage. This distinction is not shown on the soil map, but the types will be
described separately, since they differ materially in character and in agricultural
value.

Yellow-Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay occurs thruout the county and in-
cludes more than half of the timbered soil. The surface material is loess-like.
Sandy, pebbly, glacial drift is encountered at depths varying from 15 to 60
inches. This type was developed under poor drainage, and on flat to undulating
topography, corresponding to the conditions under which the prairie type, Gray
Silt Loam On Tight Clay, was developed. Both the surface drainage and under-
drainage of this type are poor. Slick spots, as described in the above-mentioned
corresponding prairie type, are found also in this type, but probably are not so
numerous.

1926] Marion County 19

Cultivation of the virgin timber soil has produced several changes in the
soil profile. Plowing, by turning up and mixing in some of the very light-
colored A2 horizon, has tended to increase the depth of the surface or A1 horizon,
as well as to lighten its color. Indications are that the depth and plasticity of
the upper subsoil or B horizon are increased by continued cultivation. This would
be expected, as frequent stirring of the soil should accentuate the physical move-
ment of smaller particles downward with the drainage water.

The Ax horizon, 0 to 5 inches, is a yellowish gray, laminated, friable silt loam.
The A2 horizon, 5 to 17 inches, is a very light yellowish gray, friable, ashy silt
loam, with occasionally some black iron concretions. This horizon has a laminated
structure in its upper 3 or 4 inches. The B horizon, 17 to 32 inches, is a pale
yellow, mottled, plastic tight clay with iron concretions. The C1 horizon 32 to 40
inches, is a pale yellow, mottled, compact silt loam, with distinct columnar
structure. The C2 horizon is a friable silt loam containing iron concretions.

Management. — Yellow-Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay is acid and very low
in nitrogen and organic matter. The yellowish color indicates somewhat better
drainage than occurs on Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay. Underdrainage is not
successful, however, because of the impervious nature of the subsoil. The reader
is referred to the discussion of Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay, page 15, for sug-
gestions regarding the management of this type.

Yellow-Gray Silt Loam On Compact Medium-Plastic Clay is of limited
occurrence in Marion county because of the flat topography which prevails. It
is found, however, in narrow belts just back of the steep, eroded land along the
banks of stream channels, and following out small drainage lines. It is also
found on some of the timbered glacial and preglacial knolls and ridges. The sur-
face material is all loess-like ; but sandy, pebbly, glacial drift lies from 15 to 60
inches below the surface. This type was developed under fairly good drainage
conditions, on undulating to gently rolling topography.

The A1 horizon, 0 to 7 inches, is a brownish or yellowish gray, -friable, silt
loam, with laminated structure. The A2 horizon, 7 to 17 inches, is a yellowish
gray, friable silt loam. The B horizon, 17 to 31 inches, is a slightly reddish or
brownish yellow, mottled, compact, medium-plastic clay containing some iron
concretions. The C horizon, below 31 inches, is a yellow, mottled, slightly com-
pacted, clayey silt loam, with columnar structure for the first few inches. This
horizon is friable below about 36 inches. Iron concretions, some sand, and few
pebbles are found.

Management. — Yellow-Gray Silt Loam On Compact Medium-Plastic Clay is
the best timber soil in Marion county. It has good surface drainage, and under-
drainage probably can be successfully used. The soil is acid and in need of
nitrogen and organic matter; however, it responds well to good farming; and
following the use of limestone and sweet clover, good crops can be produced
except in years which are climatically very unfavorable. The same suggestions
regarding fertilizer treatment which were made for Gray Silt Loam On Tight
Clay, page 15, apply to this type.

20 Soil Report No. 34 [November,

Yellow Silt Loam (335)

Yellow Silt Loam forms the inner timber belt along streams. It comprizes
the hilly land, most of which is badly washed and all of which is subject to erosion.
Fortunately the extent of this type in the county is not large. It is confined
principally to Skillet Fork creek and its tributaries. Very little, if any, of this
type should be cultivated. Its chief use should be for permanent pasture.
Orcharding might be practiced on the more gentle slopes. A large part of the
area could be profitably utilized for the regrowth of forests; in fact, all of the
timber never should have been cut off. Small outcroppings of shale and sand-
stone rock occur on some of the steeper slopes.

Glacial till, a sandy, pebbly clay mass, is the chief material forming this
type. It seldom shows any profile development because of the rapid removal of
soil material by erosion. The slopes are steep, the topography is rough, and both
the surface and underdrainage are good.

Management. — A very small percentage of this type is at present used for
cultivated crops. It affords a little pasture, but, in the main, yields small returns.
It is badly gullied and, in view of the fact that there is a large acreage of better
land in the county which is not fully utilized, present conditions do not appear
to warrant the expenditure of much money in its development. Some of the
better areas are well adapted to orcharding but most of the type should be re-
turned to forest.

Light Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay (332)

Light Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay occupies the very flat, exceptionally
poorly drained areas. It is associated with Yellow-Gray Silt Loam On Tight
Clay. It covers a total area of 15.67 square miles, and occurs in small areas
scattered thruout the county. Its topography is very flat, and both the surface
and underdrainage are very poor. During wet weather the surface soil is soft,
while in dry weather it bakes and becomes very hard. These areas are spoken
of as "post oak flats" or "hickory flats," because of the kind of timber which
grows on them. Black iron pellets, known as "buckshot," are found on the
surface.

The Ax horizon, 0 to 4 inches, is a light yellowish gray, friable silt loam,
laminated in structure and containing black iron concretions. The A2 horizon,
4 to 16 inches, is a light gray to white, ashy silt loam. It is laminated in the
upper 6 or 8 inches, and contains iron concretions. The B horizon, 16 to 35
inches, is a pale yellow, mottled, very plastic, impervious tight clay containing
iron concretions. The C horizon, below 35 inches, is a pale yellow, mottled,
compact silty clay loam. It contains yellow iron concretions, and has a distinct
columnar structure in the upper 8 or 10 inches. Below about 35 inches, it becomes
a yellow, mottled, friable silt loam. Some sand and small pebbles occur in the
B and C horizons, and occasionally the compact gravelly drift is found at 36
inches. Slick spots, as described under the type Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay,
occur in this type. Cultivation of this type has produced changes in the profile
such as those described under the type Yellow-Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay.

1926] Marion County 21

Management. — This soil is strongly acid, very low in organic matter, and will
not produce the grain crops except in the most favorable seasons. The flat topog-
raphy of the type makes surface drainage difficult, and underdrainage cannot be
used because of the impervious character of the subsoil. Apples do well on
this soil.

The remnants of preglacial topography, left in the form of knolls and
ridges, and the accumulations of drift left by the glacier at times when its re-
cession was interrupted, have been mapped as Ridge Soils. These higher areas
vary in extent from ten to several hundred acres, and in height from 10 to 80
feet. They vary in topography from gently rolling to fairly steep, and in drain-
age from fair to exceptionally good. Compact pebbly drift is usually found
within 40 inches of the surface, and on the preglacial knolls the depth to bed
rock is seldom over 6 feet.

Gray-Red Silt Loam On Tight Clay (233)

Gray-Red Silt Loam On Tight Clay is now recognized as including two types,
the characters of which have been developed under different conditions of topog-
raphy and drainage. The undulating to gently rolling, fairly well-drained areas
are now called Gray Silt Loam On Orange-Mottled Tight Clay. The rolling,
well-drained areas are termed Yellowish Gray Silt Loam On Orange-Mottled
Tight Clay. Both of these types have been described above, and the reader is
referred to the descriptions and management suggestions on page 16.

Yellow-Gray Silt Loam (234)

Yellow-Gray Silt Loam, Ridge, comprizes the timbered knolls and ridges
which rise from 30 to 80 feet above the surrounding country. This type is now
recognized as including three types as follows : Yellow-Gray Silt Loam On Com-
pact Medium-Plastic Clay, Reddish Yellow-Gray Silt Loam, and Reddish Yellow
Silt Loam.

Yellow-Gray Silt Loam On Compact Medium-Plastic Clay occupies the un-
dulating to gently rolling, fairly well-drained areas. This type includes most of
the Yellow-Gray Silt Loam (234) as mapped. The reader is referred to the
description of the upland timber type, Yellow-Gray Silt Loam On Medium-
Plastic Clay, and the discussion of its management on page 19.

Reddish Yellow-Gray Silt Loam occurs only on the higher ridges in the
southern part of the county and is limited in extent. It occupies steep and ex-
ceptionally well-drained areas. The surface covering is loess-like, containing
more fine sand than is usual for a silt loam, and the pebbly drift is found at
about 24 inches in depth. The topography is rolling and the drainage is very
good.

The A1 horizon, 0 to 8 inches, is a brownish or reddish yellow, friable silt
loam with laminated structure. The A2 horizon, 8 to 15 inches, is a grayish yellow,
friable silt loam. The B horizon, 15 to 23 inches, is a reddish yellow, slightly

22 Soil Report No. 34 [November, .

mottled compact silty clay loam. The C horizon, below 23 inches, is a yellow,
mottled, friable, sandy and gravelly silt loam.

Management. — Reddish Yellow-Gray Silt Loam is medium acid, and is low
in organic matter. It is an excellent peach soil and will produce good general
farm crops after the acidity has been corrected with limestone, and the nitrogen
and organic-matter deficiencies have been taken care of, preferably by the growth
of sweet clover.

Reddish Yellow Silt Loam occurs only on two or three of the highest ridges
in the southern part of the county. The surface covering is probably all decom-
posed drift, but the sandy, pebbly drift lies from 10 to 15 inches below the sur-
face. The topography of this type is steep, and the drainage exceptionally good.
Much of the surface soil is lost by gullying and sheet washing when this type of
soil is cultivated.

The Aj_ horizon, 0 to 10 inches, is a distinctly reddish yellow, friable silt loam.
The B horizon, 10 to 21 inches, is a reddish yellow, Very slightly mottled, slightly
compacted silt loam, containing some sand and pebbles. The C horizon, below
21 inches, is a fairly friable, yellow, mottled, sandy, pebbly silt loam.

Management. — Eeddish Yellow Silt Loam, because of its steep topography,
should be used for orchard or pasture. It is an excellent orchard soil and when
planted in trees can be handled in such a way as to prevent erosion.

(d) RESIDUAL SOILS

The areas mapped as residual soil include rock outcrops which are of little,
if any, agricultural importance. They are found in gullies and in other places
where erosion has removed the glacial drift. The outcroppings are chiefly sand-
stone and shale, but occasionally a thin ledge of limestone is exposed. These
limestone ledges may be used as a local source for ground limestone by installing
a portable crusher. They are too thin, however, to be of any general importance.

(e) OLD SWAMP AND BOTTOM-LAND SOILS

This group of soils includes the bottom lands along streams, the swamps,
and the poorly drained lowlands. The soil is of alluvial formation and the land
is subject to overflow. There are three types occurring in Marion county which
are classed in this group.

Deep Gray Silt Loam (1331)

Deep Gray Silt Loam is the predominating bottom-land type in southern
Illinois. It occupies 24.85 square miles in this county. The material forming
this type is mainly a silt brought down from the surrounding hills, and deposited
by slowly moving water during flood times. It has been kept under high moisture
conditions thruout most of the year. The streams flowing thru these bottom
lands are sluggish and meandering. The bottoms are flat and poorly drained.
The soil is not of sufficient age to have any well-developed profile, as each over-
flow leaves some deposit on the, surface.

1926] Marion County 23

The Ax horizon, 7 to 10 inches, is a yellowish gray, friable silt loam with iron
concretions. The A2 horizon, below 10 inches, is a gray, slightly compacted, silt
or silty clay loam, containing heavy iron concretions. In areas that are least
disturbed by deposition from overflow, a compact subsoil has developed at depths
varying from 18 to 22 inches. This compaction is rarely over 4 inches in thickness.

Management.— Deep Gray Silt Loam, Bottom, as it occurs in Marion county,
is medium acid. About 80 percent of the type is cleared and somewhat over half
of the total area is farmed. The drainage is poor, however, and this fact limits
the productivity of this soil more than any other one factor. Corn is the chief
crop grown. Tiling is effective on this land. On areas where the overflow and
drainage can be taken care of, a very satisfactory level of productivity can easily
be attained by the use of limestone and the introduction of clover as a regular
crop in the rotation.

Mixed Loam (1354)

Mixed Loam is found in the small bottom lands at the heads of streams. It
occupies 23.86 square miles. It overflows after each heavy rain and is con-
tinually receiving new deposits of material brought down from the adjoining
upland. The soil material is mainly fine sand and silt. The areas have flat
topography, and are fairly well drained. The soil shows no true profile develop-
ment because of its youth. The material ranges from a yellowish gray fine sandy
loam on the surface to a light yellowish gray or gray silt loam below 20 inches.

Management. — Mixed Loam, Bottom, is only slightly acid. It is subject to
frequent overflow and for this reason will not become more acid with cultivation,
as upland soils do. Practically the entire area of this type is farmed in corn.

Drab Clay Loam (1321)

Drab Clay Loam occupies only 51 acres, located along Crooked creek in
Township 1 North, Range 1 East. Until recent years this area has been.swampy.
It differs from Deep Gray Silt Loam only in having more of a drabbish color and
containing considerably more clay in the surface. Below 20 inches it is essentially
the same as Deep Gray Silt Loam.

Management. — Drab Clay Loam, Bottom, is medium to strongly acid. It is
used for corn growing and produces fairly good yields, tho not so good as those
produced by Mixed Loam.

APPENDIX

EXPLANATIONS FOR INTERPRETING THE SOIL SURVEY

CLASSIFICATION OF SOILS

In order intelligently to interpret the soil map, the reader must understand
something of the method of soil classification upon which the survey is based.
Without going far into details the following paragraphs are intended to furnish
a brief explanation of the general plan of classification used.

The soil type is the unit of classification. Each type has definite charac-
teristics upon which its separation from other types is based. These character-
istics are inherent in the strata, or "horizons," which constitute the soil profile
in all mature soils. Among them may be mentioned color, structure, texture,
and chemical composition. Other items which may assist in the differentiation
of types, but which are not fundamental to it, are native vegetation (whether
timber or prairie), topography, and geological origin and formation.

Since some of the terms used in designating the factors which are taken
into account in establishing soil types are technical in nature, the following defi-
nitions are introduced :

Horizon. A layer or stratum of soil which differs discernibly from those adjacent in
color, texture, structure, chemical composition, or a combination of these characteristics, is
called an horizon. In describing a matured soil, three horizons designated as A, B, and C
are usually considered.

A designates the upper horizon and, as developed under the conditions of a humid, tem-
perate climate, represents the layer of extraction or eluviation ; that is to say, material in
solution or in suspension has passed out of this zone thru the processes of weathering.

B represents the layer of concentration or illuviation ; that is, the layer developed as a
result of the accumulation of material thru the downward movement of water from the A
horizon.

C designates the layer lying below the B horizon and in which the material has been less
affected by the weathering processes.

Frequently differences within a stratum or zone is discernible, in which case it is sub-
divided and described under such designations as Aj and A2, Bj and B2, etc.

Soil Profile. The soil section as a whole is spoken of as the soil profile.

Depth and Thickness. The horizons or layers which make up the soil profile vary in
depth and thickness. These variations are distinguishing features in the separation of soils
into types.

Physical Composition. The physical composition, sometimes referred to as "texture,"
is a most important feature in characterizing a soil. The texture depends upon the rela-
tive proportions of the following physical constituents: clay, silt, fine sand, sand, gravel,
stones, and organic material.

Structure. The term "structure" has reference to the aggregation of particles within
the soil mass and carries such qualifying terms as open, granular, compact, columnar,
laminated.

Organic-Matter Content. The organic matter of soil is derived largely from plant
tissue and it exists in a more or less advanced stage of decomposition. Organic matter
forms the predominating constituent in certain soils of swampy formation.

Color. Color is determined to a large extent by the proportion of organic matter, but
at the same time it is modified by the mineral constituents, especially by iron compounds.

Reaction. The term "reaction" refers to the chemical state of the soil with respect
to acid or alkaline condition. It also involves the idea of degree, as strongly acid or
strongly alkaline.

Carbonate Content. The carbonate content has reference to the calcium carbonate
(limestone) present, which in some cases may be associated with magnesium or other car-
bonates. The depth at which carbonates are found may become a very important factor
in determining the soil type.

Topography. Topography has reference to the lay of the land, as level, rolling, hilly, etc.

1926] Marion County " 25

Native Vegetation. The vegetation or plant growth before being disturbed by man,-
as prairie grasses and forest trees, is a feature frequently recognized as determining soil
types.

Geological Origin. Geological origin involves the idea of character of rock materials
composing the soil as well as the method of formation of the soil material.

Not infrequently areas are encountered in which type characters are not
distinctly developed or in which they show considerable variation. When these
variations are considered to have sufficient significance, type separations are
made whenever the areas involved are sufficiently large. Because of the almost
infinite variability occurring in soils, one of the exacting tasks of the soil sur-
veyor is to determine the degree of variation which is allowable for any given
type.

Classifying Soil Types. — In the system of classification used, the types fall
first into four general groups based upon their geological relationships ; namely,
upland, terrace, swamp and bottom land, and residual. These groups may be
subdivided into prairie soils and timber soils, altho as a matter of fact this sub-
division is applied in the main only to the upland group. These terms are all
explained in the foregoing part of the report in connection with the description
of the particular soil types.

Naming and Numbering Soil Types. — In the Illinois soil survey a system
of nomenclature is used which is intended to make the type name convey some
idea of the nature of the soil. Thus the name "Yellow-Gray Silt Loam" car-
ries in itself a more or less definite description of the type. It should not be
assumed, however, that this system of nomenclature makes it possible to devise
type names which are adequately descriptive, because the profile of mature soils
Ls usually made up of three or more horizons and it is impossible to describe each
horizon in the type name. The color and texture of the surface soil are usually
included in the type name and when material such as sand, gravel, or rock lies
at a depth of less than 30 inches, the fact is indicated by the word "on, " and when
its depth exceeds 30 inches, by the word "over"; for example, Brown Silt Loam
On Gravel, and Brown Silt Loam Over Gravel.

As a further step in systematizing the listing of the soils of Illinois, recog-
nition is given to the location of the types with respect to the geological areas
in which they occur. According to a geological survey made many years ago,
the state has been divided into seventeen areas with respect to geological forma-
tion and, for the purposes of the soil survey, each of these areas has been assigned
an index number. The names of the areas together with their general location
and their corresponding index numbers are given in the following list.

000 Besidual, soils formed in place thru disintegration of rocks, and also rock outcrop
100 Unglaciated, including three areas, the largest being in the south end of the state
200 Illinoisan moraines, including the moraines of the Illinoisan glaciations
300 Lower Illinoisan glaciation, formerly considered as covering nearly the south third of

the state
400 Middle Illinoisan glaciation, covering about a dozen counties in the west-central part

of the state
500 Upper Illinoisan glaciation, covering about fourteen counties northwest of the middle

Illinoisan glaciation
600 Pre-Iowan glaciation, but now believed to be part of the upper Illinoisan
700 Iowan glaciation, lying in the central northern end of the state
800 Deep loess areas, including a zone a few miles wide along the Wabash, Illinois, and

Mississippi rivers

26 Soil Report No. 34: Appendix [November,

900 Early Wisconsin moraines, including the moraines of the early Wisconsin glaciation
1000 Late Wisconsin moraines, including the moraines of the late Wisconsin glaciation
1100 Early Wisconsin glaciation, covering the greater part of the northeast quarter of the

state
1200 Late Wisconsin glaciation, lying in the northeast corner of the state
1300 Biver-bottom and swamp lands, formed by material derived from the Illinoisan or older

glaciations
1400 Biver-bottom and sviamp lands, formed by material derived from the Wisconsin and

Iovvan glaciations
1500 Terraces, bench or second bottom lands, and gravel outwash plains
1600 Lacustrine deposits, formed by Lake Chicago, the enlarged glacial Lake Michigan

Further information regarding these geological areas is given in connection
with the general map mentioned above and published in Bulletin 123 (1908).

Another set of index numbers is assigned to the classes of soils as based
upon physical composition. The following list contains the names of these classes
with their corresponding index numbers.

Index Number Limits Class Names

0 to 9 Peats

10 to 12 Peaty loams

13 to 14 Mucks

15 to 19 Clays

20 to 24 Clay loams

25 to 49 Silt loams

50 to 59 Loams

60 to 79 Sandy loams

80 to 89 Sands

90 to 94 Gravelly loams

95 to 97 Gravels

98 Stony loams

99 Rock outcrop

As a convenient means of designating types and their location with respect
to the geological areas of the state, each type is given a number made up of a
combination of the index numbers explained above. This number indicates the
type and the geological area in which it occurs. The geological area is always
indicated by the digits of the order of hundreds while the balance of the number
designates the type. To illustrate : the number 1126 means Brown Silt Loam
in the early Wisconsin glaciation, 434 means Yellow-Gray Silt Loam of the mid-
dle Illinoisan glaciation. These numbers are especially useful in designating
very small areas on the map and as a check in reading the colors.

A complete list of the soil types occurring in each county, along with their
corresponding type numbers and the area covered by each type, will be found
in the respective county soil reports in connection with the maps.

SOIL SURVEY METHODS

Mapping of Soil Types. — In conducting the soil survey, the county consti-
tutes the unit of working area. The field work is done by parties of two to four
men each. The field season extends from early in April to Thanksgiving. Dur-
ing the winter months the men are engaged in preparing a copy of the soil map
to be sent to the lithographer, a copy for the use of the county farm adviser until
the printed map is available, and a third copy for use in the office in order to
preserve the original official map in good condition.

An accurate base map for field use is necessary for soil mapping. These
maps are prepared on a scale of one inch to the mile, the official data of the
original or subsequent land survey being used as the basis in their construction.

1926] Marion County 27

Each surveyor is provided with one of these base maps, which he carries with
him in the field ; and the soil type boundaries, together with the streams, roads,
railroads, canals, town sites, and rock and gravel quarries are placed in their
proper location upon the map while the mapper is on the area. With the rapid
development of road improvement during the past few years, it is almost in-
evitable that some recently established roads will not appear on the published
soil map. Similarly, changes in other artificial features will occasionally occur
in the interim between the preparation of the map and its publication. The
detail or minimum size of areas which are shown on the map varies somewhat,
but in general a soil type if less than five acres in extent is not shown.

A soil auger is carried by each man with which he can examine the soil to
a depth of 40 inches. An extension for making the auger 80 inches long is taken
by each party, so that the deeper subsoil may be studied. Each man carries a
compass to aid in keeping directions. Distances along roads are measured by
a speedometer or other measuring device, while distances in the field away from
the roads are measured by pacing.

Sampling for Analysis. — After all the soil types of a county have been
located and mapped, samples representative of the different types are collected
for chemical analysis. The samples for this purpose are usually taken in three
depths ; namely, 0 to 6% inches, 6% to 20 inches, and 20 to 40 inches, as explained
in connection with the discussion of the analytical data on page 7.

PRINCIPLES OF SOIL FERTILITY

Probably no agricultural fact is more generally known by farmers and land-
owners than that soils differ in productive power. A fact of equal importance,
not so generally recognized, is that they also differ in other characteristics such
as response to fertilizer treatment and to management.

The soil is a dynamic, ever-changing, exceedingly complex substance made
up of organic and inorganic materials and teeming with life in the form of
microorganisms. Because of these characteristics, the soil cannot be considered
as a reservoir into which a given quantity of an element or elements of plant
food can be poured with the assurance that it will respond with a given increase
in crop yield. In a similar manner it cannot be expected to respond with per-
fect uniformity to a given set of management standards. To be productive a soil
must be in such condition physically with respect to structure and moisture as
to encourage root development ; and in such condition chemically that injurious
substances are not present in harmful amounts, that a sufficient supply of the
elements of plant food become available or usable during the growing season,
and that lime materials are present in sufficient abundance favorable for the
growth of the higher plants and of the beneficial microorganisms. Good soil
management under humid conditions involves the adoption of those tillage, crop-
ping, and fertilizer treatment methods which will result in profitable and per-
manent crop production on the soil type concerned.

The following paragraphs are intended to state in a brief way some of the
principles of soil management and treatment which are fundamental to profitable
and continued productivity.

Soil Report No. 34: Appendix

[November,

Table 5. — Plant-Food Elements in

Common Farm Crops1

Produce

Nitrogen

Phos-
phorus

Sulfur

Potas-
sium

Magne-
sium

Calcium

Iron

Kind

Amount

Wheat, grain.
Wheat straw . .

1 bu.
1 ton

lbs.

1.42

10.00

lbs.

.24
1.60

lbs.

.10
2.80

lbs.
.26
18.00

lbs.

.08
1.60

lbs.

.02
3.80

26«.

.01
.60

Corn, grain . . .
Corn stover. . .
Corn cobs ....

1 bu.
1 ton
1 ton

1.00

16.00

4.00

.17
2.00

.08
2.42

.19

17.33

4.00

.07
3.33

.01
7.00

.01
1.60

Oats, grain. . .
Oats straw. . .

1 bu.
1 ton

.66
12.40

.11
2.00

.06
4.14

.16
20.80

.04
2.80

.02
6.00

.01
1.12

Clover seed . . .
Clover hay . . .

1 bu.
1 ton

1.75
40.00

.50
5.00

3.28

.75
30.00

.25
7.75

.13
29.25

1.00

Soybean seed.
Soybean hay . .

1 bu.
1 ton

3.22
43.40

.39

4.74

.27
5.18

1.26
35.48

.15
13.84

.14

27.56

Alfalfa hay . . .

1 ton

52.08

4.76

5.96

16.64

8.00

22.26

'These data are brought together from various sources. Some allowance must be made for the exactness of th e
figures because samples representing the same kind of crop or the same kind of material frequently exhibit consid-
erable variation.

CROP REQUIREMENTS WITH RESPECT TO PLANT-FOOD MATERIALS

Ten of the chemical elements are known to be essential for the growth of
the higher plants. These are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus,
sulfur, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron. Other elements are absorbed
from the soil by growing plants, including manganese, silicon, sodium, aluminum,
chlorin, and boron. It is probable that these latter elements are present in
plants for the most part, not because they are required, but because they are
dissolved in the soil water and the plant has no means of preventing their
entrance. There is some evidence, however, which indicates that certain of these
elements, notably manganese, silicon, and boron, may be either essential but
required in only minute quantities, or very beneficial to plant growth under
certain conditions, even tho not essential. Thus, for example, manganese has
produced marked increases in crop yields on heavily limed soils. Sodium also
has been found capable of partially replacing potassium in case of a shortage
of the latter element.

Table 5 shows the requirements of some of our most common field crops
with respect to seven important plant-food elements furnished by the soil. The
figures show the weight in pounds of the various elements contained in a bushel
or in a ton, as the case may be. From these data the amount of an element re-
moved from an acre of land by a crop of a given yield can easily be computed.

PLANT-FOOD SUPPLY

Of the elements of plant food, three (carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen) are
secured from air and water, and the others from the soil. Nitrogen, one of the
elements obtained from the soil by all plants, may also be secured from the air
by the class of plants known as legumes, in case the amount liberated from the

1926]

Marion County

Table 6. — Plant-Food Elements in Manure, Rough Feeds, and Fertilizers1

Material

Pounds of plant food
of material

per ton

Nitrogen

Phosphorus

Potassium

Fresh farm manure

12
10

40
43
50
80

280
310
400

80
20

2
2
2

5
5

4
8

180
250
250
125

Corn stover

Oat straw

Wheat straw

Clover hay

Cowpea hay

Alfalfa hay

Sweet clover (water-free basis)2

Dried blood

Sodium nitrate

Ammonium sulfate

Raw bone meal

Steamed bone meal

Raw rock phosphate

Acid phosphate

Potassium chlorid

850

Potassium sulfate

850

Kainit «

200

Wood ashes3 (unleached)

100

'See footnote to Table 5.

2Young second-year growth ready to plow under as green manure.

3 Wood ashes also contain about 1,000 pounds of lime (calcium carbonate) per ton.

soil is insufficient; but even these plants, which include only the clovers, peas,
beans, and vetches among our common agricultural plants, are dependent upon
the soil for the other six elements (phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium,
iron, and sulfur), and they also utilize the soil nitrogen so far as it becomes
soluble and available during their period of growth.

The vast difference with respect to the supply of these essential plant-food
elements in different soils is well brought out in the data of the Illinois soil
survey. For example, it has been found that the nitrogen in the surface 6%
inches, which represents the plowed stratum, varies in amount from 180 pounds
per acre to more than 35,000 pounds. In like manner the phosphorus content
varies from about 420 to 4,900 pounds, and the potassium ranges from 1,530 to
about 58,000 pounds. Similar variations are found in all of the other essential
plant-food elements of the soil.

With these facts in mind it is easy to understand how a deficiency of one
of these elements of plant food may become a limiting factor of crop production.
When an element becomes so reduced in quantity as to become a limiting factor
of production, then we must look for some outside source of supply. Table 6
is presented for the purpose of furnishing information regarding the quantity
of some of the more important plant-food elements contained in materials most
commonly used as sources of supply.

30 Soil Report No. 34: Appendix [November,

LIBERATION OF PLANT FOOD

The chemical analysis of the soil gives the invoice of plant-food elements
actually present in the soil strata sampled and analyzed, but the rate of libera-
tion is governed by many factors, some of which may be controlled by the farmer,
while others are largely beyond his control. Chief among the important con-
trollable factors which influence the liberation of plant food are the choice of
crops to be grown, the use of limestone, and the incorporation of organic matter.
Tillage, especially plowing, also has a considerable effect in this connection.

Feeding Power of Plants. — Different species of plants exhibit a very great
diversity in their ability to obtain plant food directly from the insoluble minerals
of the soil. As a class, the legumes — especially such biennial and perennial
legumes as red clover, sweet clover, and alfalfa — are endowed with unusual
power to assimilate from mineral sources such elements as calcium and phos-
phorus, converting them into available forms for the crops that follow. For this
reason it is especially advantageous to employ such legumes in connection with
the application of limestone and rock phosphate. Thru their growth and subse-
quent decay large quantities of the mineral elements are liberated for the benefit
of the cereal crops which follow in the rotation. Moreover, as an effect of the
deep-rooting habit of these legumes, mineral plant-food elements are brought up
and rendered available from the vast reservoirs of the lower subsoil.

Effect of Limestone. — Limestone corrects the acidity of the soil and supplies
calcium, thus encouraging the development not only of the nitrogen-gathering
bacteria which live in the nodules on the roots of clover, cowpeas, and other
legumes, but also the nitrifying bacteria, which have power to transform the
unavailable organic nitrogen into available nitrate nitrogen. At the same time,
the products of this decomposition have power to dissolve the minerals contained
in the soil, such as potassium and magnesium compounds.

Organic Matter and Biological Action. — Organic matter may be supplied
thru animal manures, consisting of the excreta of animals and usually accom-
panied by more or less stable litter; and by plant manures, including green-
manure crops and cover crops plowed under, and also crop residues such as stalks,
straw, and chaff. The rate of decay of organic matter depends largely upon its
age, condition, and origin, and it may be hastened by tillage. The chemical
analysis shows correctly the total organic carbon, which constitutes, as a rule,
but little more than half the organic matter; so that 20,000 pounds of organic
carbon in the plowed soil of an acre corresponds to nearly 20 tons of organic
matter. But this organic matter consists largely of the old organic residues that
have accumulated during the past centuries because they were resistant to decay,
and 2 tons of clover or cowpeas plowed under may have greater power to liberate
plant-food materials than 20 tons of old, inactive organic matter. The history of
the individual farm or field must be depended upon for information concerning
recent additions of active organic matter, whether in applications of farm
manure, in legume crops, or in sods of old pastures.

The condition of the organic matter of the soil is indicated to some extent
by the ratio of carbon to nitrogen. Fresh organic matter recently incorporated
with the soil contains a very much higher proportion of carbon to nitrogen than

1926] Marion County 31

do the old resistant organic residues of the soil. The proportion of carbon to
nitrogen is higher in the surface soil than in the corresponding subsoil, and in
general this ratio is wider in highly productive soils well charged with active
organic matter than in very old, worn soils badly in need of active organic matter.

The organic matter furnishes food for bacteria, and as it decays certain
decomposition products are formed, including much carbonic acid, some nitrous
acid, and various organic acids, and these acting upon the soil have the power to
dissolve the essential mineral plant foods, thus furnishing available phosphates,
nitrates, and other salts of potassium, magnesium, calcium, etc., for the use of
the growing crop.

Effect of Tillage. — Tillage, or cultivation, also hastens the liberation of plant-
food elements by permitting the air to enter the soil. It should be remembered,
however, that tillage is wholly destructive, in that it adds nothing whatever to
the soil, but always leaves it poorer, so far as plant-food materials are concerned.
Tillage should be practiced so far as is necessary to prepare a suitable seed bed
for root development and also for the purpose of killing weeds, but more than
this is unnecessary and unprofitable ; and it is much better actually to enrich
the soil by proper applications of limestone, organic matter, and other fertilizing
materials, and thus promote soil conditions favorable for vigorous plant growth,
than to depend upon excessive cultivation to accomplish the same object at the
expense of the soil.

PERMANENT SOIL IMPROVEMENT

According to the kind of soil involved, any comprehensive plan contemplat-
ing a permanent system of agriculture will need to take into account some of the
following considerations.

The Application of Limestone

The Function of Limestone. — In considering the application of limestone
to land it should be understood that this material functions in several different
ways, and that a beneficial result may therefore be attributable to quite diverse
causes. Limestone provides calcium, of which certain crops are strong feeders.
It corrects acidity of the soil, thus making for some crops a much more favorable
environment as well as establishing conditions absolutely required for some of
the beneficial legume bacteria. It accelerates nitrification and nitrogen fixation.
It promotes sanitation of the soil by inhibiting the growth of certain fungous
diseases, such as corn-root rot. Experience indicates that it modifies either
directly or indirectly the physical structure of fine-textured soils, frequently to
their great improvement. Thus, working in one or more of these different ways,
limestone often becomes the key to the improvement of worn lands.

How to Ascertain the Need for Limestone. — One of the most reliable indica-
tions as to whether a soil needs limestone is the character of the growth of certain
legumes, particularly sweet clover and alfalfa. These crops do not thrive in
acid soils. Their successful growth, therefore, indicates the lack of sufficient
acidity in the soil to be harmful. In case of their failure to grow the soil should
be tested for acidity as described below. A very valuable test for ascertaining

32 Soil Report No. 34: Appendix [November,

the need of a soil for limestone is found in the potassium thiocyanate test for
soil acidity. It is desirable to make the test for carbonates along with the acidity
test. Limestone is calcium carbonate, while dolomite is the combined carbonates
of calcium and magnesium. . The natural occurrence of these carbonates in the
soil is sufficient assurance that no limestone is needed, and the acidity test will
be negative. On lands which have been treated with limestone, however, the
surface soil may give a positive test for carbonates, owing to the the presence of
undecomposed pieces of limestone, and at the same time a positive test for acidity
may be secured. Such a result means either that insufficient limestone has been
added to neutralize the acidity, or that it has not been in the soil long enough
to entirely correct the acidity. In making these tests, it is desirable to examine
samples of soil from different depths, since carbonates may be present, even in
abundance, below a surface stratum that is acid. Following are the directions
for making the tests :

The Potassium Thiocyanate Test for Acidity. This test is made with a 4-percent solu-
tion of potassium thiocyanate in alcohol — 4 grams of potassium thiocyanate in 100 cubic
centimeters of 95-percent alcohol.1 When a small quantity of soil shaken up in a test tube
with this solution gives a red color the soil is acid and limestone should be applied. If the
solution remains colorless the soil is not acid. An excess of water interferes with the reac-
tion. The sample when tested, therefore, should be at least as dry as when the soil is in
good tillable condition. For a prompt reaction the temperature of the soil and solution
should be not lower than that of comfortable working conditions (60° to 75° Fahrenheit).

The Hydrochloric Acid Test for Carbonates. Take a small representative sample of
soil and pour upon it a few drops of hydrochloric (muriatic) acid, prepared by diluting the
concentrated acid with an equal volume of water. The presence of limestone or some other
carbonates will be shown by the appearance of gas bubbles within 2 or 3 minutes, producing
foaming or effervescence. The absence of carbonates in a soil is not in itself evidence that
the soil is acid or that limestone should be applied, but it indicates that the confirmatory
potassium thiocyanate test should be carried out.

Amounts to Apply. — Acid soils should be treated with limestone whenever
such application is at all practicable. The initial application varies with the
degree of acidity and will usually range from 2 to 6 tons an acre. The larger
amounts will be needed on strongly acid soils, particularly on land being pre-
pared for alfalfa. "When sufficient limestone has been used to establish condi-
tions favorable to the growth of legumes, no further applications are necessary
until the acidity again develops to such an extent as to interfere with the best
growth of these crops. This will ordinarily be at intervals of several years. In
the case of an inadequate supply of magnesium in the soil, the occasional use
of magnesian (dolomitic) limestone would serve to correct this deficiency.
Otherwise, so far as present knowledge indicates, either form of limestone —
high-calcium or magnesian — will be equally effective, depending upon the purity
and fineness of the respective stones.

Fineness of Material. — The fineness to which limestone is ground is an im-
portant consideration in its use for soil improvement. Experiments indicate
that a considerable range in this regard is permissible. Very fine grinding insures
ready solubility, and thus promptness in action; but the finer the grinding the

1 Since undenatured alcohol is difficult to obtain, some of the denatured alcohols have been
tested for making this solution. Completely denatured alcohol made over U. S. Formulas No.
1 and No. 4j have been found satisfactory. Some commercial firms are offering other prepara-
tions which are satisfactory.

1926] Marion County 33

greater is the expense involved. A grinding, therefore, that furnishes not too
large a proportion of coarser particles along with the finer, similar to that of
the hy-product material on the market, is to be recommended. Altho the exact
proportions of coarse and fine material cannot be prescribed, it may be said that
a limestone crushed so that the coarsest fragments will pass thru a screen of 4
to 10 meshes to the inch is satisfactory if the total product is used.

The Nitrogen Problem

Nitrogen presents the greatest practical soil problem in American agricul-
ture. Four important reasons for this are: its increasing deficiency in most
soils ; its cost when purchased on the open market ; its removal in large amounts
by crops; and its loss from soils thru leaching. Nitrogen usually costs from
four to five times as much per pound as phosphorus. A 100-bushel crop of corn
requires 150 pounds of nitrogen for its growth, but only 23 pounds of phosphorus.
The loss of nitrogen from soils may vary from a few pounds to over one hundred
pounds per acre, depending upon the treatment of the soil, the distribution of
rainfall, and the protection afforded by growing crops.

An inexhaustible supply of nitrogen is present in the air. Above each acre
of the earth's surface there are about sixty-nine million pounds of atmospheric
nitrogen. The nitrogen above one square mile weighs twenty million tons, an
amount sufficient to supply the entire world for four or five decades. This large
supply of nitrogen in the air is the one to which the world must eventually turn.

There are two methods of collecting the inert nitrogen gas of the air and
combining it into compounds that will furnish products for plant growth. These
are the chemical and the biological fixation of the atmospheric nitrogen. Farmers
have at their command one of these methods. By growing inoculated legumes,
nitrogen may be obtained from the air, and by plowing under more than the
roots of these legumes, nitrogen may be added to the soil.

Inasmuch as legumes are worth growing for purposes other than the fixation
of atmospheric nitrogen, a considerable portion of the nitrogen thus gained
may be considered a by-product. Because of that fact, it is questionable whether
the chemical fixation of nitrogen will ever be able to replace the simple method
of obtaining atmospheric nitrogen by growing inoculated legumes in the pro-
duction of our great grain and forage crops.

It may well be kept in mind that the following amounts of nitrogen are
required for the produce named :

1 bushel of oats (grain and straw) requires 1 pound of nitrogen.
1 bushel of corn (grain and stalks) requires 1% pounds of nitrogen.
1 bushel of wheat (grain and straw) requires 2 pounds of nitrogen.
1 ton of timothy contains 24 pounds of nitrogen.
1 ton of clover contains 40 pounds of nitrogen.
1 ton of cowpea hay contains 43 pounds of nitrogen.
1 ton of alfalfa contains 50 pounds of nitrogen.
1 ton of average manure contains 10 pounds of nitrogen.

1 ton of young sweet clover, at about the stage of growth when it is plowed under as
green manure, contains, on water-free basis, 80 pounds of nitrogen.

The roots of clover contain about half as much nitrogen as the tops, and the
roots of cowpeas contain about one-tenth as much as the tops. Soils of mod-

34 Soil Report No. 34: Appendix [November,

erate productive power will furnish as much nitrogen to clover (and two or three,
times as much to cowpeas) as will be left in the roots and stubble. In grain
crops, such as wheat, corn, and oats, about two-thirds of the nitrogen is con-
tained in the grain and one-third in the straw or stalks.

The Phosphorus Problem

The element phosphorus is an indispensable constituent of every living cell.
It is intimately connected with the life processes of both plants and animals, the
nuclear material of the cells being especially rich in this element.

The phosphorus content of the soil is dependent upon the origin of the soil.
The removal of phosphorus by continuous cropping slowly reduces the amount
of this element in the soil available for crop use, unless its addition is provided
for by natural means, such as overflow, or by agricultural practices, such as the
addition of phosphatic fertilizers and rotations in which deep-rooting, leguminous
crops are frequently grown.

It should be borne in mind in connection with the application of phosphate,
or of any other fertilizing material, to the soil, that no benefit can result until
the need for it has become a limiting factor in plant growth. For example, if
there is already present in the soil sufficient available phosphorus to produce a
forty-bushel crop, and the nitrogen supply or the moisture supply is sufficient
for only forty bushels, or less, then extra phosphorus added to the soil cannot
increase the yield beyond this forty-bushel limit.

There are several different materials containing phosphorus which are
applied to land as fertilizer. The more important of these are bone meal, acid
phosphate, natural raw rock phosphate, and basic slag. Obviously that carrier
of phosphorus which gives the most economical returns, as considered from all
standpoints, is the most suitable one to use. Altho this matter has been the
subject of much discussion and investigation the question still remains unsettled.
Probably there is no single carrier of phosphorus that will prove to be the most
economical one to use under all circumstances because so much depends upon
soil conditions, crops grown, length of haul, and market conditions.

Bone meal, prepared from the bones of animals, appears on the market in
two different forms, raw and steamed. Raw bone meal contains, besides the
phosphorus, a considerable percentage of nitrogen which adds a useless expense
if the material is purchased only for the sake of the phosphorus. As a source of
phosphorus, steamed bone meal is preferable to raw bone meal. Steamed bone
meal is prepared by extracting most of the nitrogenous and fatty matter from
the bones, thus producing a more nearly pure form of calcium phosphate con-
taining about 10 to 12 percent of the element phosphorus.

Acid phosphate is produced by treating rock phosphate with sulfuric acid.
The two are mixed in about equal amounts; the product therefore contains
about one-half as much phosphorus as the rock phosphate itself. Besides phos-
phorus, acid phosphate also contains sulfur, which is likewise an element of
plant food. The phosphorus in acid phosphate is more readily available for

1926] Marion County 35

absorption by plants than that of raw rock phosphate. Acid phosphate of good
quality should contain 6 percent or more of the element phosphorus.

Rock phosphate, sometimes called floats, is a mineral substance found in
vast deposits in certain regions. The phosphorus in this mineral exists chem-
ically as tri-calcium phosphate, and a good grade of the rock should contain
1214 percent, or more, of the element phosphorus. The rock should be ground
to a powder, fine enough to pass thru a 100-mesh sieve, or even finer.

The relative cheapness of raw rock phosphate, as compared with the treated
or acidulated material, makes it possible to apply for equal money expenditure
considerably more phosphorus per acre in this form than in the form of acid
phosphate, the ratio being, under the market conditions of the past several years,
about 4 to 1. That is to say, under these market conditions, a dollar will pur-
chase about four times as much of the element phosphorus in the form of rock
phosphate as in the form of acid phosphate, which is an important consideration
if one is interested in building up a phosphorus reserve in the soil. As explained
above, more very carefully conducted comparisons on various soil types under
various cropping systems are needed before definite statements can be given as
to which form of phosphate is most economical to use under any given set of
conditions.

Basic slag, known also as Thomas phosphate, is another carrier of phos-
phorus that might be mentioned because of its considerable usage in Europe
and eastern United States. Basic slag phosphate is a by-product in the manu-
facture of steel. It contains a considerable proportion of basic material and
therefore it tends to influence the soil reaction.

Rock phosphate may be applied at any time during a rotation, but it is
applied to the best advantage either preceding a crop of clover, which plant
seems to possess an unusual power for assimilating the phosphorus from raw
phosphate, or else at a time when it can be plowed under with some form of
organic matter such as animal manure or green manure, the decay of which
serves to liberate the phosphorus from its insoluble condition in the rock. It is
important that the finely ground rock phosphate be intimately mixed with the
organic material as it is plowed under.

In using acid phosphate or bone meal in a cropping system which includes
wheat, it is a common practice to apply the material in the preparation of the
wheat ground. It may be advantageous, however, to divide the total amount
to be used and apply a portion to the other crops of the rotation, particularly
to corn and to clover.

The Potassium Problem

Our most common soils, which are silt loams and clay loams, are well stocked
with potassium, altho it exists largely in a slowly soluble form. Such soils as
sands and peats, however, are likely to be low in this element. On such soils
this deficiency may be remedied by the application of some potassium salt, such
as potassium sulfate, potassium chlorid, kainit, or other potassium compound,
and in many instances this is done at great profit.

36 Soil Report No. 34: Appendix [November,

From all the facts at hand it seems, so far as our great areas of common
soils are concerned, that, with a few exceptions, the potassium problem is not
one of addition but of liberation. The Rothamsted records, which represent the
oldest soil experiment fields in the world, show that for many years other soluble
salts have had practically the same power as potassium salts to increase crop
yields in the absence of sufficient decaying organic matter. Whether this action
relates to supplying or liberating potassium for its own sake, or to the power
of the soluble salt to increase the availability of phosphorus or other elements,
is not known, but where much potassium is removed, as in the entire crops at
Rothamsted, with no return of organic residues, probably the soluble salt func-
tions in both ways.

Further evidence on this matter is furnished by the Illinois experiment field
at Fairfield, where potassium sulfate has been compared with kainit both with
and without the addition of organic matter in the form of stable manure. Both
sulfate and kainit produced a substantial increase in the yield of corn, but the
cheaper salt — kainit — was just as effective as the potassium sulfate, and returned
some financial profit. Manure alone gave an increase similar to that produced
by the potassium salts, but the salts added to the manure gave very little increase
over that produced by the manure alone. This is explained in part, perhaps, by
the fact that the potassium removed in the crops is mostly returned in manure
properly cared for, and perhaps in larger part by the fact that decaying organic
matter helps to liberate and hold in solution other plant-food elements, especially
phosphorus.

In laboratory experiments at the Illinois Experiment Station, it has been
shown that potassium salts and most other soluble salts increase the solubility of
the phosphorus in soil and in rock phosphate ; also that the addition of glucose
with rock phosphate in pot-culture experiments increases the availability of the
phosphorus, as measured by plant growth, altho the glucose consists only of car-
bon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and thus contains no limiting element of plant food.

In considering the conservation of potassium on the farm it should be re-
membered that in average livestock farming the animals destroy two-thirds of
the organic matter and retain one-fourth of the nitrogen and phosphorus from
the food they consume, but that they retain less than one-tenth of the potassium ;
so that the actual loss of potassium in the products sold from the farm, either
in grain farming or in livestock farming, is negligible on land containing 25,000
pounds or more of potassium in the surface 6% inches.

The Calcium and Magnesium Problem

When measured by crop removals of the plant-food elements, calcium is
often more limited in Illinois soils than is potassium, while magnesium may be
occasionally. In the case of calcium, however, the deficiency is likely to develop
more rapidly and become much more marked because this element is leached
out of the soil in drainage water to a far greater extent than is either magnesium
or potassium.

The annual loss of limestone from the soil depends, of course, upon a num-
ber of factors aside from those which have to do with climatic conditions.

1926] Marion County 37

Among these factors may be mentioned the character of the soil, the kind of
limestone, its condition of finesness, the amount present, and the sort of farming
practiced. Because of this variation in the loss of lime materials from the soil,
it is impossible to prescribe a fixed practice in their renewal that will apply uni-
versally. The tests for acidity and carbonates described above, together with the
behavior of such lime-loving legumes as alfalfa and sweet clover, will serve as
general indicators for the frequency of applying limestone and the amount to
use on a given field.

Limestone has a direct value on some soils for the plant food which it
supplies, in addition to its value in correcting soil acidity and in improving the
physical condition of the soil. Ordinary limestone (abundant in the southern
and western parts of Illinois) contains nearly 800 pounds of calcium per ton;
while a good grade of dolomitic limestone (the more common limestone of north-
ern Illinois) contains about 400 pounds of calcium and 300 pounds of magnesium
per ton. Both of these elements are furnished in readily available form in
ground dolomitic limestone.

The Sulfur Question

In considering the relation of sulfur in a permanent system of soil fertility
it is important to understand something of the cycle of transformations that this
element undergoes in nature. Briefly stated this is as follows :

Sulfur exists in the soil in both organic and inorganic forms, the former
being gradually converted to the latter form thru bacterial action. In this
inorganic form sulfur is taken up by plants which in their physiological pro-
cesses change it once more into an organic form as a constituent of protein.
When these plant proteins are consumed by animals, the sulfur becomes a part
of the animal protein. When these plant and animal proteins are decomposed,
either thru bacterial action, or thru combustion, as in the burning of coal, the
sulfur passes into the atmosphere or into the soil solution in the form of sulfur
dioxid gas. This gas unites with oxygen and water to form sulfuric acid, which
is readily washed back into the soil by the rain, thus completing the cycle, from
soil — to plants and animals — to air — to soil.

In this way sulfur becomes largely a self -renewing element of the soil, altho
there is a considerable loss from the soil by leaching. Observations taken at the
Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station show that 40 pounds of sulfur per
acre are brought into the soil thru the annual rainfall. With a fair stock of
sulfur, such as exists in our common types of soil, and with an annual return,
which of itself would more than suffice for the needs of maximum crops, the
maintenance of an adequate sulfur supply presents little reason at present for
serious concern. There are regions, however, where the natural stock of sulfur
in the soil is not nearly so high and where the amount returned thru rainfall is
small. Under such circumstances sulfur soon becomes a limiting element of
crop production, and it will be necessary sooner or later to introduce this sub-
stance from some outside source. Investigation is now under way to determine
to what extent this situation may apply under Illinois conditions.

38 Soil Report No. 34: Appendix [November,

Physical Improvement of Soils

In the management of most soil types, one very important matter, aside from
proper fertilization, tillage, and drainage, is to keep the soil in good physical
condition, or good tilth. The constituent most important for this purpose is
organic matter. Organic matter in producing good tilth helps to control wash-
ing of soil on rolling land, raises the temperature of drained soil, increases the
moisture-holding capacity of the soil, slightly retards capillary rise and conse-
quently loss of moisture by surface evaporation, and helps to overcome the
tendency of some soils to run together badly.

The physical effect of organic matter is to produce a granulation or mellow-
ness, by cementing the fine soil particles into crumbs or grains about as large as
grains of sand, which produces a condition very favorable for tillage, percolation
of rainfall, and the development of plant roots.

Organic matter is undergoing destruction during a large part of the year
and the nitrates produced in its decomposition are used for plant growth. Altho
this decomposition is necessary, it nevertheless reduces the amount of organic
matter, and provision must therefore be made for maintaining the supply. The
practical way to do this is to turn under the farm manure, straw, cornstalks,
weeds, and all or part of the legumes produced on the farm. The amount of
legumes needed depends upon the character of the soil. There are farms, espe-
cially grain farms, in nearly every community where all legumes could be turned
under for several years to good advantage.

Manure should be spread upon the land as soon as possible after it is pro-
duced, for if it is allowed to lie in the barnyard several months as is so often
the case, from one-third to two-thirds of the organic matter will be lost.

Straw and cornstalks should be turned under, and not burned. There is
considerable evidence indicating that on some soils undecomposed straw applied
in excessive amount may be detrimental. Probably the best practice is to apply
the straw as a constituent of well-rotted stable manure. Perhaps no form of
organic matter acts more beneficially in producing good tilth than cornstalks. It
is true, they decay rather slowly, but it is also true that their durability in the
soil is exactly what is needed in the production of good tilth. Furthermore,
the nitrogen in a ton of cornstalks is one and one-half times that of a ton of
manure, and a ton of dry cornstalks incorporated in the soil will ultimately
furnish as much humus as four tons of average farm manure. When burned,
however, both the humus-making material and the nitrogen are lost to the soil.

It is a common practice in the corn belt to pasture the cornstalks during
the winter and often rather late in the spring after the frost is out of the ground.
This trampling by stock sometimes puts the soil in bad condition for working.
It becomes partially puddled and will be cloddy as a result. If tramped too
late in the spring, the natural agencies of freezing and thawing and wetting
and drying, with the aid of ordinary tillage, fail to produce good tilth before
the crop is planted. Whether the crop is corn or oats, it necessarily suffers and
if the season is dry, much damage may be done. If the field is put in corn, a
poor stand is likely to result, and if put in oats, the soil is so compact as to be
unfavorable for their growth. Sometimes the soil is worked when too wet. This

1026] Marion County 39

also produces a partial puddling which is unfavorable to physical, chemical, and
biological processes. The effect becomes worse if cropping has reduced the
organic matter below the amount necessary to maintain good tilth.

Systems of Crop Rotations

In a program of permanent soil improvement one should' adopt at the outset
a good rotation of crops, including, for the reasons discussed above, a liberal
use of legumes. No one can say in advance for every particular case what will
prove to be the best rotation of crops, because of variation in farms and farmers
and in prices for produce. As a general principle the shorter rotations, with
the frequent introduction of leguminous crops, are the better adapted for build-
ing up poor soils.

Following are a few suggested rotations which may serve as models or out-
lines to be modified according to special circumstances.

Six- Year Rotations
First year — Corn
Second year — Corn

Third year — Wheat or oats (with clover, or clover and grass)
Fourth year — Clover, or clover and grass
Fifth year — Wheat (with clover), or grass and clover
Sixth year — Clover, or clover and grass

Of course there should be as many fields as there are years in the rotation.
In grain farming, with small grain grown the third and fifth years, most of the
unsalable products should be returned to the soil, and the clover may be clipped
and left on the land or returned after threshing out the seed (only the clover
seed being sold the fourth and sixth years) ; or, in livestock farming, the field
may be used three years for timothy and clover pasture and meadow if desired.
The system may be reduced to a five-year rotation by cutting out either the sec-
ond or the sixth year, and to a four-year system by omitting the fifth and sixth
years, as indicated below.

Five-Year Rotations
First year — Corn

Second year — Wheat or oats (with clover, or clover and grass)
Third year — Clover, or clover and grass
Fourth year — Wheat (with clover), or clover and grass
Fifth year — Clover, or clover and grass

First year — Corn

Second year — Corn

Third year — Wheat or oats (with clover, or cloveT and grass)

Fourth year — Clover, or clover and grass

Fifth year — Wheat (with clover)

First year — Corn

Second year — Cowpeas or soybeans

Third year — Wheat (with clover)

Fourth year — Clover

Fifth year — Wheat (with clover)

The last rotation mentioned above allows legumes to be grown four times.
Alfalfa may be grown on a sixth field for five or six years in the combination
rotation, alternating between two fields every five years, or rotating over all the
fields if moved every six years.

Soil Report No. 34: Appendix

Four- Year Rotations

First year — Corn Fvrst year — Corn

Second year —Wheat or oats (with clover) Second year — Corn

Third year — Clover Third year

Fourth year — Wheat (with clover) Fourth year

[November,

•Wheat or oats (with clover)
-Clover

First year — Corn

Second year — Cowpeas or soybeans

Third year — Wheat (with clover)

Fourth year — Clover

First year — Wheat (with clover)

Second year — Clover

Third year — Corn

Fourth year —Oats (with clover)

Alfalfa may be grown on a fifth field for four or eight years, which is to be
alternated with one of the four ; or the alfalfa may be moved every five years,
and thus rotated over all five fields every twenty-five years.

Three-Year Rotations

First year — Corn First year — Wheat or oats (with clover)

Second year — Oats or wheat (with clover) Second year — Corn

Third year — Clover Third year — Cowpeas or soybeans

By allowing the clover, in the last rotation mentioned, to grow in the spring
before preparing the land for corn, we have provided a system in which legumes
grow on every acre every year. This is likewise true of the following suggested
two-year system :

Two- Year Rotations

First year — Oats or wheat (with sweet clover)
Second year — Corn

Altho in this two-year rotation either oats or wheat is suggested, as a matter
of fact, by dividing the land devoted to small grain, both of these crops can be
grown simultaneously, thus providing a three-crop system in a two-year cycle.

It should be understood that in all of the above suggested cropping systems
it may be desirable in some cases to substitute rye for the wheat or oats. Or, in
some cases, it may become desirable to divide the acreage of small grain and
grow in the same year more than one kind. In all of these proposed rotations
the word clover is used in a general sense to designate either red clover, alsike
clover, or sweet clover. The value of sweet clover, especially as a green manure
for building up depleted soils, as well as a pasture and hay-crop, is becoming
thoroly established, and its importance in a crop-rotation program may well
be emphasized.

SUPPLEMENT: EXPERIMENT FIELD DATA

(Results from Experiment Fields on Soil Types Similar to Those Occurring in

Marion County)

The University of Illinois has operated altogether about fifty soil experiment
fields in different sections of the state and on various types of soil. Altho some of
these fields have been discontinued, the large majority are still in operation. It
is the present purpose to report the summarized results from certain of these
fields located on types of soil described in the accompanying soil report.

A few general explanations at this point, which apply to all the fields, will
relieve the necessity of numerous repetitions in the following pages.

Size and Arrangement of Fields

The soil experiment fields vary in size from less than two acres up to 40 acres
or more. They are laid off into series of plots, the plots commonly being either
one-fifth or one-tenth acre in area. Each series is occupied by one kind of crop.
Usually there are several series so that a crop rotation can be carried on with
every crop represented every "year.

Farming Systems

On many of the fields the treatment provides for two distinct systems of
farming, livestock farming and grain farming.

In the livestock system, stable manure is used to furnish organic matter and
nitrogen. The amount applied to a plot is based upon the amount that can be
produced from crops raised on that plot.

In the grain system no animal manure is used. The organic matter and
nitrogen are applied in the form of platit manures, including the plant residues
produced, such as cornstalks, straw from wheat, oats, clover, etc., along with
leguminous catch crops plowed under. It was the plan in this latter system to
remove from the land, in the main, only the grain and seed produced, except in
the case of alfalfa, that crop being harvested for hay the same as in the livestock
system. Some modifications have been introduced in recent years.

Crop Rotations

Crops which are of interest in the respective localities are grown in definite
rotations. The most common rotation used is wheat, corn, oats, and clover ; and
often these crops are accompanied by alfalfa growing on a fifth series. In the
grain system a legume catch crop, usually sweet, clover, is included, which is
seeded on the young wheat in the spring and plowed under in the fall or in the
following spring in preparation for corn. If the red clover crop fails, soybeans
are substituted.

Soil Treatment

The treatment applied to the plots has, for the most part, been standardized
according to a rather definite system, altho deviations from this system occur now
and then, particularly in the older fields.

Soil Report No. 34: Supplement

[November,

.Following is a brief explanation of this standard system of treatment.

Animal Manures. — Animal manures, consisting of excreta from animals,
with stable litter, are spread upon the respective plots in amounts proportionate
to previous crop yields, the applications being made in the preparation for corn.

Plant Manures. — Crop residues produced on the land, such as stalks, straw,
and chaff, are returned to the soil, and in addition a green-manure crop of sweet
clover is seeded in small grains to be plowed under in preparation for corn. (On
plots where limestone is lacking the sweet clover seldom survives.) This practice
is designated as the residues system.

Mineral Manures. — The yearly acre-rates of application have been: for
limestone, 1,000 pounds after the first rotation, for which 4 tons was applied;
for raw rock phosphate, 500 pounds; and for potassium, usually 200 pounds
of kainit. When kainit was not available, owing to conditions brought on by
the World war, potassium carbonate was used. The initial application of lime-
stone has usually been 4 tons an acre.

Explanation of Symbols Used

0 = Untreated land or check plots

M = Manure (animal)

R, = Residues (from crops, and includes legumes used as green manure)

L = Limestone

P = Phosphorus, in the form of rock phosphate unless otherwise designated

(aP = acid phosphate, bP = bone meal, rP = rock phosphate, sP = slag

phosphate)
K = Potassium (usually in the form of kainit)
N = Nitrogen (usually in the form contained in dried blood)
Le == Legume used as green manure
Cv = Cover crop
( ) = Parentheses enclosing figures, signifying tons of hay as distinguished from

bushels of seed

| = Heavy vertical rule, indicating the beginning of complete treatment
= Double vertical rule, indicating a radical change in the cropping system

In discussions of this sort of data, financial profits or losses based upon
assigned market values are frequently considered. However, in view of the
erratic fluctuations in market values — especially in the past few years- — it seems
futile to attempt to set any prices for this purpose that are at all satisfactory.
The yields are therefore presented with the thought that with these figures at
hand the financial returns from a given practice can readily be computed upon
the basis of any set of market values that the reader may choose to apply.

THE ODIN FIELD

The Odin soil experiment field, located in Marion county about one mile
southwest of Odin, is one of the oldest of the outlying University experiment
fields. It was established in 1902.

1936] Marion County 43

The field consists of 20 acres of light-colored upland soil, mainly of the type
Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay, which is one of the prevailing prairie types of
a large region in southern Illinois. A detailed examination reveals the presence
of a small area in the north corner of the field of a type having a somewhat
different subsoil from that of the main body of the field and designated as Gray
Silt Loam On Plastic Reddish Brown Clay. There is also present near the west
corner of the field a very small spot of Yellow-Gray Silt Loam, but this lies
almost wholly on the border between plots, and therefore should not materially
affect the experimental work. The location of these soil types, as well as the
arrangement of plots, is charted on the diagram shown on the following page.
The topography, or lay of the land, is indicated on this map by contour lines.

The field at present is laid out into four separate systems of plots, each
system with its own plan of experimentation. An account, including complete
records, of each of these plot -systems follows.

Series 100, 200, 300, 400

These series are divided into two sections differing from each other with
respect to underdrainage. Plots numbering from 6 to 10 inclusive are provided
with a system of tile, while the corresponding plots numbering 1 to 5 inclusive
are not tiled. During the period from 1907 to 1919 the northeast half of each
plot was subjected to subsoil plowing in preparing the land for corn.

The rotation chiefly practiced on Series 100, 200, 300, and 400 has been
corn, legumes (cowpeas or soybeans), wheat, and clover. Until 1922 the clover
was alsike, soybeans being substituted if the clover failed. Since that time sweet
clover has been used instead of alsike. A part of the time cowpeas were seeded
in the corn, at the last cultivation.

Crop residues and cover crops have been regularly plowed down on the
residue plots. The return of the wheat straw was discontinued in 1922.

In 1902 slaked lime, at the acre rate of 475 pounds, was applied to the limed
plots, and in 1903 an additional 2 tons was applied to these plots. No more lime
was added until 1908, after which it' was applied regularly at the annual rate of
500 pounds of limestone an acre to the northwest halves and 1,000 pounds an
acre to the southeast halves of these plots. In 1922 these applications were
temporarily discontinued until further need for lime appears.

Phosphorus has been used in the form of steamed bone meal, which was
applied at the rate of 200 pounds an acre a year until 1923, when the total amount
of the bone meal was evened up on all the phosphorus plots to 4,800 pounds an
acre and the application temporarily discontinued. Potassium was applied at
the annual rate of 100 pounds an acre of potassium sulfate until 1923. At that
time the total amount applied was evened up to 2,500 pounds and plans made
to continue the application on the southwest halves of the plots at the normal rate.

Table 7 is presented as a record of the crop yields on these series since the
beginning of the experiments. Table 8 summarizes the yields, by crops, for the
period during which the plots have been under their full fertilizer treatment.
The lower section of this table gives a more condensed summary in terms of crop

;

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1926]

Marion County

Table 8.— ODIN FIELD: Series 100, 200, 300, 400
Average Annual Yields 1903-1925 — Bushels or (tons) per acre

Serial

Soil treatment
applied1

Corn
22 crops

Soy-
beans

19 crops

Wheat
28 crops

Alsike clover

Sweet
clover

3 crops

Stubble
clover

2 crops

Cowpeas

Plot
No.

Hay

2 crops

Seed
1 crop

Hay

8 crops

Seed
1 crop

22.8
23.5
27.1
27.1
43.7

17.7
22.0
27.5
29.0
40.5

8.1

9.3

10.9

10.3

13.3

6.4

7.7

10.8

10.6

13.0

9.5

9.3

17.5

22.5

25.8

7.2
10.6
17.6
23.8
25.6

( -ID
( -14)
( -99)
(1.10)

(1.87)

( -19)
( -18)
(1.07)
(1.12)
(1.65)

.42
1.25
1.67
1.67
1.83

.92
1.50
3.08
2.83
2.00

0.00
.06
1.71
1.10
1.76

0.00
.08
.99
.76

1.37

(0.00)
(0.00)
( -70)
( .70)
( -90)

(0.00)
(0.00)
( -41)
( -48)
( -78)

( -58)
( -62)
( .57)
( -64)

(1.11)

( -52)
( .62)
( -61)
( -71)
(1.11)

1.7

2.9

2.5

RLP

2.3

RLPK

4.6

1.4

2.3

RLP

RLPK

2.7
1.8
3.9

R over 0

RL over R

RLP over RL...
RLPK over RLP

2.5

4.6

14.1

1.3

2.4
-.4

2.7

1.6
7.6
5.6

2.7

( -01)
( .87)
( .08)

( .65)

.71

1.00

-.13

-.34

.07

1.28

-.42

.59

(0.00)
( .56)
( -04)

( -25)

( .07)
(-.03)
( .09)

( -44)

0.0

-.6

2.3

'Plots 1 to 5 not tiled; Plots 6 to 10 tiled.

increases, indicating the effects of the different fertilizing materials as they were
used in these experiments. The figures given are derived from the results of
the corresponding tiled and untiled plots averaged together.

Organic manure is provided in these experiments by plowing under crop
residues and legume crops used as green manure. The crop yields show little
effect from residues alone. Residues with limestone, however, have produced,
with a single exception, notable increases in yields. It is of interest to note
that the one crop which does not show a beneficial effect from limestone is cow-
peas, and the cowpea is generally known as a plant tolerant to soil acidity.

Regarding the phosphorus treatment on these series it will be observed that
wheat shows a marked benefit from bone meal, but the other crops have responded

Fig. 3. — Wheat on the Odin Field in 1920

At the left is a check plot, receiving no soil treatment, where the average yield of wheat
for 23 crops has been 8.4 bushels an acre. At the right, thru the use of limestone and crop
residues, this yield was doubled. By adding bonemeal to this treatment, another increase was
produced, bringing the yield up to 23.2 bushels.

Soil Report No. 34: Supplement

[November,

OTOP RESIDUES BONE MEAL
"LIMESTONE potas^sulfate

>*' -

NOTREATMENT

Fig. 4. — Corn Yield Doubled by Soil Treatment on the Odin Field in 1923

The pile of corn at the right was produced on a plot receiving no soil treatment. The
pile at the left was produced on a plot receiving crop residues, limestone, bonemeal, and
potassium sulfate.

indifferently. With a single exception, the potassium treatment has been attended
by some increase in yield, and in the case of the corn this increase is very
pronounced.

So far as the effect of tiling is concerned, the average results show no con-
sistent differences of consequence between the plots of the tiled section and those
of the untiled section. It is probably on account of the impervious nature of the
subsoil that the presence of the tile has had little effect on the drainage.

These results on the whole point to the necessity of using limestone with
organic manures in improving this soil. The organic manure has been supplied
in these experiments by crop residues and legumes, but on the farm, of course,
all available stable manure should be utilized.

Experiments in Subsoiling

In order to learn whether something could be done to overcome the un-
favorable subsoil condition in this kind of land, by subsoil plowing, an experiment
was started in 1907 and continued for thirteen years. In this experiment one-half
of each plot in both tiled and untiled sections was plowed and subsoiled, with a
few exceptions, in the late fall. The effect on crop yields was measured only in the
corn, this crop being harvested by half plots. The yields are given in Table 9,
the figures representing the averages for corresponding tiled and untiled plots.

The general averages for the entire thirteen-year period show only insig-
nificant differences in yield between subsoiled plots and plots not subsoiled.
Indeed these differences are so small that they may be regarded as being within
the experimental error, and the only conclusion warranted is that the expensive
practice of subsoiling has produced no significant effect upon the yield of corn
in this investigation.

For a more detailed account of this experiment in subsoiling, the reader is
referred to Bulletin 258 of this Station.

1926]

Marion County

Table 9. — ODIN FIELD: Experiments in Subsoiling
Yields of Corn — Bushels per acre

Soil treatment

None

RLP

RLPK

Tillage treatment

Not
sub-
soiled

Sub-
soiled

Not
sub-
soiled

Sub-
soiled

Not
sub-
soiled

Sub-
soiled

Not
sub-
soiled

Sub-
soiled

Not
sub-
soiled

Sub-
soiled

1907'

1908'

1909

44.4

35.5

29.3

28.9

16.8

26.1

2.5

4.3

35.3

13.4

9.3

4.2

37.6

32.5

24.1

22.5

13.3

31.7

3.2

4.0

31.7

12.4

9.5

6.0

50.1

33.2

30.4

32.8

19.0

39.6

3.9

3.3

40.5

15.7

14.1

7.4

43.2

26.4

27.2

35.1

19.9

24.0

3.6

4.3

43.3

16.5

10.3

6.3

47.3

35.5

29.2

40.3

24.7

48.6

4.1

2.1

47.6

19.5

11.2

11.5

2.8

47.3

34.9

28.5

37.5

22.7

47.5

4.1

2.4

44.0

21.0

11.8

11.3

3.0

47.0

39.9

28.9

38.7

22.8

49.4

6.1

2.0

43.2

19.5

13.8

12.8

1.9

44.4

45.9

37.6

39.9

19.9

53.1

7.9

2.5

41.9

19.9

13.8

12.7

2.3

70.1
76.1
54.0
79.9
35.7
65.4
10.1

3.1
57.4
31.9
30.9
19.8

3.5

59.4
60.3
60.4

1910

85.7

1911

40.4

19122

48.5

1913'

10.2

1914'

5.0

1915'

50.0

1916'

27.0

1917

30.2

1918'

19.7

1919

3.3

Average

19.9

17.7

22.3

20.0

24.7

24.3

25.0

26.3

41.3

38.4

'Replowed in spring. 2Plowed and subsoiled in spring.

Comparative Phosphate Tests

The land included in the present Series 500, 600, 700, and 800 was originally
plotted as one series of six long plots designated as Series 500 and used for the
purpose of studying the relative value of various carriers of phosphorus applied
in amounts equivalent to equal money values on limed and unlimed land.

A rotation of corn, oats, and three years of clover-timothy meadow was first
established on this series. Cowpeas were seeded in the corn for use as residues.
The phosphates were applied at the annual acre rate of 200 pounds of steamed
bone meal, 333 pounds of acid phosphate, 666 pounds of rock phosphate, and 250
pounds of slag phosphate, amounts representing equivalent money value at the
time these experiments were planned. The first application of lime was at the
acre rate of iy2 tons to the southeast halves. Subsequent applications were at the
annual acre rate of 1,000 pounds. Potassium at the annual acre rate of 100
pounds of potassium sulfate was applied to all plots. These applications were dis-
continued in 1913.

The annual yields from these plots are given in detail in Table 10, and the
results are summarized by crops in Table 11. The lower part of Table 11
shows differences in crop yields presumed to have resulted from applying the
various forms of phosphatic fertilizers for all the crops harvested from 1904 up
to 1921, after which time the plot treatments were modified. Altho it is recog-
nized that these data are too meagre for final conclusions, the following com-
ments based upon these figures for crop increases may be made.

It appears that the various phosphorus carriers — bone meal, acid phosphate,
rock phosphate, and slag phosphate — rank differently in efficiency, according to
the kind of crop produced. Considering first the results without limestone, we
find the following order of efficiency : for corn — bone, acid, slag, rock ; for oats —
acid, either bone or rock, slag; and for hay — bone, slag, either acid or rock.

Soil Report No. 34: Supplement

[November,

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1926]

Marion County

Table 11. — ODIN FIELD: Comparative Phosphate Tests
Summary of Crop Yields 1904-1921 — Bushels or (tons) per acre

Plot
No.

501 NW

501 SE

502 NW

502 SE

503 NW

503 SE

504 NW

504 SE

505 NW

505 SE

506 NW
506 SE

Soil treatment applied

RK, bone phosphate

RKL, bone phosphate ,

RKL

RK, acid phosphate

RKL, acid phosphate

RK, rock phosphate

RKL, rock phosphate

RKL

RK, slag phosphate

RKL, slag phosphate

RKbPover RK

RKLbP over RKL

RKaP over RK

RKLaP over RKL

RKrP over RK

RKLrP over RKL

RKsP over RK

RKLsP over RKL

Corn
4 crops

23.6
26.0

20.8
21.1

22.5
23.7

20.3
25.5

16.3
21.8

20.5
25.2

5.1
4.5

4.0
2.2

1.8
4.0

2.0
3.7

Oats
3 crops

43.4
40.3

35.6
35.8

43.8
34.5

43.4
39.6

32.0
39.0

41.9
47.4

9.6
2.9

10.0
-2.9

9.6
2.2

8.1
10.0

Hay

10 crops

1.05)
1.42)

.62)
1.28)

.68)
1.33)

.68)
1.36)

.52)
1.24)

.78)
1.34)

.48)
.16)

.11)
.07)

.11)
.10)

• 21)
.08)

Used with limestone, the relative efficiencies run as follows : for corn — bone, rock,
slag, acid ; for oats — slag, bone, rock, acid ; and for hay — bone, rock, slag, acid.
In general, the differences are small and a careful analysis of the data shows that
most of them are to be considered insignificant, that is to say, well within the
experimental error.

These results illustrate well the difficulty of laying down definite rules for
practice in applying phosphorus fertilizer. To this point in the discussion there
has been taken into account only the effect on production. When the economy
from a financial standpoint is considered, the matter becomes more complicated,
for all depends upon relative cost of materials applied as well as upon the market
value of produce sold, both of which are constantly fluctuating. However, with
the data of Table 11, one may compute for himself the relative economy of pro-
ducing these crop increases by applying any set of prices for crops and fertilizers
which appears to be most applicable according to prevailing market conditions.
In so doing, however, it should constantly be borne in mind that the order of
efficiency might easily be shifted thru a relatively small change in commodity
prices.

In 1922 this series was reploited into the present 500, 600, 700, and 800
series, and a different system of rotation established for further investigation
of the various forms of phosphorus fertilizer. Limestone at the rate of one ton
an acre was applied for the first time to the originally unlimed areas, and further

54 Soil Report No. 34: Supplement [November,

Table 12. — ODIN FIELD: Comparative Phosphate Tests, Revised
Annual Crop Yields 1922-1925 — Bushels per acre

Plot
No.

Soil treatment applied1

1922
Corn2

1923
Wheat2

1924
Corn

1925
Wheat

501
502

LeLK, bone phosphate

LeLK

36.6
24.6
32.8
32.6
21.2
30.2

17.5
6.0

14.5

13.3
6.2

16.0

24.0
27.4
21.6
29.2
23.6
42.4

15.2

8.7

503
504
505

LeLK, acid phosphate

LeLK, rock phosphate

LeLK

12.3

14.5

7.3

506

LeLK, slag phosphate

14.5

Oats2

Corn

Wheat

Corn

601
602

LeLK, bone phosphate

LeLK

1.9
1.6
1.9
1.9
1.9
5.0

10.8

7.2

9.8

8.8

10.2

17.2

22.5
1.0
18.8
10.8
.7
13.5

24.0
25.8

603
604
605

LeLK, acid phosphate

LeLK, rock phosphate

LeLK

30.4
18.0
15.6

606

LeLK, slag phosphate

11.6

Corn2

Wheat2

Corn

Wheat

701
702

LeLK, bone phosphate

LeLK

20.4
20.0
19.8
19.6
23.0
25.2

24.7
24.2
19.8
18.0
18.7
21.2

24.4
28.0
33.8
40.8
45.8
26.4

24.2
25.5

703
704
705

LeLK, acid phosphate

LeLK, rock phosphate

LeLK

20.8
22.0
17.3

706

LeLK, slag phosphate

23.0

Oats2

Corn

Wheat

Corn

801
802

LeLK, bone phosphate

LeLK

6.6
6.9
7.8
7.5
10.6
7.5

35.6
33.2
35.0
28.8
29.2
29.0

17.2
18.8
17.2
18.3
15.8
21.7

39.8
42.8

803
804
805

LeLK, acid phosphate

LeLK, rock phosphate

LeLK

41.0
42.2
44.2

806

LeLK, slag phosphate

44.0

1 Series 500 and 600 have received 1 ton of limestone per acre ; Series 700 and 800 have
received 8 tons per acre.

2 No legume treatment.

application is to be deferred until a need for it appears. No limestone was
applied to Series 700 and 800, which had been limed originally. No phosphates
have been applied since 1919 and no further applications will be made for an
indefinite period. For the time being, a crop rotation of corn and wheat with
sweet clover seeding will be practiced on Series 500 and 600 and repeated on
Series 700 and 800. The results for the four years during which this work has
been running are given as a matter of record in Table 12, but because of the small
number of crops that can be included, no attempt is made at this time to sum-
marize these results or to discuss them.

Experiments with Sweet Clover in Rotations
In addition to the above described series, seven plots on the Odin field have
been devoted to two special rotations featuring sweet clover. On three plots a
rotation of corn, cowpeas or soybeans, and»wheat has been practiced. Sweet
clover has been seeded in both the corn and the wheat and plowed down as a
green manure for the succeeding crop. On the other four plots the rotation has
been corn, cowpeas or soybeans, wheat, and sweet clover. In this system the sweet
clover has been allowed to make its second year's growth and produce a seed

19£6]

Marion County

Table 13.— ODIN FIELD: Sweet-Clover Rotations
Annual Crop Yields 1906-1925 — Bushels or (tons) per acre

Three-year rotation

Four-year rotation

Year

Corn

Soy-
beans

Wheat

Corn

Soy-
beans

Wheat

Sweet
clover

1906

38.3
46.8
48.0
24.4
32.7
25.3
54.4
7.3
7.3
42.0
18.4
14.0
5.5
.7
54.7
20.7
19.7
49.3
47.3
34.6

(1.90)1
(1.27)1

9.6
.7

3.9

8.0
11.1

(2)
2.2
1.7

.6
5.0
3.3

(5)
19.4

8.3

7.2
12.5
( -83)
(1.25)

28.3
24.0
30.7
23.3
39. 43
12.8

(2)
22.7
12.8
27.8

2.2
10.0
24.4
32.8

(2)
26.1
17.2
16.1
11.1

3.3

24.0
51.5
58.3
39.2
41.3
59.5
68.4
10.3
2.0
59.7
19.8
19.7
2.6
7.7
66.7
24.0
22.3
41.7
61.7
29.7

(1.60)1
(1.39)'

8.8

1.5

5.0

7.1
18.6

3.9

4.4

1.7

8.0

11.1

(5)
21.1
11.1
6.4
23.9
13.9
(2.67)

32.7

30.0

27.7

25.5

70. 33

17.2

(2)
40.8
23.3
24 .7

2.2
39.2
23.0
26.7

(2)
28.1
35.3
12.2
11.7
22.2

(4)

1907

(4)

1908

(4)

1909

(4)

1910

6.90

1911

3.60

1912

(4)

1913

(4)

1914

(6)

1915

.83

1916

2.78

1917

1.25

1918

(2)

1919

(2)

1920

1.94

1921

6.11

1922

3.42

1923

.36

1924

.83

1925

2.67

'Cowpeas. 2Not harvested. 3Oats; wheat destroyed by grasshoppers. 4No record of yields;
sweet clover plowed under. 5Crop destroyed by grasshoppers. 6Crop destroyed by fire.

crop, the straw and chaff being returned to the land. Limestone and bone meal
have been used in both these rotations, and the crop residues have been returned
to the land.

The annual crop yields of the two systems are recorded in Table 13, and a
general summary of each is presented for comparison in Table 14.

The markerly higher production in all crops in the four-year rotation indi-
cates the advantage of this system, in which one field out of four is devoted to
the production of sweet clover, over the three-year system in which only catch
crops of sweet clover are grown.

Table 14. — ODIN FIELD: Use of Sweet Clover in Rotations
Average Annual Crop Yields 1906-1925 — Bushels per acre

Rotation

Corn

20 crops

Soybeans1
16 crops

Wheat
19 crops

Clover seed
11 crops

Three-year

31.7
35.3

7.1
10.9

17.1
22.2

Four-year

2.79

'Or cowpeas.

THE TOLEDO FIELD

The Toledo experiment field Is located on Gray Silt Loam On Tight" Clay
immediately south of Toledo in Cumberland county. It was established in 1913.
This field of 17 acres is laid out into two separate systems of plots, one including
four series of 10 plots each, and the other containing four series of 4 plots each.

Soil Report No. 34: Supplement

[November,

Table 15.— TOLEDO FIELD: Summary of Crop Yields
Average Annual Yields 1914-1925 — Bushels or (tons) per acre

Serial
plot

No.

Soil treatment

MLrP

RLrP

RLrPK

Wheat
8 crops

8.5
10.2
21.8
24.4

8.1

9.5

21.0

24.3

26.8
5.3

Corn
12 crops

22.2
28.6
39.1
39.1

18.3
19.8
29.6
30.8

41.0
15.7

Oats
11 crops

16.5
19.0
31.4
33.6

15.6
17.1
32.6
35.2

38.4
16.9

Clover1
4 crops

( -06)

( .18)

( -89)

( -97)

( -05)
( -24)
(1.19)
(1.16)

(1.14)

( -17)

Sweet
clover
8 crops

.11

.24
2.45
2.42

.26

.53

1.84

1.77

2.48
.23

Soy-
beans
8 crops

( -70)
( -72)
(1.27)
(1.21)

3.8

4.7

9.4

10.5

11.8
( -53)

'Some seed evaluated as hay.

Series 100, 200, 300, 400

The system of plots made up of Series 100, 200, 300, and 400 is under a crop
rotation of wheat, corn, oats, and clover. Cowpeas were seeded in the corn at
the last cultivation until 1921, when this practice was abandoned. In 1922 sweet
clover was introduced as the regular clover crop. At that time, after the plots
had received a total of 6y2 to 8 tons of limestone an acre on the different series,
application of this material was suspended until further need for it becomes
apparent. In 1923 the return of the wheat straw on the residues plots was dis-
continued.

Table 15 presents a summary of the crop yields including the years in which
the complete plot treatments have been in effect. The results confirm those of
other fields located on similar soil and, briefly stated, they show :

1. Low yields on untreated land.

2. Only a slight response to organic manures without limestone.

3. A very decided response to the use of limestone in connection with or-
ganic manures.

4. A limited response to rock phosphate applied with organic manures and
limestone but not sufficient to cover the cost of material.

5. A rather general response to potassium fertilizer becoming very marked
in the case of the corn.

Series 500, 600, 700, 800

The second set of plots on the Toledo field, comprizing Series 500, 600, 700,
and 800, has been devoted mainly to an investigation in soil tillage, the purpose
being to compare the effects of subsoiling, deep tilling, and dynamiting with that
of ordinary plowing. A crop rotation of corn, soybeans, wheat, and sweet clover
was adopted, second-year sweet-clover stubble being plowed late in the fall for
corn. An application of 4 tons of limestone an acre was made oil all plots in 1913 ;
3 tons were applied for the 1917 crop, and 2 tons for the 1921 crop. One ton of
rock phosphate was applied in the fall of 1914, and again in the fall of 1918.

1926]

Marion County

Table 16.— TOLEDO FIELD: Tillage Experiments
Average Annual Yields 1913-1922 — Bushels per acre

Tillage treatment

Corn
9 crops

Soybeans
7 crops

Wheat
6 crops

Sweet-clover
seed

6 crops

Plowed 7 inches deep

40.2
41.9
37.4
40.3

16.3
16.2
15.2
16.4

13.5
12.9
10.8
11.7

3.68

Subsoiled 14 inches deep

3.65

Deep-tilled 14 inches

3.18

Dynamited

4.25

A summary of the crop yields is given in Table 16. For a detailed account
of these experiments the reader is referred to Bulletin 258 of this Station, ' ' Ex-
periments with Subsoiling, Deep Tilling, and Dynamiting."

The conclusions reached from the results of these experiments is that none
of the special tillage treatments had any beneficial effect on crop yields. Deep
tilling apparently decreased yields, probably because of the mixing of sub-
surface and subsoil with the surface soil.

THE NEWTON FIELD

A 30-acre experiment field has been maintained by the University at Newton
in Jasper county since 1912. The soil type has been mapped as Gray Silt Loam
On Tight Clay but the field is not altogether uniform, as is shown by variations
in the crop yields. The land is almost level. Drainage has been provided by
a system of tile. Owing to the impervious nature of the subsoil, however, the
tile did not materially improve the drainage until the scheme was devised of using
the tiles as sewers to carry away the surplus water conducted to them thru a
system of ditches and catch basins.

The field is laid off into 12 series of plots and these series make up four
separate combinations or plot systems, only two of which will be considered here.

Table 17.— NEWTON FIELD: Series 100, 200, 300, Summary of Crop Yields
Average Annual Yields 1913-1925 — Bushels or (tons) per acre

Serial
plot
No.

Soil treatment

Wheat
10 crops

Corn
13 crops

Soybeans1
12 crops

1
2
3

MLrP

8.8

14.5

1.4

1.0

7.6

13.6

16.7
.2

10.7
15.6
24.7
25.9

11.3
11.9
18.0
18.6

23.1
7.3

5.6

7.8

11.7

12.7

5.4

4.7

8.-1

8
9

RLrP

RLrPK

9.2

10.0

5.2

'Some hay evaluated as seed.

58 Soil Report No. 34: Supplement [November,

Series 100, 200, 300

A rotation of corn, soybeans, *and wheat has been practiced on Series 10Q,
200, and 300. Cowpeas have been seeded in the corn and sweet clover in the
wheat as catch crops to help supply the organic matter and nitrogen on the resi-
dues plots. In 1920 the use of the cowpea catch crop was discontinued, as was
also the return of wheat straw in 1922.

The limestone used on these series has been of the dolomitic form ground
sufficiently fine to pass a 10-mesh sieve. The usual large initial amount of lime-
stone was not applied here. Up to 1922 the different series had received 5 to 6
tons an acre, when the regular applications were suspended until further need
for lime becomes apparent.

Table 17 gives a summary of the crop yields obtained, including the years
that the respective, complete soil treatments have been in effect.

The results of these experiments are characteristic of those of other fields
located on this soil type. They demonstrate once more the absolute necessity of
liming as the foundation for soil improvement. Without lime, legumes fail Com-
pletely and the use of manure alone is practically ineffective. Phosphorus in
combination with lime and organic manure has, as usual, materially benefited the
wheat but, in the manner used, the rock phosphate has not paid for itself. Some
increase in yield of both wheat and corn has followed the use of potassium
fertilizer, but the money value of this increase is not sufficient to cover the cost.

A profitable system of farming on this field must lie in other plans of crop-
ping than that employed in these experiments, for even under the best treatment
the plane of production is too low to represent a successful farming enterprise.

Special Limestone Experiments

After demonstrating the great value of limestone for soil improvement, espe-
cially in southern Illinois, a number of very practical questions immediately arose
concerning details of its application as, for example : What is the most favorable
amount to apply from various standpoints of economy ? What degree of fineness
of material is most suitable ? Is magnesian or dolomitic limestone as effective as
high-calcium stone? Is there any advantage in the use of burnt material over
that of the raw crushed stone? To answer these questions a series of tests was
started on Series 500 to 1000. The comparisons were arranged in the following
manner.

The odd-numbered series (500, 700, 900) have received applications of high-
calcium material, either crushed stone or burned, and the even-numbered series
(600, 800, 1000) have received corresponding amounts of dolomitic material. On
all series, Plots 2 to 6 have received limestone at the rate of 500 pounds an acre
a year ; Plots 8 to 12 have received 1,000 pounds ; and Plots 13 to 18 have received
2,000 pounds. All applications were based upon the equivalent of pure calcium
carbonate.

In addition to the lime on these plots, all have received rock phosphate and
kainit in amounts and manner previously described. A crop rotation of corn,
soybeans, and wheat was practiced until 1920, when it was changed to corn, wheat,
and sweet clover. Since that time the wheat straw and sweet-clover chaff have

1926]

Marion County

Table 18.— NEWTON FIELD: Special Limestone Test
Summary of Crop Yields 1913-1925 — Bushels per acre

Serial
plot
No.

Fineness of
grinding
(meshes
per inch)

Wheat
13 crops

Corn
13 crops

Soybeans
5 crops

Sweet clover
6 crops

High
calcium

Dolo-
mitic

High
calcium

Dolo-
mitic

High
calcium

Dolo-
mitic

High
calcium

Dolo-
mitic

No lime. . . .

7.5

9.0

11.3

10.8

3.4

3.8

0.00

Applications of 500 pounds per acre per year to total of 3 tons per acre

4 down ....

15.0

12.7

17.9

18.2

5.3

5.5

2.21

1.77

4 to 10

12.6

13.8

16.3

22.7

5.1

5.6

2.30

2.09

10 down. . . .

13.8

13.2

17.7

15.6

5.1

5.3

1.98

2.27

50 down . . .

13.6

12.0

15.9

13.0

4.5

4.6

2.13

1.91

Burnt lime1

13.9

12.9

12.6

13.7

5.0

5.1

2.36

2.09

No lime. . . .

8.2

8.4

8.9

11.2

3.3

3.6

0.00

.10

Applications of 1,000 pounds per acre per year to total of 6 tons per acre

4 down ....

13.0

12.2

14.4

16.1

5.2

2.37

2.29

4 to 10

11.9

11.1

14.1

15.1

5.0

4.9

2.42

2.23

10 down. . .

13.1

12.2

13.8

13.1

5.1

5.3

2.12

1.88

50 down . . .

13.9

12.5

14.4

12.2 .

4.8

4.9

2.45

2.07

Burnt lime1

13.7

13.4

14.1

12.2

5.3

4.4

2.87

2.40

No lime. . . .

7.9

7.4

9.8

10.0

3.7

3.4

.37

.11

Applications of 2,000 pounds per acre per year to total of 12 tons per acre

4 down ....

14.4

14.2

17.9

15.3

6.1

5.7

3.37

2.55

4 to 10 ....

12.8

13.9

17.6

18.2

5.4

5.1

3.29

2.10

10 down. . .

16.2

15.6

17.5

18.0

5.4

5.9

3.31

2.27

50 down . . .

17.6

17.4

17.0

16.8

6.7

6.1

3.00

2.51

Burnt lime1

17.8

18 2

18.9

19.8

6.4

6.6

3.19

2.99

No lime. . . .

8.3

8.8

12.9

14.1

3.0

3.4

.20

.16

■Purchased as burnt lime, but applied after hydrating or slaking.

been returned to the land ; the cornstalks have been removed. In 1922 limestone
was evened up to a uniform total amount of 3 tons an acre on the plots receiving
light applications, to 6 tons an acre on plots receiving medium applications, and
to 12 tons on plots receiving heavy applications. No more lime will be applied
until an apparent need for it develops.

A summary of the crop yields including the years since the complete plot
treatments have been under way is shown in Table 18. In order to study the rela-
tive economy of the various amounts and kinds of lime applied, the value of the
respective crop yields have been calculated and these are shown in Table 19, along
with the value of the corresponding increases due to treatment. Using these fig-
ures as a basis, the value of a ton of limestone has also been calculated, and finally
the returns per dollar invested in the different forms and amounts of lime are
included in this table.

In considering the results it is to be noted that the subsoil on this field is
not altogether uniform with respect to acidity. Spots have been found in which
carbonates exist. Therefore definite conclusions are probably warranted only on
the more outstanding differences. Without going into a fine analysis of the data,
the following facts appear from scanning the figures of these tables :

Soil Report No. 34: Supplement

[November,

Amount of Lime. — Considered from the standpoint of total production, the
heavy applications produced the greatest yield, altho the light applications pro-
duced somewhat higher yields than the medium. If, however, the profitableness
of the practice be considered from the standpoint of value per ton of material
applied, the law of diminishing returns becomes operative, making the value
per ton two or three times as much in the light application as that in the heavy
application. The effect is magnified in the returns per dollar invested. The
figures show about $12 to $17 return for the light applications as compared with
about $4 return per dollar invested in the heavy applications. Presumably the
residual effect will be greater with the heavy application which, in the course of
time, will compensate to some extent for the smaller profit thus far obtained.

Fineness of Material. — Aside from a possible slight tendency in the heavy
application toward higher production from finer grinding, there seem to be no
very well-defined differences with respect to fineness of grinding. The practical
conclusion therefore is that there is little or no advantage to be gained in
reducing the stone completely to a powder.

High-Calcium Compared with Dolomitic Material. — The figures showing
value of annual increase indicate a certain tendency in favor of the high-calcium
over the dolomitic material. Some of the differences, however, are rather small
and there are among the fifteen possible comparisons three exceptions. Altho

Table 19. — NEWTON FIELD: Special Limestone Test, Financial Comj-arisons1

Serial
plot
No.

Fineness of
grinding
(meshes
per inch)

Average annual
acre value of crops

Value of annual
increase for lime

Value of one
ton of limestone2

Returns per
dollar invested

High

calcium

Dolo-
mitic

High

calcium

Dolo-
mitic

High

calcium

Dolo-
mitic

High
calcium

Dolo-
mitic

No lime. . . .

$7.86

S8.64

Applications of limestone:

4 down ....

$16.91

$15.02

$9.13

$6.51

$39.52

$28.18

$19.76

$14.09

4 to 10

15.29

17.20

7.51

8.69

32.51

37.62

16.26

18.81

10 down. . .

15.97

15.24

8.19

6.73

35.45

29.13

17.73

14.57

50 down . . .

15.43

13.30

7.65

4.79

33.12

20.74

16.56

10.37

Burnt lime.

15.11

14.37

7.33

5.86

31.73

25.37

4.00

3.24

No lime. . . .

$7.70

$8.38

Applications of limestone: 1,000 pounds per acre per year to a total of 6 tons

4 down ....

$15.25

$14.92

$6.72

$6.97

$14.55

$15.09

$7.68

$7.55

4 to 10

14.56

13.92

6.03

5.97

13.05

12.90

6.53

6.45

10 down . . .

14.77

13.56

6.24

5.61

13.51

12.14

6.76

6.07

50 down . . .

15.61

13.64

7.08

5.69

15.32

12.32

7.66

6.61

Burnt lime .

16.02

14.44

7.49

6.49

16.21

14.05

2.07

1.79

No lime. . . .

$9.36

$7.51

Applications of limestone: 2,000 pounds per acre per year to a total of 12 tons

4 down ....

$18.27

$16.17

$9.27

$7.71

$10.04

$8.35

$5.02

$4.18

4 to 10

17.15

16.07

8.15

7.61

8.83

8.24

4.42

4.12

10 down . . .

18.81

17.32

9.81

8.86

10.63

9.60

5.32

4.80

50 down . . .

19.23

18.21

10.23

9.75

11.08

10.56

5.54

5.28

Burnt lime .

19.54

20.16

10.54

11.70

11.42

12.68

1.42

1.48

No lime. . . .

$8.63

$9.40

'Based upon the following prices: wheat, $1.50 per bushel; corn, 75 cents; soybeans, $1.50;
sweet clover, $7.50; crushed limestone, $2 a ton; burnt lime, $14 a ton.
2Or its equivalent in burnt lime.

1926]

Marion County

this trend is of interest, the experiments are not sufficiently extended to warrant
without further evidence a discrimination between the two kinds of stone. In
the purchase of limestone there is another consideration to bear in mind, and
that is the possible need of the soil for magnesium, which element is furnished
in dolomitic stone. For further discussion of this phase of the problem, see
Appendix, page 32.

Burnt Lime Compared with Ground Limestone. — It may be explained that
the term "burnt limestone" is used here to comply with the previous records.
As a matter of fact, the material was purchased as burnt lime but it was hy-
drated or slaked before being applied to the soil.

In the light application the burnt material appears to be slightly less effective
than the average of the crushed grades, both in the high-calcium and in the
dolomitic products. In the medium and heavy applications, however, the reverse

WITH LIMESTONE

WITHOUT LIMESTONE

HHH*> -*

Fig. 5. — Without Limestone Sweet Clover Refuses to Grow
At the right where no clover is seen, no limestone has been applied.

is true, altho in no case is the difference great. In the value of a ton of limestone
the figures follow the same order.

The most striking comparison is found in the returns per dollar invested,
owing of course to the high cost of the burnt material. In these estimates the local
dealers' present market price of $14 a ton in carload lots is allowed with no
consideration of the extra trouble in preparing it for application by slaking. In
the light application the returns on a dollar invested for high-calcium burnt
lime is $4, while for the corresponding crushed stone it is $17.58. In the heavy
applications the corresponding figures are $1.42 and $5.08 respectively. The
figures for the dolomitic material are in about the same order.

From these results it appears that the answer to the question whether to
use burnt lime or ground limestone will depend, not upon the relative effectiveness
of the two in the soil, but rather upon the economy of their application. Only
under exceptional circumstance would burnt lime compete with ground limestone.
Such a situation might be one in which crushed limestone is not readily accessible

62 Soil Report No. 34: Supplement [November,

and burnt lime could be produced very cheaply ; or for gardening, where only
small quantities are required, burnt lime may be procured wherever building sup-
plies are. sold.

THE DUBOIS FIELD

Another experiment field on Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay is located at
DuBois in Washington county. This land lies practically level and appears to
be uniform in soil type. The experiments were started in 1902. The field was
laid off into a single series of plots having two sections, one tiled and the other
untiled.

The rotation practiced the first eight years was corn, oats, and wheat followed
by a legume. After two of these rotations the order was changed to corn, oats,
clover, wheat, with a seeding of sweet clover and alsike on the residues plots for
use as a green manure. Since there appeared to be little difference between the
tiled and untiled sections, another change in cropping was made in 1922 by which
corn is grown on one section and wheat with a seeding of sweet clover on the
other.

Five tons of hydrated lime an acre was applied in 1902, and no further
application of lime was made until 1922, when 2 tons of limestone an acre was
applied on the east section and 1,000 pounds an acre on the west section.

Until 1905 nitrogen was applied annually in approximately 650 pounds of
dried blood an acre on what are now the residues plots ; thereafter crop residues
were substituted. Phosphorus was supplied in form of steamed bone meal ap-
plied at the rate of 200 pounds an acre a year, and potassium in 100 pounds of
potassium sulfate an acre a year. In 1922 the applications of both phosphorus
and potassium were discontinued temporarily.

A general summary of the annual crop yields is assembled in Table 20, and
for convenience in studying the effect of the treatments the various possible com-
parisons are brought together in Table 21, where the results of the corresponding
plots of the two sections are averaged and expressed in terms of crop increases.
Some points of interests brought out by these comparisons are the following :

Altho lime, as used in these experiments, has produced some increase in all
crops, when applied alone it does not raise the plane of production sufficiently to
give a profitable system of farming. In the presence of other fertilizing materials,
however, its effectiveness is greatly enhanced.

The response to residues in the various combinations is rather complex. In
some cases the increases to be ascribed to residues are marked. In the treat-
ment with lime, phosphorus, and potassium, the effect of residues on the grain
crops is quite indifferent, while on the hay crop it is very pronounced. In con-
sidering these residues results it should be noted that they include the data of
the earlier years, when dried blood was used instead of residues to furnish
nitrogen.

Phosphorus has given increases in all combinations in all crops, but the
most significant effect produced has been on the wheat. Potassium has produced
a remarkable effect on the corn; in some cases the yields have been practically
doubled following the potassium treatment.

19 £6}

Marion Count*

Table 20.— DUBOIS FIELD: Summary of Crop Yields
Average Annual Yields 1902-1923— Bushels or (tons) per acre

Plot

Soil treatment
applied2

Wheat
6 crops

Corn
6 crops

Oats
5 crops

Clover

Soybeans

No.1

Hay
4 crops

Seed
2 crops

/ crop

5.4
9.7

13.6
20.7
16.7

26.5
19.7
28.0

27.0
18.9

10.8
13.0

17.6
17.1
25.9

17.5
25.2
29.1

28.8
22.1

14.0
23.0

30.8
35.2
30.8

33.8
32.9
37.6

34.8
26.5

( -58)
( -61)

( .89)3
(1.04)
( -89)

(1.17)3
(1.74)3
(1.67)

(2.22)3
(2.00)3

.80

1.88
2.38

2.09
2.09

3.5

L. . .

6.7

7.2

LP. . .

8.5

9.3

LRP

8.2

LRK

7.8

LPK. .

9.5

LRPK

7.8

RPK

6.3

6.3
13.6

16.2
22.2
16.1

27.0
23.3
30.0

28.0
18.8

11.7

13.8

16.4
13.3
25.2

18.3
29.7
32.4

30.8
21.8

14.3
22.5

28.0
32.4
33.8

38.1
32.4
34.8

33.1

30.2

( .54)
( -77)

(1.33)3

(1.14)

(1.23)

(2.11)3
(2.19)3
(1.88)

(2.67)3
(2.41)3

1.33

2.42
2.04

2.08
2.25

3.3

6.2

6.7

7.2

7.8

LRP

8.8

LRK

10.2

LPK

10.3

LRPK

11.3

RPK

6.7

'Plots 1 to 10 not tiled. Plots 11 to 20 tiled.

'Until 1905 dried blood was applied instead of residues.

3Only two crops of hay on Plots 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 13, 16, 17, 19, and 20.

Table 21. — DUBOIS FIELD: Effect of Treatments in Terms of Annual Crop Increases

Bushels or (tons) per acre

Comparison of
treatments

Wheat
6 crops

Corn
6 crops

Oats
5 crops

Clover hay1
2 or 4 crops

Soybeans
1 crop

Lime

L over 0

5.8

8.7

3.3

5.3

5.1

-1.5

9.8
11.9
12.6

6.0

4.8
6.6

7.6
.8

2.2

7.9

3.6

2.7

1.9

-1.0

1.8

5.2

2.4

12.2
10.5
15.6
11.9

8.6
5.6

6.7

2.2

-2.3

11.1
6.6
3.9
1.3

9.6

3.3

2.4
-2.0

(.13)
(.24)

(.42)
(.55)

(.91)
(.67)

(.40)
(.53)
(.72)
(.48)

(.37)
(.86)
(.69)
(.81)

3.1

LRPK over RPK ...

Residues

LR over L

3.1
.5

LRP over LP

LRK over LK

LRPK over LPK ...

Phosphorus

LP over L

-.4

1.4

LRP over LR

LPK over LK

LRPK over LRK ....

Potassium

LK over L

1.6

1.4

2.1

LRK over LR

LPK over LP

LRPK over LRP

2.1
2.1
1.1

Emitting any consideration of clover seed produced on certain plots.

Soil Report No. 34: Supplement

[November,

These results in general confirm those of the other fields located on the same
soil type, in that wheat responds in a notable way to phosphorus treatment while
corn receives its greatest benefit from potassium treatment. A rational system
of general farming designed to bring this land into the highest production of
which it is capable calls for the application of both these elements of plant food
to be used in conjunction with limestone and organic manures.

The marked benefit to wheat and the indifferent response of all other crops
following the use of bone meal suggest that in practice perhaps phosphorus could
be supplied more economically by using somewhat smaller quantities of phos-
phatic fertilizer and applying it directly to the wheat crop. Likewise, it seems
probable, judging from the relative crop responses to potassium treatment, that
the expense of potassium fertilizer might be reduced by cutting down the quantity
used in these tests, applying the material direct to the corn crop. The organic
manures are well furnished by crop residues and legumes plowed down but, under
some circumstances, at least a part of the legumes and crop residues will be
utilized advantageously by pasturing or feeding them to livestock, the manure
produced therefrom to be carefully conserved and regularly returned to the land.

THE EWING FIELD

As representing the soil type Gray Silt Loam On Orange-Mottled Tight Clay,
experimental results from a portion of the Ewing field are presented.

The Ewing field is located in Franklin county about a mile northeast of
Ewing. It was established in 1910. Altho four distinguishable soil types have
been identified on this field, the 100 and 200 series of plots lie wholly on Gray
Silt Loam On Orange-Mottled Tight Clay. This land is nearly level, the drainage
is very poor, and the soil is strongly acid. These two series, together with
Series 300 and 400, constitute a plot system farmed under a crop rotation of
wheat, corn, oats, and clover, but because Series 300 and 400 lie mainly on another
soil type, results from these plots will not enter into the present consideration.

H"\ V

MANURE, LIMESTONE, ROCK PHOSPHATE

NO TREATMENT

Fig. 6. — Corn Growing on Neighboring Plots on the Ewing Field in 1924

At the right is a check plot which has produced, as an average of eight years, only 15
bushels of corn an acre; while at the left the plot treated with manure, limestone, and rock
phosphate has produced 49 bushels an acre as an average for this same period.

19X6]

Marion County

The handling of the crops and the soil treatments have been in the main
according to the somewhat standard plan described above. Until 1920 eowpeas
were seeded in the corn as a catch crop on the residues plot. In 1921 sweet clover
was substituted as the regular legume in the rotation in addition to its seeding
in the wheat for use as a green manure crop. Seed was harvested from all the
regular sweet-clover plots and the straw returned to the residues plots. In 1922
the limestone applications were discontinued after they had reached a total quan-
tity of Sy2 to 10 tons an acre on the different series. No more limestone will be
applied until the need for it appears. The return of the wheat straw as a residue
was also discontinued at that time. In 1923 the rock phosphate was evened up
on all phosphorus plots to 8,500 pounds an acre, and no more will be applied for
an indefinite period.

Table 22.— EWING FIELD: Sehies 100 and 200, Summary of Crop Yields
Average Annual Yields 1911-1925 — Bushels or (tons) per acre

Serial
plot

No.

Soil
treatment

Wheat
6 crops

Corn
8 crops

Oats
8 crops

Clover
2 crops

Soybeans
3 crops

Sweet
clover
2 crops

2
3
4

5
6

7
8

9
10

MLrP

RLrP

RLrPK

2.2

4.1

14.8

20.0

2.2
1.7

15.9
19.0

26.1
3.3

15.3
30.6
47.8
49.0

14.9
15.2
33.2
31.7

47.3
20.1

9.8
15.4
29.0
31.0

9.4

9.9
26.2
27.2

34.9
10.9

( .26)
( .31)
( -91)
(1.12)

( .19)
( -23)
( -87)
(1.15)

(1.06)

( .37)

( -36)
( -42)
( -89)
(1.02)

1.8
1.8
6.1
7.2

8.5

( .42)

0.00
0.00
2.23
2.25

0.00
0.00
2.46
2.07

2.08
0.00

A summary of the results is presented in Table 22, showing the average
annual crop yields obtained for the years the plots have been under their com-
plete treatments. The extremely poor yields on the untreated land testify to the
natural poverty of this soil. About 2.5 bushels of wheat an acre has been the
average production on the check plots.

The use of manure alone increases the crop yields somewhat, but not suffi-
ciently to put this kind of farming on a profitable basis. Residues alone are prac-
tically without effect.

Limestone produces a very decided increase in yields used either with manure
or with residues, the large increase with the latter being due mainly to the suc-
cessful growth of legumes following the application of limestone.

Rock phosphate has produced a substantial increase in the yield of wheat,
but it has had little or no significant effect on other crops. Used in the quantity
applied in these experiments, the profits on the wheat would scarcely carry the
cost of material. As explained above, however, the phosphate applications have
been suspended to observe the residual effect. The results of the next few years
should furnish new light on the economy in the use of phosphate on this soil.

Soil Report No. 34: Supplement

[November,

Potassium fertilizer, as used in these experiments, has had a decidedly bene-
ficial effect on all the grain crops.

The response to treatment on this field resembles in general that on the group
of fields discussed above. The suggestions, therefore, for the practical improve-
ment of this soil type correspond to those for Gray Silt Loam On Tight Clay.

Soil Reports Published

Clay, 1911

Moultrie, 1911

Hardin, 1912

Sangamon, 1912

LaSalle, 1913

Knox, 1913

McDonough, 1913

Bond, 1913

Lake, 1915

McLean, 1915

Pike, 1915

Winnebago, 1916

Kankakee, 1916

Tazewell, 1916

Edgar, 1917

DuPage, 1917

Kane, 1917

18 Champaign, 1918

19 Peoria, 1921

20 Bureau, 1921

21 McHenry, 1921

22 Iroquois, 1922

23 DeKalb, 1922

24 Adams, 1922

26 Livingston, 1923

26 Grundy, 1924

27 Hancock, 1924

28 Mason, 1924

29 Mercer, 1925
SO Johnson, 1925

31 Bock Island, 1925

32 Bandolph, 1925

33 Saline, 1926

34 Marion, 1926

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS- URBANA

Q 630 7IL6SR C005

ILLINOIS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

34 1926

019543625

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