The Grit-advocate., 1903-01-09
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[AlGRICULTURE
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Treatment for Bogus" and Marsh
Land.

From Farmers Review: The as
tonishing demand for farm land dur
ing the past few years has produced
great activity towards improving
swamp and marsh land. What we
once considered worthless peat marsh
es, are now by the aid of the spade
and dredge being converted into tilla-
BILE farms. All down the eastern part
of Illinois and northwestern part OF
Indiana are hundreds Of acres OF this
sort OF territory that is undergoing
transformation. This land, after be-
ing drained, is of black fertile col
or, and is in loose friable condition
with all the appearance of great crop
producing ability. But from some
quarters we hear complaints that land
of similar composition bellies its ap-
pearance by producing grain OF infe-
rior quality. Corn grows to an amaz'
ing height, producing great yield OF
stover, but an unsatisfactory amount
of ears, Of which an Improbable per-
centage are "nubbins." Oats on the
same soils make a wonderful growth,
and a few weeks prior to the harvest,
one. Judging from their appearance.
would estimate the yield at from 60 to
100 bushels per acre. But just before
harvest the oats become STRAW
fallen" lodge and otherwise make
tedious work for the binder. A close
inspection reveals short heads with
grain that is inclined to be chaffy,
and the yield below our estimate
one-half.
These tracts are not confined to In
diana and Illinois. In every state can
be found tracts of this unproductive
black lands, varying from few
square rods to hundreds of acres. 1t
is we'll known as bogus" land. some
times incorrectly called "alkali," for
1t has none of the real characteristics
terially improved by drainage, a chem
ical analysis shows 1t to be abnor-
mally rich in nitrogen, due to the
large amount of partially decomposed
organic matter. In fact, in some
areas organic matter makes up the
greater part of the material. An analy-
sis of this soil shows it to contain over
2 per cent nitrogen, " per cent phos-
phoric acid, but only Ito per cent OF
potash.
The uninitiated often think COM
mercial plant food is to be used only
on worn and exhausted lands, and to
fertilize black soil is extravagant and
foolish. Yet experiments made at dit.
ferent agricultural experiment sta
tions show that the great salvation for
these soils is kainit. Kainit is crude
potash, containing IL per cent actual
potash, chloride magnesia and chloride
sodium, and seems to be a natural
mixture to correct the irregularities
Of this soil. This should be applied
in liberal amounts. Nine years ago
the Indiana station in its experimental
work on such soil used ton of kainit
per acre, and the good effect can still
be noted.
It need not generally be applied in
such large amounts, but in the above
mentioned experiment, land that pro-
duced practically nothing, gave an av-
erage yield of 54 bushels OF corn per
acre for four years. The kainit cost
$40 in Indiana, delivered and distrib-
uted and the returns for the first four
years was $3.50. In the case OF
small areas of unproductive soil in the
field, 1t is the custom of farmers to
plow and plant these patches the same
as the productive parts of the field.
The treatment of these tracts with
kainit will render the labor applied to
these places effective. While lime can
sometimes be used to an advantage
on raw muck land, 1t does not seem
to mix readily with this bogus land
D. I. Duncan.