The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-07-18
Experts at Ames Mako an Analysis Of
All tho Farm Dirt In This Coun-
ty and Publish Report
On II
MOST OF IT BLEW HERE
And That Loess 10 Divided Into Six
Glasses, Each Needing Different
Treatment and Growing DIFF
ferent Crops Best.

4 Lee county had some real wint
storms before man existed here, evi
IDENTIFY, for in previous geological
and climatic area, four-fifths Of soil Of
its farms were literally blown here and
/ deposited by the wind to later produce
corn and wheat and alfalfa and Other
crops.
The upland area of Lee county ii
called loess soil in the recently issued
report on the soil survey Of Lee
ton in conjunction with the United
State agricultural department. from
which these facts are obtained. Loess
soil means dirt blown upon the coun
/ try it says.
! This loess covering ranges from
| few feet to fifteen feet in Lee county.
/ 1t consists of fine silt varying in color
! from light gray to dark brown and
black. 1t comprises 1913 percent OF
the number of acres of land in the
county, and there are 260.736 acres of
! it in Lee county.
! How Lee County Soils Are Named.
The soil experts divide this loess
| group Of soils into six different classes
each of which must be treated differ
emily to produce the largest crops, be-
cause they differ in composition and
| physical character.
Over quarter Of the loess soil is
Crundy silt loan, and little less
| than quarter is Lindley loan, there
being 10000 acres of the former and
! $500 acres Of the latter in the county.
The Grundy silt loan prevails in the
northwestern part of Lee county and
is the most important soil here. It is
underlaid by dark silly clay loan
about two feet thick and itself Is over
a foot thick.
1t is generally acid in reaction, as
are most Of the soils Of Lee county.
The Best Land In Lee County.
This Grundy silt loan is the best
soil in the county for corn and oats
and produces we'll rye, wheat, clover,
timothy and alfalfa.
The acidity OF the soil calls for lime
as fertilizer, and this greatly increases
the yield Of the legume crops. Farm
manure is especially valuable on this
soil, as shown by both farm expert
ence and green house tests.
There is not much PHOSPHORUS in
this Grundy silt loan, in Lee county,
but the experiments by the Ames men
indicate that neither rock phosphates
nor acid phosphates helped the crop
enough to pay.
The Lindley loan Is found all over
Lee county and always on the slopes
leading to the upland drainage
courses. In extent it is second only
to the Grundy silt loan in this county.
About the LindIey Loan Soil.
1t is about ten inches deep and is
reddish to yellowish- brown in color.
On the tops Of the slopes 1t is more
like silt than on lower levels, where it
is more loamy.
Only about one-third Of the area Of
this soil in Lee county is under the
pIow, because the rest is on slopes too
steep for cultivation, and there are
also some acreage covered with white
oak, red oak, scrub oak and hickory
trees.
On the more level areas, this Lind
ley loan is suited for oats, rye and
grass, but corn does not do SO well
as in the Grundy silt loan. The yield
can be greatly increased by proper
treatment of the soil, the Ames men
say, which means lime and farm
Phosphate fertilizers are
profitable in this soil now, and the
Ames men say that they will be a |
in the future.
The Other Soils in Lee County.
Tint Putnam silt loan and the Mem
phis silt loan, nearly equal in extent
in Lee county, but not half as large
In extent as either the Grundy loan
or the Lindley silt loam
The former is found throughout the
lplands around the drainage courses
and creeks and Is similar to the Grun-
ly loan in crop production, but not
quite as fertile. 1t calls for tile drain
age generally, on account of its sub
soil, and phosphate fertilizer In aoai-
ion to lime and stable manure.
The Memphis silt loan is found on
op Of ridges and tongues Of land on
he margin Of the uplands along the
Mississippi, Des Moines and Skunk
'ivers. Wheat and rye do better than
,orn on 1t. 1t requires special treat
nent on different farms, as regards
keeping it up.
The Marion silt loan makes over
10000 acres in Lee county, along the
ivers and grows all crops. There are
,nly 1928 acres of the Grundy clay
oam soil, the sixth in importance in ]
lee county. This Is gumbo.