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<br />-32- <br /> <br />spoil is riLled, indicating little or no runoff except in places <br />where water collects on roads and is drained off over the steep <br />spoil slopes. <br />Experimental <br />In cooperation with the Ideal Cement Company, Nand P fertil- <br />ity and herbaceous species plots were put out on some of the ;ray <br />spoils in. 1969. Stands eseablished on the plots were very poor or <br />failures. The few seedlings that were present late in the gr~~wing <br />season were stunted and purple, indicating a phosphonis deficiency, <br />This, despite broadcast fertility treatment, was high as 184 pounds <br />1;205/acre. The only response to the broadcast fertilization ~~f N <br />and P was by Russian thistle on one of the four plot areas. <br />Samples of the gray and [he brown spoils were put into a green- <br />house study and given N and P fertility treatments. Yields on the <br />test species (tali fescue) were as follows: <br />Yields of fall Fescue - Grams per Pot <br />Pis Ce rial Treatment Yield <br />Drown Spoil N only' 0.83 <br />N + 200Ik P205/acre 3.73 <br />N + 400lk P205/acre 4.17 <br />N + 8001k P205/acre 4.10 <br />Gray Spoil N only 0.20 <br />., N + 2001k P205/acre 2:66 <br />N + 4001k P205/acre 3.28 <br />N + 8001k P205/acre 3.36 <br />Soil N + P 4.57 <br />T}tus, with N plus P fertilization the fescue yields on the <br />spoils approached [he yield of a productive soil.. The brown ;spoil <br />contained more plant available P than the gray spoil, and this. <br />probably accounts for the better growth of grass without adder I'. <br />To further determine the differences between the brown and gray <br />spoils, five samples of approximately 50 pounds oC each were collected <br />and plant-available P, pll, soluble salts, and particle size distribu- <br />tion were detern~lncd. <br />Plant-available P on the gray spoils was extremely low, whereas <br />the brown spoils tested Low to moderate in P. Soluble salts w. re <br />higher in the gray spoils than the brown, but probably not. high <br />enough to seriously restrict plant growth. The pH of both spoils <br />ranged from 8.0 - fl.5, reflecting the presence of abundant CaG~3 <br />in the spoils. 1'he gray spoils contained only 40 percent soil-size <br />