REPORT OF THE CHEMIST. 153 



that is retentive of fertilizing constituents. It further differs in possessing larger 

 amounts of lime and magnesia, features distinctly in its favour, as rendering it Hiore 

 suitable to the growth of cereals. 



It is, however, particularly deficient in organic matter (humus), and very low in 

 nitrogen. In potash, it is fairly rich ; in phosphoric acid, only moderately so. Barn- 

 yard manure, a rich compost made with muck, or a green crop turned under, are there- 

 fore among the best fertilizers for this land. These should be accompanied if possible 

 with a dressing of lime or marl. 



On many new farms there is not sufficient barn-yard manure made to properly 

 keep up, not to speak of increasing, the fertility of the land in cultivation. The con- 

 stant aim on such farms should be towards keeping more stock, since, by feeding the 

 product of the fields upon the farm, about three-fourths of the plant food withdrawn by 

 the crops is retained for future use. In the meantime, however* it would be well to 

 practice turning under certain green crops, and thus enrich the land with available 

 plant food. It has been explained previously that pease, clover and other legumes are 

 particularly valuable for this purpose, adding to the soil much nitrogen assimilated from 

 the atmosphere — a clear gain — as well as a large amount of organic matter to other- 

 wise improve the soil. When possible, it will be more economical to feed the green 

 crops to stock, returning the manure to the land ; but if animals for this purpose are not 

 kept, the turning under of the crop will be found to furnish a nitrogenous manure cheaper 

 than any commercial fertilizer. The use of swamp muck may also be referred to as 

 advantageous for such soils. In the air-dried condition it forms an excellent material 

 for absorbing and retaining liquid manure, its own plant food constituents being con- 

 verted by the subsequent fermentation in the heap into soluble and available forms. 



On another page in this report will be found an article giving information respect- 

 ing the agricultural value and use of this material. 



QUEBEC. 



Nos. 7 and 8.— SOILS FROM THE COUNTY OF JOLIETTE. 



These are from No. 766 in the official cadastral plan of the parish of Ste. Elizabeth, 

 range St. Peter, county of Joliette. 



The surface soil, about seven inches in depth, is black when moist — when it had 

 the appearance of a clay loam of considerable strength, being compact and cohesive. 



On drying in the air, it becomes grayish black and powders readily. 



The subsoil when moist is plastic, but the air-dried sample reduces easily. This 

 sample when received in the moist state was mottled gray and yellowish red. The dry 

 powder is light yellow. 



The surface soil is a clay loam of average fertility, containing all the elements nec- 

 essary to plant development, and in such proportion as to produce with judicious culture 

 remunerative crops. 



Nitrogen. — The percentage of nitrogen is -213 per cent. Although the richest soils 

 contain from -5 to 1*0 per cent, the average percentage in good fertile soils is from 15 

 to -25 per cent. This soil, accordingly, ranks, as regards nitrogen, among those of aver- 

 age fertility. 



Potash. — The amount of potash is also fairly high (-38 per cent). The percen- 

 tage of this element varies in soils from -1 to 1-0 per cent, according to the nature of 

 the rock from which the soil has been derived. Clay loams are usually richer in potash 

 than sandy soils. 



PJwsjjhoric Acid. — The phosphoric acid amounts to *27 per cent. The average in 

 ordinary fertile soils is about -2 per cent, though, like potash, the percentage in 

 virgin soils is dependent upon the character of the originating rock. 



Nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash are known as the essential elements of fer- 

 tility, for they are those of which the soil is more particularly exhausted when succes- 



