66 [Senate 



a pint of cold water. To this add a large tablespoonful, or half a 

 wine glass of muriatic acid, and stir the mixture frequently. It may 

 stand over night to settle ; pour off the liquid in the morning, and 

 fill the vessel with water, to wash off the excess of acid. When the 

 water is clear pour it off carefully, dry the soil and weigh it. The 

 loss will show the per cent of lime in the soil, and although not rig- 

 orously accurate, will be sufficiently so for all ordinary purposes. 



To determine the quantity of sand in the soil, and by its separation, 

 the amount of clay also, it is better to take as much as 200 grains, 

 and this should be from the undried mass. The 200 grains may be 

 boiled in water, as that will incorporate the soil more fully with the 

 fluid, and then poured into a glass, where the sand will soon subside 

 to the bottom. When the clay begins to settle, the water must be 

 turned off, and the sand collected and weighed. This will show the 

 per cent of sand, and the remainder will be the clay, or nearly so. 

 Sometimes the sand will contain considerable quantities of lime. 

 When this is suspected to be the case, it may, after separation, be 

 treated with muriatic acid, as directed above, and the remainder 

 will be silicious sand alone. In determining the quantity of lime, 

 the glass should not be filled, as where the effervesence is active on 

 the addition of the muriatic acid, a part of the material may be lost, 

 and the result be consequently erroneous. 



By the simple process we have here described, any farmer who 

 chooses, may determine the general character of his farm, or any part 

 of it. The more refined analysis for the detection of the salts, solu- 

 ble and insoluble humus, &c., &c., must be left to the professed chem- 

 ist ; and we may add here, that the results of the multitude of ana- 

 lytical experiments conducted by Liebig, Sprengel, Burger, and oth- 

 ers, go to show that it requires but a slight modification of the more 

 minute and rare elements of the soil, or change in their proportions, 

 to materially affect both the quality of the soil, and its productions. 

 For instance, Sprengel analyzed two soils much resembling each oth- 

 er, but one of them was remarkable for producing naturally the most 

 beautiful crops of red clover, while on the other it could scarcely be 

 made to grow at all. The analysis showed that the last was deficient 

 in sulphuric acid and the chlorine of common salt. A dressing of 

 gypsum and common salt removed these deficiencies, and gave the soil 

 the same qualities as the other. A weak solution of sulphuric acid 

 has proved sometimes of great service on grass lands. The above 

 analysis explains its action. Combined with the lime in the soil, 



