850 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



TABLE 8. THE ABSORPTION OF DIFFERENT HYDRATES BY VARIOUS SOILS. 



No. c c. N/25 Hydrate absorbed 

 by 2 grams of Soil. 



Kind of Soil. 



1 . Heavy silt loam (pray) . . . . 



2. Heavy silt loam (black).. . . 



3. Heavy clay loam (brown) . . 



4. Heavy silt loam (black). . . . 



5. Light clay loam (black) 



6. Heavy silt loam (black). . . . 



7. Light clay loam (gray) . . . . 



8. Heavy silt loam (gray) . . . . 



9. Light silt loam (black) . . . . 



10. Heavy silt loam fgray) . . . . 



11. Very light silt loam (black) 



12. Heavy sandy loam (black) . 



NH40H 



2.1 

 2.6 

 2.4 

 2.6 

 1.2 

 2.1 



1.8 

 1.8 

 0.9 

 1.2 

 1.2 

 1.5 



The foregoing data reveal at once the remarkable fact that the amount 

 of base taken up by any one soil differs markedly with the various bases. 

 In other words, the soils do not absorb the various bases in chemically 

 equivalent quantities. All soils take up Ca(OH)o in greatest quantity 

 followed by KOH, NaOH, and NH^OflS in order respectively. The various 

 soils, also, do not absorb these various hydroxides in the same relative 

 ratio. 



Evidently, therefore, each soil possesses a specific reactivity for the 

 different hydroxides. 



It will now be of interest to ascertain whether a soil which is already 

 satisfied with one base will still take up other bases. That is to say, if 

 a soil is satisfied with the amount of NH4OH it requires, will it take up 

 any more of Ca(0H)2 and vice versa. To obtain information upon this 

 question the problem was attacked in the following manner: The exact 

 requirement of a soil for Ca(0H)2, KOH, NaOH, and NH.OH was first 

 ascertained in the usual manner. Then to this soil was added a little 

 more than the true requirement of any one base and its freezing point 

 depression determined. To this mixture was then added various quanti- 

 ties of another base until the depression began to change. If the de- 

 pression began to change immediately upon the addition of a small 

 amount of the second base then it was considered that the soil would not 

 take up another base, i. e., cause it to disappear. Some of the data ob- 

 tained are as follows: 



2 gm. Soil No. 1 originally required 6 c. c. N/25 Ca(OH), to cause 

 change in depression, required only 1 c. c. after it received 2.5 c. c. 

 N/25 NH.OH. 



2 gm. Soil No. 2 originally required 9 c. c. N/25 Ca(OH), to cause 

 change in depression, required only 1.5 c. c. after it received 3 c. c. 

 N/25 NH.OH. 



2 gm. Soil No. 3 required 8.5 c. c. N/25 Ca(0H)2 to cause change m 

 the depression, req uired only 1.5 c. c. after it received 3 c. c. N/25 NH^OH. 



2 gm. Soil No. 1 originally required 5.5' c. c. N/25 KOH to cause 

 change in the depression, required only 1 c. c. after it received 7 c. c. 



N/25 Ca(OH)o. 

 2 gm. Soil No. 2 originally required 5.5 c. c. N/25 KOH to cause 



