HON. J. C. LEES ON THE PINE-APPLE SOIL OF THE BAHAMAS. 127 



large quantity of oxide of iron. The soil is free from stones ; 

 and though it appears to consist in great part of a coarse ferru- 

 ginous sand, on examination is found to contain no sand, being 

 easily rubbed to an impalpable powder in a mortar, and showing 

 no grittiness under the pestle. A portion of the soil, freed from 

 the larger fragments of wood, roots, and bark whicli it contained, 

 gave an analysis of the following composition, in ten thousand 

 parts : — 



Silica .... 309O 



Alumina .... 2400 



Oxide of iron . . . .1832 



Lime (chiefly as carbonate) . . 132 



Magnesia .... 8 



Potash in a soluble state . . 5 



Potash combined with earthy matter • 20 



Phosphate of iron ... 9 



Sulphuric acid ... 2 



Chlorine .... 4 



Ammonia . . . .a trace 



Organic matter . . 990 



Water . . . .1508 



10,000 



The soil is chiefly remarkable for the unusually large propor- 

 tion of oxide of iron which it contains ; but in the absence of 

 any analysis of the Pine-apple plant, no very accurate conclusion 

 can be drawn as to the peculiar excellence of this earth for its 

 cultivation. On first examining the soil, I had expected to find a 

 large quantity of ammonia, for the absorption of which from the 

 air it is well fitted, by the large proportion of oxide of iron which 

 it contains ; this, however, was not tlie case ; the quantity of 

 ammonia obtained by analysis was exceedingly small. I must 

 postpone further observations on this subject until I am enabled 

 to contrast the composition of the pine-apple plant with that of 

 the soil which appears to be so peculiarly favourable to its 

 growth. 



XVII. — A Notice of Simmons's Patent Hygrometer. By the 

 Vice-Secretary. 



At the Meeting of the Society in Regent-street, Feb. 17, 1846, 

 Mr. E. Simmons, of Coleman-street, in the City of London, 

 produced an Hygrometer contrived by him for Horticultural 

 Purposes. Taking advantage of the well-known Hygrome- 

 trical properties of wood, the inventor adapted a thin strip of 

 Mahogany, cut across the grain, to a pulley and spiral spring 



