220 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 
proportion should they be present? 'This perhaps will be best answered by presenting trustwor- 
thy analyses of soils that are proved, by their productiveness, to be fertile. 
The first is the analysis, by M. Payen, of a soil from the banks of the Volga, considered one of 
the best in the world. 
Organic mattcri == eee ea oe eee 6.95 
Silica. 235 Nantes ee ee oe ae ee 71.56 
Aiming a Sere se aes Tiare SS Ske een 11.40 
Oxide of irons] eae ee re se See ee 5.62 
Taine Sates Ree ae ee es yey eo ee 0.80 
Maonesia seo ee ee eee ee ee lee 
Allkalimerchlonidesseee see ee eee eae ae 1.21 
Phosphoric acidee=—sem seas eee a trace. 
NSS] ee te ot oh Secaes eceaees ales RE 8 Pe ee ee 1.24 
100.00 
The following are analyses by Kane,* of soils that produced excellent crops of flax, in Ireland. 
No. 1.) Nose ENO SS: 
Silica and silicious sand_ --- ~~ 73.72. --.69.41_...64.93 
QOxidefohirontee.. = cceeoa 5.512 5:298 25. 5164 
AUMINa see See eee ee eee 6.65__-. B.70.-.. 8:97 
Phosphate of iron._—...----- AGH oss CHS ae SL: 
Carbonate\of lime: eerue.22= 2) 1092 9 Pb sae wi, 
Magnesia and alkalies, with 
traces of sulphuric and mu- S32 ete WeDo e ee 40, 
riatic acids, § 
Organic matters__.---../-_-= 4.86_... 6.67... 9.41 
Water: 5-2b 5-52 2. ese (plese WARS = 8.73 
99.78 99.58 100.1 1 
Two soils, from Illinois, gave Prof. Hitchcock the following results. The soils are said to be of 
the very best quality. No. 1 has never been cultivated, and No. 2 has been in cultivation fourteen 
years, without manure. 
No. 1. No. 2 
Bilicates. ~-- -.---------~-----~-.-73.5-----83.0 
Organic ‘matter-22 -=-=F==—--=-=2- 2 2145 22 ele 
Sulphatesofwlimetes = -— == o-oo Aes ee 
Garbonatesptaimese seas scat tae OO Oe eens 
IBhosphateror limes sem. Se. Pes 0A eee G 
IWiatCrm aac a fee no eee OUD ae Meee ge 
The following is the composition of a fertile soil in Sweden, by Bergman. 
Carbonatejof lime===ss= = == ee 30. 
Gravelo.e S223 ee Sr ee S301 
Silicrousisam Cece ae eee eae eee 38 
lamina see coe eee ee. eee LAS 
100.0 
*“Tndustrial Resources of Ireland,” a work to which I take this means of acknowledging numerous obligations, 
