178 SOEGHUM. 



were such as to awaken great interest in these questions of soils and 

 fertilization. Besides, the juices of the sorghums there grown proved 

 to be remarkably pure, comparing well even with the best sugar-cane 

 juice. Therefore, average specimens of the soils from the several 

 fields were obtained, and a record of the yield of crop, and the fertil- 

 izers applied to each, was also secured from the president of the Sor- 

 ghrim Sugar Company, George C. Potts, Esq., of Philadelphia, Pa. 



Rio Grande is a small hamlet some 6 miles north of Cape May, N. 

 J., in latitude 39° north, and longitude nearly 2° east from Washing- 

 ton. It is situated upon a sandy peninsula, about 5 miles in breath, 

 with the Atlantic upon the east, and separated from the main-land by 

 the Delaware Bay, at this point about 20 miles wide. Average sam- 

 ples of soil from six fields were selected for analysis, viz : 



A. Harnefann. — This field received an application of 300 pounds 

 of Peruvian guano per acre. The average yield of stalks was 3^ tous 

 per acre 



B. Richwine farm. — This farm also had 300 pounds Peruvian guano 

 per acre. The average yield was 5^ tons of stalks per acre. 



C. Hand farm. — This field received an application of 300 pounds of 

 Peruvian guano and 30 bushels of lime per acre. The average 

 yield was 7-| tons of stalks per acre. 



D. Neafie farm. — This field received same amount of guano and 

 lime as C. Average yield per acre, 8 tons stalks. 



E. Uriah Creese farm. — Same amount of guano and lime as C and 

 D. Average yield per acre, 15 tons stalks. 



F. Bennett farm. — Same amount of guano and lime as C, D, and E. 

 Average yield per acre, 17 tons stalks. 



From the above results, it will be seen that the application of the 

 expensive fertilizer, Peruvian guano, was without any apimreut benefit, 

 while the application' of lime §eems to have been beneficial, although it 

 is to be regretted that we have not the data for comparing the yield of 

 these fields Avith and Avithout the application of fertilizers. 



With the exception, only, that the amount of pebbles of an apprecia- 

 ble size, one-twentieth to one-quarter inch in diameter, was more in 

 some of the samples than in others, there was to the eye no noticeable 

 difierence in the character of the soil. 



The samples were passed through sieves of 20, 80, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 

 90 meshes to the inch, and the following results obtained : The column 

 marked residue, consisted of pebbles which would not pass through a 

 sieve of twenty meshes to the inch, or rather of one-twentieth inch di- 

 ameter. The column marked 20 was that portion which, passing 

 meshes of one-twentieth inch, would not pass those of one-thirtieth, etc.- 



