﻿290 
  GEOLOGY. 
  

  

  • 
  ANALYSIS. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  that 
  some 
  soils 
  are, 
  by 
  nature, 
  un- 
  

   suited 
  to 
  tile 
  production 
  of 
  particular 
  plants, 
  even 
  where 
  

   climate 
  and 
  other 
  conditions 
  would 
  favor 
  their 
  cultiva- 
  

   tion, 
  and 
  that 
  from 
  other 
  soils, 
  originally 
  prolific, 
  the 
  

   productive 
  elements 
  are 
  continually 
  abstracted 
  in 
  the 
  

   course 
  of 
  tillage 
  until, 
  in 
  the 
  end, 
  they 
  become 
  exhausted 
  

   and 
  sterile. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  province 
  of 
  Agricultural 
  Che- 
  

   mistry, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  elements 
  of 
  plants 
  

   derived 
  from 
  the 
  earth 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  grow, 
  and 
  the 
  

   presence 
  or 
  deficiency 
  of 
  those 
  elements 
  in 
  the 
  soils 
  in 
  

   which 
  they 
  are 
  cultivated, 
  in 
  such 
  manner 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  

   this 
  knowledge 
  available 
  to 
  the 
  husbandman, 
  and 
  to 
  in- 
  

   struct 
  him 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  chemical 
  composition 
  of 
  the 
  ma- 
  

   nures, 
  animal 
  or 
  mineral, 
  proper 
  to 
  be 
  applied 
  to 
  supply 
  

   the 
  exhaustion, 
  or 
  to 
  fit 
  the 
  otherwise 
  unfruitful 
  soil 
  for 
  

   his 
  purpose. 
  As 
  to 
  the 
  practical 
  value 
  of 
  analysis 
  of 
  

   soils 
  as 
  usually 
  conducted, 
  or 
  the 
  ability, 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  

   state 
  of 
  chemical 
  knowledge, 
  of 
  determining 
  those 
  minute 
  

   constituents 
  in 
  a 
  soil 
  — 
  such 
  as 
  alkali 
  or 
  potash 
  and 
  

   phosphoric 
  acid 
  — 
  generally 
  regarded 
  as 
  the 
  greatest 
  

   cause 
  of 
  fertility, 
  eminent 
  chemists 
  are 
  at 
  issue, 
  and, 
  in 
  

   our 
  own 
  country, 
  many 
  distinguished 
  for 
  high 
  scientific 
  

   attainments 
  are 
  found 
  to 
  agree 
  with 
  Boussingault, 
  that 
  

   we 
  are 
  much 
  less 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  chemical 
  composition 
  

   of 
  the 
  soil 
  than 
  in 
  its 
  mechanical 
  mixture. 
  

  

  But, 
  whatever 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  differences 
  of 
  opinion 
  as 
  to 
  

   the 
  value 
  of 
  analysis 
  of 
  soils, 
  and 
  whether 
  the 
  benefits 
  

   would 
  justify 
  the 
  expense 
  attending 
  the 
  minute 
  and 
  mul- 
  

   tiplied 
  chemical 
  examinations 
  required 
  to 
  impart 
  a 
  useful 
  

  

  