MINERAL MATTER CONTAINED IN WATER. 



19 



rain water washes the soil, and whether it flows over its 

 surface or percolates through it to the subsoil, it takes up 

 in its course a portion of the soluble matters which it 

 meets. Thus the water of the earth contains lime, mag- 

 nesia, soda, potash, iron, sulphur, silica, ammonia, car- 

 bonic acid, nitric acid and oxygen, in solution. Besides 

 this, many solid substances are held mechanically and in 

 suspension, and are deposited whenever the flow is arrest- 

 ed and the water becomes still. 



In Professor Geo. H. Cook's valuable work on the Ge- 

 ology of New Jersey, the following examples are given : 



Analysis of water of tlie Delaware river, made by Henry Wurtz, N. J. State 



Chemist. 



Grains. 



Whole solid matter contained in a gallon 3.97 



Consisting of Carbonate of lime 1.30 



Carbonate of magnesia. 0.89 



Carbonate of potash 0.17 



Chloride of sodium 0.11 



Chloride of potassium 0.01 



Sulphate of lime 0.19 



Phosphate of lime 0.14 



Silica 0.50 



Sesqui-oxide of iron 0.03 



Organic matter containing ammonia 0.63 



The water of the Delaware is considered as exception- 

 ally free from impurities. It is interesting to notice the 

 composition of its impurities in connection with the 

 practically inexhaustible fertility of the flats of this river, 

 which are annually overflowed and thereby enriched. 



A comparison of the solid matters contained in 100,000 

 parts of the waters of several of our rivers is here given, 

 as follows, viz. : 



Rivers Passaic. Schvylk&l. Croton. Hudson. 



Solid contents 12.75 9.41 18.71 18.48 



Inorganic 7.85 7.29 11.32 14.52 



Organic 4.90 2.12 7.39 3.96 



Numerous other examples might be given were they 

 needed ; it will be sufficient for the purpose to notice 



