1913.1 



PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 



73 



in some cases resulting in failure. The normal soils giving 

 excellent results were i)rocured by the writer from well-known 

 growers in various localities in Massachusetts. 



The laboratory method of examining the soil consisted in 

 leaciiing 400 grams with 1,000 cubic centimeters of hot water; 

 the resulting solution was evaporated to dryness on a water bath 

 and a chemical analysis nuide of the residue. The results in 

 Table Xo. 1 have been computed to parts in 100 parts of dry 

 soil for the sake of comparison. 



Table No. 1. — SJiowing Per Cent, of Water Soluble Constituents in 100 



Parts of Dry Soil. 



In this table should be noted the large amount of total and 

 single soluble mineral constituents in the abnormal as com- 

 pared with those in the normal soils. A number of interesting 

 facts are brought out in the analytical results. Xote, for ex- 

 ample, the large amount of water soluble potash as compared 

 with the total potash content of the soils. In case of soil J^o. 

 3, the total potash was .76 per cent., of which .24 per cent, 

 was found present in water soluble form. The amount of phos- 

 ]>horic acid present in the water solution of the soil is quite 

 exceptional. The writer has never found but two samples of 

 out-of-door soil which showed more than mere traces of phos- 

 phoric acid in water soluble form, and these two samples were 

 tobacco soils showing strong indications of overfertilization. 

 The presence of a com]>aratively large amount of soluble nitro- 

 gen was to be expected. 



