68 PRACTICAL FARM CHEMISTRY. 



gave 159 grains, the loss (forty-one grains, or twenty 

 and one -half per cent) representing the amount of 

 moisture in the soil when first taken up. 



In order to find the percentage of sand in the dry 

 matter, another lot of fresh soil had in the mean- 

 time been dried in the same way as the first 200 

 grains. I now weighed off 200 grains of the dry 

 soil, and thoroughly dissolved it in boiling water. 

 More water was then added to make the mixture 

 quite thin, and after a thorough stirring, the sand' 

 was given a chance to settle to the bottom of the 

 vessel, when the muddy liquid on top was carefully 

 poured off. Next, I added more water, stirring as 

 before, and pouring off the liquid from the sand 

 when settled. This process was repeated several 

 times, until I had reason to believe that the sand in 

 the vessel was pretty well freed from the clay and 

 other matter. The residue of sand was then dried, 

 put upon a stove-shovel, and this exposed to suffi- 

 cient (red) heat to free it from any organic matter 

 possibly left in it. The weight of clear sand was 

 then ascertained, and found to be forty grains, or 

 twenty per cent. 



In order to get at the percentage of organic matter, 

 another 200 grains of thoroughly dried soil was 

 weighed off, placed upon a stove-shovel, and this 

 upon a bed of live coals in the stove, until the whole 

 had become red hot, and the humus, or organic mat- 

 ter, was all consumed by combustion. The residue 

 was then allowed to cool, and its weight ascertained 

 to be 182 grains. The loss, eighteen grains, or nine per 

 cent, represents the organic matter. 



The analysis might here be considered at an end, 

 and sufficient for all practical purposes. But I also 

 desired to ascertain the percentage of lime, and for 



