360 HANDY-BOOK OF HUSBANDRY. 



numbers 3 cwts. of clover-seed per acre, the season being very 

 unfavorable for clover-seed. The second crop of clover mown 

 for hay was rather too ripe and just beginning to show seed. 



*' A square foot of soil, 18 inches deep, was dug from the 

 second portion of the land which produced the clover-hay and 

 clover-seed. 



" Soil from \\ -a ere field twice mown for hay. 



" The upper 6 inches of soil, i foot square, contained all the 

 main roots of 18 strong plants ; the next 6 inches only small root- 

 fibers ; and in the third section, a 6-inch slice cut down at a depth 

 of 12 inches from the surface, no distinct fibers could be found. 

 The soil was almost completely saturated with rain when it was 

 dug up on the 13th September, 1866 : — 



lbs. 



The upper 6 inches of soil I foot square weighed 60 



The second 6 " " " 61 



The third 6 " " " 63 



" These three portions of one foot of soil, i8 inches deep, were 

 dried nearly completely, and weighed again ; when the first 6 

 inches weighed 51^ lbs. ; the second 6 inches, 51 lbs. 5 oz. ; and 

 the third section, 54 lbs. 2 ozs. 



" The first 6 inches contained 3 lbs. of silicious stones (flints) 

 which were rejected in preparing a sample for analysis ; in the 

 two remaining sections there were no large-sized stones. The 

 soils were pounded down and passed through a wire sieve. 



"The three layers of soil, dried and reduced to powder, were 

 mixed together, and a prepared average sample, when submitted to 

 analysis, yielded the following results : — 



Composition of Clover-soil.^ 18 inches deep., from part of I l-acre 

 field., twice mown for hay. 



C Organic matter 5*86 



-i I Oxides of iron 6-83 



ii ! Alumina 7- 



Carbonate of lime 2-13 



c J Magnesia 2-oi 



J ] Fotash -67 



^ Soda -08 



-o Chloride or sodium -02 



^ 1 Phosphoric acid •!% 



[Sulphuric acid -17 



