CHAPTER VIII 

 CHEMICAL EQUILIBRIUM AND ANTAGONISM 



The soil is not static but is in a state of constant change. 

 The numerous chemical compounds of which it is com- 

 posed are made to react with one another by the con- 

 tinuous variation in such factors as temperature, moisture, 

 decomposition of organic matter, the growth of plant 

 roots, and the activities of microorganisms. These 

 agencies of change make it practically impossible to main- 

 tain in the soil for any length of time a stable equilibrium. 

 This renders an understanding of the alkali problem very 

 difficult, since the concentration of salts in any particular 



1 The figures are given in terms of the anhydrous salt, but the solubili- 

 ties quoted are for those hydrates which are stable at the stated temperature. 



105 



