holds in chemical combination from 50 to 60 per 

 cent, of silica. The purest pipe clay we find is 

 half silica ; and the stiffest red lands of jour 

 County probably contain at least 70 per cent, of 

 it, and not more than 15 per cent, of alumina. — 

 Lime and alumina have a strong affinity, and 

 from their combination and subsequent decom- 

 position results the important and vvellestab- 

 iished fact that the stillest clay lands are ren- 

 dered light and mellow by liming. The ration- 

 ale of this process has never been sati-'^factorily 

 explained. The effect is usually referred to the 

 mere mechanical operation of the lime. But 

 this cannot be so, since a hundred, or at most a 

 few huudreds of bushels per acre of one earth 

 could not materially alter the texture of another, 

 to any depth. It is probable that the crumbling 

 of the clay, after liming, will be found to be ow- 

 ing to the condensation, bj- severe cold, of the 

 carbonic acid .supplied by the lime, and its ex- 

 traordinary power of expansion under the influ- 

 ence of returning heat, since this disinteratiou 

 of stiff lands has never been observed until a 

 winter has elapsed after the application of lime 

 or marl. Alumiua will not combine with car- 

 bonic acid ; and it may be that clay lands are 



opened partly by the incessant changes occa- 

 sioned by the affinity of lime for both. Being 

 insoluble in water, alumina funiishes of itself 

 little or no aliment to the growing plant, though 

 it has other indirect influences fully in propor- 

 tion to. its conspicuous position as a constituent 

 of soils. 



Silica, on the contrary, enters largely into the 

 formation of the plant. It has, as I have men- 

 tioned, acid properties, and combines with the 

 alkalies and alkaline earths and metals, forming 

 salts of the greatest value in numerous points of 

 view, which are called silicates. It is the siU- 

 cate of potash, sometimes replaced by that of 

 soda, and to some extent by that of lime, which 

 forms the outer coating of straw, stem.s, stalks, 

 &c. giving both strength and protection to the 

 plant. These silicates are insoluble in water- 

 so much so that they constitute the chief ingre- 

 dient of rocks. But that universal and inex- 

 haustible agent, the carbonic acid of the atmo- 

 sphere, acting on the alkaline bases of the sili- 

 cates, decomposes them ; hence the gradual 

 breaking down of rocks under atmospheric in- 

 fluence. 



[To be concluded in the June No.\ 



PRICES CURRENT. 

 [Corrected, April 22, for the Monthly Journal of Agriculture.] 



ASHES— Pots, 1st sort f 100 ffi. 3 87|@ 



Pearls, 1st sort, '45 4 18J@ 



BEESWAX— American Yellow — 29^®— 30 



CANDLES— Mould, Tallow..^ lb... — 9 ®— 11 



Spei-m, Eastern and City — 26 @ — 38 



COTTON— From f IB. — 64®— 10 



COTTON BAGGING— American... — 12 ®— 13 



CORDAGE— American ^ lb. — 11 @_ 12 



DOMESTIC GOODS-Shirtings,^y. — .5|@— 11 



Shcetinas — 7 ® — 15 



FE.^THERS- American, live — 26 ®— 31 



FL.\X — .American — 7i@ — 7i 



FLOUR & MEAL— Genesee, ^ bbL 5 37.t® 



Troy 5 3US 5 37i 



Michigan 5 3U ® 



Ohio, "flat hoop 5 3U® 



Ohio, He j-wood & Venice 6 12i @ 6 25 



Ohio, via New-Orleans 5 — ® 5 12.J 



Pennsylvania ® 



Brandy%vine 5 37.J® 



Georsetown 5 12k'a' 



Baltimore City Mills 5 12J ® 



..Hichmond Citv Mills 6 25 ® 6 50 



Eichinond Countiy 5 12^® 5 25 



Alexandria, Petersburg, &c 5 — @ 5 12i 



Rye Flom- 3 25 ® 3 .37i 



Com Meal, .Jersey and Brand 3 25 ® 3 37^ 



Com Meal, Brandywine hhd. 15 75 ®]6 — 



GRAIN— Wheat, Western..^ bush. 1 18 ® 1 25 



• V/cjat,: Southern new 1 10 ® 1 15 



Rye, Northern — 73 ® — 74 



Com, Jorsey and North . . . (meaa.) — 67 ® — 68 



Com, Southern (measure') — 67 ® 



Com, SouOiem (weight) — 67 ®— 68 



Oats, Northern — 43 @— 45 



Oats, ."Somhera — 37i@— 40 



HAY— North River bales — 65 ®— 80 



HEMP— American, dew-rotted . . ton 70 — @ 90 — 



" water-rotted 120 — ®170 — 



HOPS— 1st sort, 1845 — 20 ®— 26 



IKON— American Pig, No 1 .35 — ®37 — 



Common 25 — ®30 — 



LIME— Thomaston ^ bbl. — 90 ® 



LUMBER— Boards. N.R., ^M. ft. clr. 35 — ®40 — 



Boanls, Eastern Pine 11 — ®13 — 



Eoard^^, Albany Pine ^pce. — 10 ® — 19 



Plank. Gror^ria Pine ^U.fX. 33 50 ®35 — 



(11. ".2) 



Staves, White Oak, pipe. ^ M 50 



Staves, White Oak, hhd 40 



Staves, White Oak, bbl 31 



Staves, Red Oak, hhd 27 



Hoops 25 



Scantling, Pine, Eastern — 



Scantling, Oak 30 



Timber, Oak. ^ cubic foot — 



Timber, White Pine — 



Timber, Georgia Yellow Pine — 



Shingles, 18 in ^ bunch 1 



Shingles, Cedar, 3 feet, 1st quality-. — 

 Shingles, Cedar, 3 feet, 2d quality. 22 

 Shingles, Cedar, 2 feet, 1st quality. 19 

 Shingles, Cedar, 2 feet, 2d quality. 16 



Shmgles, CjiJress, 2 feet 13 



Shingles. Company — 



MUSTARD— American — 



NAILS— Wrought. 6d to 20d...W ». — 



Cut 4d to40d — 



PLASTER PARIS— ^ ton 2 



PRO VISIONS— Beef, Mess, ^ bbl. . . 7 



Beef, Prime 5 



Pork. Mess, Ohio 10 



Pork, Prime, Ohio 9 



Lard. Ohio 1?' tti. — 



Hams, Pickled — 



Shoulders, Pickled — 



Sides, Pickled — 



Beef, Smoked # tb. — 



Butter, Orange County — 



Butter, Western Daiiy — 



Butter, ordinary — 



Cheese, in casks and boxes — 



SEEDS— Clover W ». — 



Timothy ^ tierce 11 



Flax, Rough 9 



SOAP— N. York, Brown ^ lb. — 



TALLOW — American, Rendered... — 



TOBACCO— Virginia @ lb. — 



North Carolina — 



Kentucky and Missouri — 



WOOL— Am. Saxony, Fleece,.^ IB. — 



American Full Blood Merino — 



American t and i Merino — 



American Native and i Meinno... — 

 Superfine, PuUed — 



— ®— 



— ®— 



— ®— 



— ®30 



— ®30 



— ®16 



— ®a5 

 25 ®— 

 18 ®— 

 20 ®— 

 75 ® 2 



— ®24 



— ®23 



— ®— 



— ®18 



— ®14 



— @29 

 16 ®— 



10 ®— 

 4 ®— 



87i® 3 

 50 ® 8 

 25 ® 5 

 50 ®10 

 44 ® 9 



65® — 

 . 5 @— 



4 ®— 



— @— 

 61®— 



14 @— 



11 ® — 

 9 ®— 

 7 ®— 

 61®— 



— ®16 



4 ®— 



7 ®— 

 3 ®— 

 3 ®— 

 3 ®— 

 38 ®— 

 36 ®— 

 30 ®— 

 26 ®— 

 28 ®— 



31 



12i 

 4i 



50 



50 



87i 



50" 

 7i 

 5* 

 4i 



16 

 14 

 11 



8 



7i 



6 



71 



6 



5 



7 

 40 

 38 



:i3 



28 

 30 



