CALCAREOUS MANURES— APPENDIX. 073 



opportunity to examine specimens, contained any calcareous matter (car- 

 bonate of lime,'^) it became a new subject of surprise to learn from articles 

 whic'n have been publishcrl in tiie Farmers' Register (pp. 276, 277, vol. i.) 

 that many of the prairie lands of Alabama were higiily calcareous according 

 to the observations of those who judged merely from appearances. Com- 

 bininff this fict with my own personal experience that old cleared lands, even 

 slightly calcareous, were much more easily kept clear of young bushes, 

 than naturally poor and acid soils— and with what I had read of the na- 

 kedness of chalk downs in England — and the general difficulty of rearing 

 trees in calcareous parts of Europe— all served to build up the opinion 

 which I now aim to establish, that the abundance of calcareous earth in 

 prairie soils was the principal, and is a sufficient cause of the absence of 

 trees. Still there had never been an analysis made of any such soil, to my 

 knowledge, and there was no other kind of evidence (however slight) of 

 such quality of any prairie soils, except of a part of Alabama; and reports 

 of the constituent parts of soils, judged solely by the eye, or by the mere 

 close neighborhood of calcareous rocks, I knew from experience, deserved 

 but little credit or respect. In 1834, I first obtained some such proofs from 

 a few specimens of prairie and wood-land soils from Marengo county, Ala- 

 bama, and one from Mississippi. The prairie soils were all calcareous, 

 containing from 8 to 59 per cent, of carbonate of lime; and these were the 

 first specimens of highly calcareous soils that I had ever examined, except 

 from shelly spots on the banks of our tide-water rivers. The wood-land 

 soils, like our lime-stone and other rich Tjeu^ro/soilsf contained no carbonate 

 of lime. Since then, other specimens have been received and examined 

 from various parts of /.labama— and also the reports of analyses of others, 

 made by Dr. Cooper and Dr. Gibbes of South Carolina, have been received, 

 and have been published in this journal. J Most of these soils are highly 

 calcirrous. But also some specimens of prairie soils contain not a particle of 

 carhwate of lime. This apparent contradiction will be considered hereafter. 

 It is proper to observe here that I do not extend the term prairie to any 

 land bearing trees, unless of new growth, or land known to have formerly 

 been without them. But the distinctness of this term is much impaired by 

 its being now applied in Alabama (and perhaps elsewhere) to soils having 

 the same peculiar texture, appearance, and sensible qualities, though covered 

 with trees. Thus " wooded prairies" are spoken of in the pieces formerly 

 published in this journal, and referred to in this piece. 



In addition to new facts of the same kinds, for the convenience of the 

 reader, an abridged statement will here be given of the calcareous ingre- 

 dients of all the prairie soils which I have formerly examined, or which 

 have been analyzed by other persons, and the results communicated for 

 publication to the Farmers' Register : and also of other neighboring soils, 

 sometimes improperly called " prairie," though covered with growing trees. 

 It is proper to observe, that my own examinations were confined to lime in 

 one form of combination only-— the cai-bonate— nnd that the silicioiis, alumi- 

 nous, and vegetable ingredients, when mentioned, were judged of by the 

 senses, and not by accurate chemical tests. My own trials and results will 

 be given first. 



Specimens of soils from Marengo county, Alabama, furnished and select- 

 ed by Richard Cocke, Esq. (Described more fully at page 44 of ' Essay on 

 Calcareous Manures.' 



• Essay on Calcareous Manures, p. 34. 

 t Essay on Calcareous Mnaures, p. 3S. 

 J See pages 715, vol. ii, and 272, vol. iii. Farmers' Register. 



