194 QUARTERLY JOURNAL. 



4. A peculiar calcareous soil of Berkshire was found by Pres. 

 Hitchcock to be constituted thus : 



Water 3-80 



Soluble geine -.---- 0'93 



Insoluble geine 1*90 



(3U|)onate of lime .... 30'57 



Sulphate of lime 140 



Phosphate of lime ... - 103 



Lime 0-09 



Silica 4643 



Alumina - 6'8iJ 



Peroxide of iron 4"01 A 



Magnesia VOS 



Loss 1-30 



100-00 

 But this soil is rare, and is only found in the immediate vicinity of 

 a decomposing limerock. We give it for the purpose of showing the 

 excess of Hme it contains. It is a very fertile kind of soil, and might 

 even be advantageously employed as a manure on the adjacent and 

 poorer portions of land. Its color is red. We have observed that 

 soils of a reddish cast, when occurring near a limestone, are always 

 fertile ; and Pres. Hitchcock supposes, that as the iron was ori- 

 ginally in the state of a carbonate, it furnishes carbonic acid to the 

 growing plants during its own conversion into an oxide. 



5. Analysis of the marly clays of Berkshire and Williamstown,^ 

 by Pres. Hitchcock : 



Silex 60-34 



Alumina ...---. 15-53 



Protoxide of iron ----- 7-57 



Carbonate of lime - - . - 11'70 



Magnesia 1-86 



Water 230 



Loss 0-80 



100-00 



6. Another analysis by the same author, of a specimen of marl 

 from Pittsfield : 



Geine 660 



Phosphate of lime - - - - 0'70 



Carbonate of lime - - - - 8640 



Carbonate of magnesia - - - 0-46 



Silex 310 



Water 3-00 



100-26 



