222 Analysis of Soils. [Oct., 



sent state of agricultural education that much can be expected 

 from the application of chemistry by raw hands. The farmer 

 will for some years have to work under the direction of chemists. 

 They cannot be expected to know enough of the science to apply 

 it safely themselves, much less can we expect them to leave the 

 plow for the laboratory. 



The chemical analysis of a soil is one of the most difficult and 

 complicated tasks that can be given to a master in this department, 

 and it i? extremely absurd to suppose that any one who has not 

 had a thorough education in a well-organized laboratory, can 

 possibly make a chemical analysis of soil that will prove of any 

 practical value. We regard all the short-cut methods given in 

 agricultural papers and catch-penny publications as arrant quack- 

 ery, calculated to lead those who are unacquainted with the sub- 

 ject into great errors, or to cause a waste of time and money; for 

 the farmer who neglects his work and purchases materials for 

 analytical operations he can never perform, is evidently a loser 

 thereby. 



Chemical analyses of soils are divided into two departments. 

 The first includes the determination of the mineral ingredients of 

 the soil, and the second the organic matters. In preparing a 

 sample of soil for mineral analysis, we remove the organic mat- 

 ters by combustion, and then have only the mineral ingredients to 

 operate upon. By noting the weight of the dry soil before and 

 after combustion, we learn how much organic matter has been 

 consumed, or how much the soil contained in the gross way, but 

 the nature of the organic matters is not learned; and that, as we 

 shall see, constitutes another branch of analysis. 



It is usual to take 100 grains of soil dried at a temperature of 

 300 deg., and to burn it in a platina dish on capsules placed in a 

 fine clay muffle in the furnace. When all the carbonaceous par- 

 ticles are burnt, the capsule is M'ithdrawn and the soil is carefully 

 removed from it into a delicate balance and weighed. Suppose 

 it loses 8 grains in weight; we set down, organic matters 8 per 

 cent. 



The soil is next digested in a glass flask with chlorohydric 



