66 GEINE. 



escape as carbonic acid, or in acid vapours and water, 

 while the bases, or earths and oxides with which they 

 were combined, remain, and are immediately seized 

 upon by the forming geine ; while the uncombined 

 geine passes to the state of a brown coally powder. 



116. The properties of this brown powder of 

 mould, are, 1st. Partial solubility in water. Cold 

 water dissolves only about one twenty-five hundredth 

 part of its weight, hot water a little more. 2d. It 

 is a perfectly neutral .substance, exhibiting neither 

 acid, nor alkaline properties, but all alkalies develope 

 in it acid properties. In this state it is termed geic 

 or humic acid. It is evident therefore, that geic or 

 humic acid can never exist free in soil, so long as 

 free bases are there present, as lime, alumina, iron, 

 he. It is produced by the action of alkaline bases 

 and immediately combines with them, forming salts, 

 which are termed geates. 



117. A third property of the brown powder of 

 mould is, that after alkalies have acted on it and de- 

 veloped acid properties, its solubility in water is con- 

 siderably increased, while it continues in a moist 

 state. If dried, in this acid state, it becomes al- 

 most insoluble in water. 



118. The geates found in soil, have the following 

 characters. 1st. All the alkaline geates are very 



