THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



225 



Her pouring from the north, by which Iar<:e rocks 

 were hurried onwards and various soils conmiiii- 

 <Tled. Soils cn:ibrace a variety of mineral ele- 

 ments; such as silex or flint, alumina or clay, 

 lime, mafrnesia, oxide of iron, oxide of manga- 

 nese, potash, and soda. Thefee are important to 

 constitute a soil. Siiex serves to open the soil; 

 alumina, or clay, if (bund alone, constitutes too 

 tenacious and close a soil. Soils composed almost 

 entirely of lime are too porous, and suffer the rain 

 too soon to pass Ihrougli them. 



A soil must contain at least three earths : silex, 

 alumina, and lime ; and, besides these, other ele- 

 ments must be found in soils in order to the pro- 

 duction of certain plants. Soda and potash are 

 required in the soil for the production of particular 

 plants. Plants m.ust find the element necessary 

 to these plants, in the soil, or they will not flour- 

 ish. Clover contains gypsum or the sulphate of 

 lime. Gypsum, therelore, must he found in the 

 soil in which we expect clover to flourish. The 

 seeds of all the cereal grains contain phosphoric 

 acid, united with lime and magnesia, and this 

 acid is very rarely found in the soil in a free stale. 

 When free, this acid is pernicious. A soil which 

 is acid cannot be fertile. It is rarely fertile when 

 exclusively alkaline. The acids and the alkalies 

 should be in proper proportions. Soda and oxide 

 of iron likewise, when united with acids, (brm 

 bases. Mineral constituents may vary much ; 

 but certain other substances, such as saline and 

 organic matters, cannot vary much without affiect- 

 ing the fertility of the soil. Many substances in 

 the soil are derived from the decay of organic 

 substances. The first plants on the earth, it is 

 supposed, drew their nutriment from the atmo- 

 sphere. These were a very hardy kind of plants, 

 which could almost live on mineral aliments. 

 Carbon is taken up and oxygen eliminated. 

 Brongniart supposes that the atmosphere in the 

 beginning was more highly charged with carbo- 

 nic acid than now. Plants served to prepare the 

 air for the respiration of human beiiiizs. Plants 

 draw carbonic acid from the air. The air con- 

 tains one ten thousandtli part of carbonic acid. 

 Saussure fouml that this proportion did not vary in 

 the air on the summit of Mount Blanc. Gay Lus- 

 sac, who atceiided in a balloon higher than any 

 one belbre, and at twenty-five thousand (eetobtain- 

 ed air, Ibund, upon analysis, that this air contained 

 as much carbonic 'acid as that near the ground. 

 Carbonic acid is every where equally mingled with 

 the atmosphere. If two jars are taken with hy- 

 drogen gas in one, and carbonic gas in the other, 

 the latter placed undermost, the two gases will 

 mingle, though a bladder should be placed be- 

 tween them ; half carbonic acid will be found 

 above, and half below ; the one gas will be inter- 

 mixed with the other, contrary to the specific 

 gravity pi' the two gases. The atmosphere is 

 composed of four-fifths nitrogen and one-fifth oxy- 

 gen. They are not chemically combined but 

 mechanically united. Were a chemical union to 

 take place, it would become nitric acid, and we 

 should be deluged in aquafortis. Hydrogen and 

 oxygen gases when poured into the same receiver, 

 are said to be mechanically united, but when the 

 electric spark is introduced and water is formed, 

 they are chemically combined, and a complete 

 union is effected. 

 Organic matters from the decay of plants form 

 Vol. IX.— 1.5-C 



mould. Plants will not grow upon a mixture of 

 mere earths ; or rather will not perfect their seeds 

 without organic matters. [The Dr. here entered 

 into some remarks upon what he deemed errone- 

 ous views in Liebig's theory of vegetation and 

 the operation of manures ; but as these will pre- 

 sently be given to the public under the Dr's. 

 own hand in his forth-coming reports, where 

 he can state them fully, and backed by what he 

 deems conclusive evidence and authorities, we 

 omit this part of our report. Reporter.'] 



Vegetable matters decaying on the surface pro- 

 duce vegetable mould. He, Dr. J., prefers to 

 retain this name. This mould is highly charged 

 with carbonic acid and contains many acids. 

 Vegetable matters in their decay produce acid. 

 A fallen tree in a state of decay destroys vegeta- 

 tion in its vicinity. Plants will not grow round 

 decayinff logs. It is difficult to induce farmers 

 to use peat, because they say it will produce only 

 sour crops. The acids produced by the decay 

 of vegetable matters are numerous. Vegetable 

 mould is not a simple substance. Some chemists 

 have given it the name of humus, ulmin, ulmic 

 acid. Berzelius has examined this substance, 

 and found it possessed of various properties. He 

 called it geine or apothme in his work published 

 some years ago, but has now abandoned these 

 designations. These names have since been 

 adopted by chemists in this country. So far from 

 being a. simple substance many substances are 

 included in it. In a late 'work Berzelius says 

 there is no such thin^ as geine, considered as a 

 simple or elementary substance. Within the last 

 three years he, Dr. J., has found the various sub- 

 stances to which Berzelius refers as existing in it. 

 By his own independent examination he (Dr. J.) 

 has discovered them. Berzelius in a work in Ger- 

 man received within a few days has described 

 them ; and they correspond with his (Dr. J's.) 

 discoveries. In respect to some of them he has 

 anticipated the discoveries of Berzelius. 



There are ten distinct matters found in this 

 substance called geine, v^hich substances he ex- 

 hibited at the meeting. The substance called 

 geine contains the crenic and apocrenic acid. The 

 acid forms an insoluble substance with lime. The 

 crenic acid derives its name from Krene, the Greek 

 word for fountain, as Berzelius first discovered it in 

 the waters of a well in Sweden. This acid is yel- 

 low, semi-transparent, soluble in water and alco- 

 hol ; and forming soluble combinations with 

 alkalies. Apocrenic acid was found as the crenic 

 was found. He (Dr. J.,) has found these two 

 substances in soils and peats in Maine, Rhode 

 Island, and New Hampshire. Berzelius has not 

 yet discovered them in peat, but presumes their 

 existence in it. Humic acid is distinguished by 

 forming a pray precipitate with the suhacetale 

 of lead. Crenic acid contains much less nitrogen 

 than the apocrenic acid. Humic acid contains 

 nitrogen. The apocrenic acid is the only one 

 which forms insoluble salts with lime. The 

 crenic acid forms soluble compounds, and exists 

 in the subsoil as thecrenate of lime. 



From black, brownish soils, the humic extract 

 was obtained .by Berzelius. In some cases, 

 glairin is foand. All these substances form 

 soluble salts with lime. These acids form soluble 

 salts with lime. These salts are decomposed in the 

 process of vegetation. Bog-iron contains apocre- 



