Circular No. 29. (Revision of No. 11.) October, 1910. 



MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



AMHERST. 



The Chemical Analysis of Soils* 



By William P. Brooks, Director. 



Almost every day the station receives either inquiries regarding 

 the chemical analysis of soils or samples forwarded for such analy- 

 sis. The following letter received a short time ago fairly represents 

 the attitude of most correspondents relative to such work. 



Gentlemen : I write for information for Mr 



the owner of a large farm in , Mass. 



He wishes to know if he can send you samples of soil for 

 analysis; most likely would send 8 or 10 samples from 

 different parts of his farm. In what form and in what 

 quantity should he send, and what would be the expense 

 for analysis of each package sent ? He would also like 

 to know what crops would produce the best results for each 

 sample sent, and the best fertilizer for each sample and the 

 quantity required 



It will be noted that the gentleman in whose interest this letter 

 was written believed : — 



(i) That chemical analysis will show to what crops a soil is 

 suited. 



(2) That such analysis will determine what fertilizers should be 

 applied and the quantity needed. 



Our correspondence indicates that these views are very generally 

 held, while another widely accept^^d belief is that the cause of crop 

 disease will be revealed by a chemical analysis of the soil in which 

 the crop is growing. 



Although a chemical analysis of a soil is often of value, it is be- 

 lieved that these views are neither generally accepted by scientific 

 men nor supported by the known facts of experience under the condi- 

 tions usually met with in this state. 



