ALL POOR SOILS NOT CALCAREOUS. 61 



tive in wheat. A specimen taken from the surface, to the. depth 

 of six inches, weighed altogether 

 242 dwt., which consisted of 



126 of shells and their fragments, separated by the sieve, 

 116 remaining finely divided soil. 

 Of the finely divided part, 500 grains consisted of 



18 grains of carbonate of lime, 

 330 silicious sand none very coarse, 



94 impalpable aluminous and silicious earth, 



35 putresceut vegetable matter none coarse or unrotted, 



23 loss. 



500 



It is unnecessary to cite any particular trials of our poor soils, 

 as it has been stated, in the preceding chapter, that all are entirely 

 destitute of calcareous earth excluding the rare, but well marked 

 exceptions of its great excess, of which an example has been given 

 in the soil marked 4, in the foregoing examinations. 



Unless then I am mistaken in supposing that these facts are 

 universally true, the certain results of chemical analysis, as well 

 as more extended general observation, completely establish these 

 general rules viz. : 



ls. That all calcareous soils are naturally fertile and durable 

 in (mvery high degree and, 



2d. That all soils naturally poor are entirely destitute of calca- 

 reous earth. 



It then can scarcely be denied that calcareous earth must be the 

 cause of the fertility of the one class of soils, and that the want 

 of it produces the poverty of the other. Qualities that always 

 thus accompany each other cannot be otherwise than cause and effect. 

 If further proof is wanting, it can be safely promised to be fur- 

 nished when the practical application of calcareous manures to 

 poor soils will be treated of, and the effects stated. 



These deductions are then established as to all calcareous soils, 

 and all poor soils which two classes comprise nine-tenths of all. 

 This alone would open a wide field for the practical exercise of the 

 truths we have reached. But still there remain strong objections 

 and stubborn facts opposed to the complete proof and universal 

 application of the proposition now under consideration, and conse- 

 quently to the theory which that proposition is intended to support. 

 The whole difficulty will be apparent at once when I now proceed 

 to state that nearly all 'of our best soils, such as are very little if 

 at all inferior in value to the small portion of shelly lands, are as 

 destitute of calcareous earth (carbonate of lime] as the poorest. So 

 far as I have examined, this deficiency is no less general in the 

 6 



