52 



THE COMPOSITION OF FERTILE AND BARREN SOILS. 



Sandy Soils. 

 ANALYSES OF SANDY SOILS BY DR. SPRENGEL. 



No. 1. Barren sandy soil. 

 No, 2. Poor sandy soil. 

 No. 3. Good sandy soil. 



No. 4. Very barren drift ; sand.. 

 No. 5. Barren sandy soil. 

 No. 6. Fertile sandy loam. 



Sandy soils are always loose, friable, porous soils. Most of 

 them require constant manuring in order to produce remunerative 

 crops, and therefore are called hungry soils. It is upon these 

 soils that liquid manure is used with great advantage ; and on 

 the whole all soluble manures, used in small quantities at a time, 

 and applied in renewed doses, produce capital crops on the better 

 descriptions of sandy soils, and even on the poorer sands. The 

 chief constituent of sandy soils is silica. In some soils belong- 

 ing. to this class the proportion of silica or sand rises as high as 

 95*98 per cent. ; such soils are always very sterile. Others con- 

 tain less sand and appreciable quantities of organic matters, lime, 

 potash, soda, phosphoric and sulphuric acids ; and such soils are 

 naturally more productive. 



Calcareous and Marly Soils. 



ANALYSIS of a MAKLY SOIL from the neighbourhood of Cirencester. 

 By Dr. A. VOELCKEB. 



Organic matter and water of combination . . 10*50 



Oxide of iron and alumina 11-92 



Carbonate of lime 19*92 



Carbonate of magnesia *25 



Potash ; -62 



Soda -09 



Phosphoric acid 



Sulphuric acid '04 



Soluble silica 13-45 



Insoluble silicates and sand 42'07 



Loss -76 



100-00 



