Liquid Manure. 13 



7. No absorption of chlorine took place in this experiment. 



On looking at the composition of the soil used in this experi- 

 ment, it will be noticed that pure water extracts from it more 

 chloride of sodium than is usual in the case of other soils. 



This circumstance no doubt fully explains the fact that the 

 liquid manure, after passing through the soil, contained even a 

 little more chlorine than before. 



The amount of chlorine in the chloride of potassium and chlo- 

 ride of sodium found in a gallon of liquid before filtration is 

 25*78 grains. 



After nitration through soil we have 26*12 of chlorine in the 

 liquid, thus showing that no chlorine whatever was abstracted 

 from the liquid by the soil. 



8. Most of the phosphoric acid was taken up by this soil, but 

 not so completely as by the Cirencester soil. However, the 

 quantity of phosphoric acid left in the liquid after having re- 

 mained in contact with the soil from a permanent pasture, is 

 very trifling. We have here a proof, that soluble phosphates in 

 passing even through soils poor in lime are rendered compara- 

 tively speaking insoluble. 



On the whole, then, we find that this pasture-land, like the soil 

 used in the preceding experiment, possesses in a high degree the 

 power of absorbing from liquid manure, ammonia, potash, and 

 phosphoric acid, and yielding to the liquid, lime, organic matters, 

 and small quantities of other less important constituents. In 

 other words, all the more valuable fertilizing ingredients of liquid 

 manure were absorbed by the soil, or at all events brought into 

 states of combination in which they are little soluble in water. 



Having ascertained in previous trials that the power of dif- 

 ferent soils to absorb manuring matters varies greatly, I was 

 anxious to institute an experiment with the same description of 

 liquid manure and a very poor soil. I therefore selected a soil 

 from the neighbourhood of Cirencester, which soil, although it 

 occurs in the midst of the oolite formation, is greatly deficient in 

 lime, and contains sand in great excess. The mechanical analysis 

 of this soil gave the following results : 



Organic matter 5'36 



Clay .. 4-57 



Lime -25 



Sand .. .-. -.-. 89-82 



100-00 



Thus 9-10ths of the soil consisted of sand, about l-20th part 

 only was clay, and l-20th part organic matter. 



On being submitted to a detailed chemical analysis, 100 parts 

 were found to contain, when dried at 212 Fahr., 



