6 On tlie Chemical Properties of Soils. 



Jeads to an extension of our knowledge of material things, ,no 

 theory, however erroneous subsequent researches may prove it to 

 be, can be called vain. 



No one who has carefully examined the curious and mysterious 

 properties of soils in relation to manuring matters will hastily 

 propound a new theory on the nutrition of plants whilst our 

 range of observation 'is as limited, and our chemical facts as 

 imperfectly ascertained, as is now the case. Such presumption 

 would, in the end, only bring discredit upon the author. 



The description of chemical facts and the proofs upon which 

 they rest is necessarily a hard and dry subject to the uninitiated. 

 It is nevertheless of great consequence to preserve in a Journal 

 like that of our great national Agricultural Society faithful 

 accounts of original researches in agricultural chemistry, how- 

 ever uninteresting and abstruse they may appear to the practical 

 man. 



The present communication deals chiefly with chemical facts, 

 having a more remote but nevertheless important bearing upon 

 practical agriculture. I wish it to be regarded as the first instal- 

 ment of a series of similar researches, which will probably occupy 

 me for the rest of my life, however long I may be permitted to 

 retain my energies and zeal for the promotion of agricultural 

 progress. 



FIRST SERIES OF EXPERIMENTS ON THE ABSORPTION OF 

 CAUSTIC AMMONIA. 



The object I had in view in instituting this first series of ex- 

 periments was simply to ascertain the quantity of ammonia 

 which a given quantity of different soils of known composition 

 removed from a weak solution of caustic ammonia prepared 

 with distilled water, and to compare the results with those ob- 

 tained by other observers from similar experiments on other soils. 



The ammonia solution used in the subsequent experiments 

 was of the same strength as that before used, and contained 

 23*24 grains of ammonia (N U 3 ) in the gallon, or *332 grains of 

 ammonia in 1000 grains of liquid. 



The soils employed in these and all following experiments 

 were : 



1. A calcareous clay. 



2. A fertile loam, containing a little lime, mixed in equal 



proportion with the clay subsoil on which it rests. 



