On the Chemical Properties of Soils. 13 



Submitted to chemical analysis it yielded : 



Moisture 2-420 



Organic matter .. 11-700 



Oxides of iron and alumina 11*860 



Carbonate of lime T240 



Sulphate of lime -306 



Phosphoric acid . . . . ' *080 



Chloride of sodium '112 



Potash (soluble in acid) '910 



Soluble silica 4'090 



Insoluble siliceous matters 67*530 



100-248 



3500 grains of this soil were shaken up in a stoppered bottle 

 with 14,000 grains of ammonia solution, and the operation con- 

 ducted in every respect in the same manner as in the preceding 



261 



Thus, *261 grains apparently were removed from every 1000 

 grains of liquid, or 3*654 grains from the whole solution. Ac- 

 cordingly 1000 grains of soil would have absorbed 1*044 grains of 

 ammonia. But in reality the amount of ammonia absorbed by 

 this soil is not so large. 



A glance at the foregoing composition of the soil shows that 

 it is rich in vegetable matter. This fully accounts for the deep 

 brown colour which the ammonia solution assumed after contact 

 with the pasture land. It became thus necessary to distil the 

 liquid before determining the ammonia. The following result 

 was obtained by distillation : Ammonia. 



Grains. 



Before contact with soil 1000 grains of liquid contained -332 

 After contact '188 



144 



Therefore *144 grains of ammonia were removed from every 

 1000 grains, or 2*016 from the whole solution, and taken up 

 by the soil. 1000 grains of soil accordingly absorbed only '576 

 grains of ammonia. 



In the preceding experiments the following quantities of am- 

 monia were thus absorbed by 1000 grains of 



Ammonia. 

 Grains. 



1. Calcareous soil .......... -882 



2. Fertile loamy soil and clay subsoil . . -804 



3. Heavy clay soil .. ........ *754 



4. Sterile sandy soil .......... -868 



5. Pasture land ............ -570 



c 2 



