100 



HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. 



[Jan. 



produce successfully any given crop ? We are trying to aid 

 in answering this in(|uiry by every means within our power, 

 and shall continue, as in the past, to analyze samples of soil ; 

 yet we must insist that the samples of soil forwarded for 

 investigation are taken according to our instructions, which 

 are of late published in every March bulletin of this division 

 (see Bulletin No. 89, March, 1903), otherwise the analysis 

 can be of little practical value. The information furnished 

 by a chemical analysis of soil is still of an arbitrary nature, 

 and furnishes only the amount of the various ingredients of 

 plant food present in the soil, without reference to their 

 availability to any particular plant. Knowing that our pres- 

 ent methods for the determination of the availability of plant 

 food in soils is not as satisfactory as could be desired, we 

 are studying the subject continually, believing that more 

 satisfactory ones can be secured only by a constant attention 

 to the questions involved. 



3. Notes on Wood Ashes and Lime Ashes. 



{a) Wood Ashes. — During the season of 1903, 17.4 per 

 cent, of the materials forw^arded for analysis consisted of wood 

 ashes, as against 24 per cent, for the year previous. The fol- 

 lowing compilation shows their general chemical character : — 



Analysis of Wood Ashes 



Moisture from 1 to 10 per cent., 

 Moisture from 10 to 20 per cent., . 

 Moisture from 20 to 30 per cent.. 

 Moisture above 30 jier cent., . 

 Potassium oxide above 8 per cent., . 

 Potassium oxide from 6 to 7 per cent., 

 Potassium oxide from 5 to 6 per cent.. 

 Potassium oxide from 4 to 5 per cent., 

 Potassiiim oxide from 3 to 4 \)ev cent., 

 Potassium oxide below 3 per cent., . 

 Phosplioric acid fi-om 1 to 2 per cent., 

 Pliosplioric acid below 1 per cent., . 

 Average per cent, of calcium oxide (lime), 29.39. 

 Insoluble matter below 10 per cent., 

 Insoluble matter from 10 to 15 per cent.. 

 Insoluble matter from 15 to 20 per cent., 

 Insoluble matter above 20 per cent.. 



Number of 

 Samples. 



11 



14 



9 



3 



2 



4 



8 

 12 



8 



3 

 34 



3 



7 



12 



9 



8 



