144 



in <?.i tilled water, while at the same time more silica has 

 beT-n indicated by the method. If the reliability of the 

 method is admitted, it follows that treating this soil with the 

 salt solutions used has resulted in fixing in the soil not only all 

 the phosphoric acid added but a considerable per cent, of that 

 which could be recovered with distilled water in contact but 

 three minutes; the lime, however, appears to have suffered but 

 little change. 



Potash has become fixed in increasing amounts with the depth 

 and in each case the soil has token on from three to four times 

 the quantity recovered with distilled water; while of magnesia 

 the amounts absorbed from the solution are in no case quite 

 equal to those originally recovered with the distilled water. 



The absorption of SO 4 has been large, and the results, in 

 themselves, also indicate an absorption of nitric acid, although 

 there is more reason to doubt these values on account of the large 

 amounts of chlorine present which had to be removed before the 

 determinations could be made, and on account of the possibility 

 and even probability of denitrification having taken place. 



The chlorine, like the lime, remains practically unchanged 

 and was introduced with it, but lime was also added as a phosv- 

 phate, the salts used being OaHPO 4 , 2HO; MgSO 4 , 4H 2 O; 

 CaCl 2 and KN"Q 8 . 



ABSORPTION' OF SALTS BY THE HAGERSTOWN LOAM. 



Another series of observations was made in the same manner 

 as described in the last section but upon only two sets of samples 

 from each depth, instead of from five, as was the case with the 

 Janesville Loam. A new solution, however, was prepared but 

 intended to be approximately identical with the last. 

 The results obtained with this soil are given in the next table. 



