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COTTON GROUND NITRH GROUND. 227 



Lothian, when dried to 212°, gained in an hour, by expo- 

 sure to air saturated with moisture, at a temperature of 

 63°, 18 grains ; and that 1000 parts of a very fertile soil, 

 from the banks of the river Parret in Somersetshire, under 

 the same circumstances, gained 16 grains. The following 

 are the results of some experiments made by Dr. T. Christie 

 on the absorbent power of the cotton soil. He thoroughly 

 dried a portion of the earth by a heat that was nearly suffi- 

 cient to char paper. He then exposed to the atmosphere 

 of a moderately damp apartment 20 15.6 grains of it, and 

 found, after a few days, that it had gauied 147.1 grains. 

 He now exposed it to an atmosphere saturated with moist- 

 ure, and found that the weight increased daily till the end 

 of a few weeks, when it was found to be 2828.4 grains. 

 The soil had therefore gained 212.8 grains, or about 8 per 

 cent. 



In the hot season the regur or cotton ground is traversed 

 in all directions by very deep fissures. In the rainy season 

 it is in the form of very tenacious clay. Almost all the 

 • crops raised from it are sown towards the end of the rainy 

 season, and therefore during their growth receive com- 

 paratively little moisture ; often indeed none but that of the 

 heavy dews descends on them for a length of time. 



3. Musaree Soil. — In many parts of India there is an- 

 other soil, named the mussub or musaree soil, which does 

 not form extensive plains like the cotton ground, but is gen- 

 erally found at the foot of hills, or in the bottom of small 

 valleys. At the bases of the sand stonehills it consists of 

 little else than loose sand. On the sides of the hills that 

 contain beds of quartz it is very gravelly. 



4. Laterile Soil. — The laterite or brick stone affords in 

 <reneral, on disintegration, a soil not very productive, and 

 apt to become extremely hard in dry weather ; but in the 

 bottom of many small valleys large deposites of it are met 

 with, which have been more perfectly disintegrated and 

 mixed with other substances, and form productive soils. 

 The soils in the valleys of clay-slate districts are also la 

 many places very good, when the clay happens to be mixed 

 with fragments of quartz. 



5. Nitre or Saltpetre Ground or Soil. — In India this soil 

 is found in places where there has been a due admixture of 

 animal and vegetable matter, as in old populous villages 



