HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



THE SOIL. 



Absorptive Powers of Soil. 100 Ibs. of pure 

 clay absorbs 70 Ibs. of water, while the same 

 weight of pure sand absorbs 25 Ibs. ; clay 

 loam absorbs 50 Ibs. ; chalk, 45 Ibs. ; loamy 

 sand, 40 Ib*., and calcareous sand, 25 Ibs. 

 Schubler's experiments show that 1,000 tons of 

 pulverized soils will absorb moisture when 

 exposed to the atmosphere, as follows : sandy 

 clay, 2(5 tons; loamy clay, 30 tons; stiff clay, 

 36 tons, and garden mould, 45 tons. 



Cohesive Powers of Soil. If the cohesive 

 power of pure clay is taken as the standard 

 and stated at 100, pure sand being placed at 

 zero, the cohesive power of loamy clay is 63; 

 sandy clay, 57; humus, 8, and arable soil, 33. 



Weight of Various Soils. A ton of common 

 loamy earth measures 21 cubic ft. ; of clay, \1% 

 cubic ft. ; gravel, 18 cubic feet ; sand,23> cubic 

 ft. ; marl, 18 cubic ft. ; chalk, 14 cubic ft. 



Bul'i of Dug Soil. A wheelbarrow will hold 

 about one-tenth of a cubic yard of soil. When 

 dug, soils of various kinds increase in bulk, 

 as follows : earth or clay, one-fourth ; sand 

 and gravel, one-twelfth; chalk, one-third; 

 rock, one-fourth. 



When thrown into permanent heaps or 

 embankments of considerable size, earth and 

 clay subside to about one-sixth in bulk, and 

 fall vertically about one-fifth ; sand and 

 gravel decline in bulk one-fifteenth on an 

 average, and in height one-fourth. 



The Angle of Repose of Soils when Thrown 

 Up in Slopes. The following soils will re- 

 main permanent wtien at the angles named : 

 clay, drained, 45 ; clay, wet, 16 ; compact 

 earth, 50 ; vegetable earth, 28 ; shingle, 39 ; 

 gravel, 40; sand in its usual conditions, 22 ; 

 dry sand, 38. 



MANURES AND FERTILIZERS. 



Rotted Stable Manure. In the vicinity of 

 New York this is usually sold by the load of 

 2,000 Ibs.; but in the Eastern States the 

 measurement is made by the cord, containing 

 usually two and one-half to three loads, or 

 5,000 to 6,000 Ibs. ; much depending upon the 

 condition of the manure. 



Soluble Ingredients in a Ton of Fresh 

 Farm-yard Manure. Water, l,482j/ 2 Ibs.; 

 soluble organic matter, 55> Ibs. ; soluble 

 silica, 5J Ibs. ; phosphate of lime, 6% Ibs ; 

 lime, \V Z Ibs. ; magnesia, ^ Ib ; potash, 12% 

 Ibs. ; soda, 1^ Ibs. ; chloride of sodium, % 

 Ibs ; sulphuric acid, 1% Ibs. ; carbonic acid 

 and loss, 4% Ibs. 



Soluble Ingredients in a Ton of Rotted 

 Farm-yard Manure. Water, 1,689^ Ibs. ; 

 soluble organic matter, 83 Ibs. ; soluble silica, 

 5% Ibs. ; phosphate of lime, 8% Ibs. ; lime, 

 2>| Ibs. ; magnesia, 1 Ib. ; potash, 10 Ibs. ; 

 soda, % Ib. ; chloride of sodium, % Ibs. ; sul- 

 phuric acid, 1)4 Ibs. ; carbonic acid and loss, 

 2% Ibs. 



Constituents in a Ton of Various Manures. 



PERUVIAN GUANO. Ammonia, 22H 3 ' Ibs. ; 

 potash, 66t Ibs. ; soda, 37 Ibs. ; phosphoric 

 acid, 283 Ibs. ; sulphuric acid, 93 ) Ibs., and 

 chlorine, 62 Ibs. 



NIGHT SOIL. Ammonia, 17 Ibs. ; potash, 2J 

 Ibs. ; soda, 4> Ibs. ; phosphoric acid, 120 Ibs. ; 

 sulphuric acid, 2*4 Ibs., and chlorine, 2^ Ibs. 



NITRATE OF SODA. Ammonia, 364 Ibs., and 

 soda, 8*4 Ibs. 



SULPHATE OF AMMONIA. Ammonia, 470 

 Ibs., and sulphuric acid, 1,357 Ibs. 



SULPHATE OF LIME. Sulphuric acid, 1,317 

 Ibs. 



COMMON SALT. Soda, 813 Ibs., and chlorine, 

 1,187 Ibs. 



FRESH BONES. Phosphoric acid, 580 Ibs., 

 and ammonia, 145 Ibs. 



MIXED URINE. Ammonia, 18^ Ibs. ; pot- 

 ash, 2 Ibs. ; phosphoric acid, 2!^ Ibs. ; soda, 

 5) Ibs. ; sulphuric acid, 3% Ibs., and chlorine, 

 1% Ibs. 



SOOT. Ammonia, 50 Ibs. ; chlorine, 22^ 

 Ibs. ; sulphuric acid, 194 Ibs. ; phosphoric 

 acid, 5% Ibs. ; soda, 2 % Ibs. ; magnesia, 8% 

 Ibs., and potash, 7 Ibs. 



Value of Manure according to Professor 

 Johnston. Placing farm-yard manure as the 

 standard, 100 ; value of the mixed that is, 

 solid and liquid excretion of the cow is 93, 

 of the horse 54, of the pig 64. The liquid ex- 

 cretion of the cow is 91 ; solid do., 125 ; liquid 

 excretion of the horse, 16 ; solid do., 73. 



Weight of Manure to apply to different 

 Crops, per Acre. Potatoes, 15 to 30 tons ; 

 mangel wurzel, 20 to 30 ; carrots, 12 to 20 ; 

 hops, 25 to 40 ; beans, 12 to 20 tons. 



ARTIFICIAL MANURES. Peruvian guano, 

 250 to 500 Ibs. ; nitrate of soda and potash, 250 

 Ibs. ; salt, 250 to 500 Ibs. ; soot, 1,000 to 1,500 Ibs. 



Weight of Manures. Of night soil, a ton 

 measures eighteen cubic feet. Dung with 

 manure retained ; a cubic yard weighs a ton. 

 If manure when first taken from the cattle 

 boxes in a fresh state is supposed to weigh 

 100, it will in a half-rotted state weigh only 

 80, or will have lost one-fifth; when fully 

 rotted, 50, having lost one-half. Crushed 

 bones weigh about 1,000 Ibs. to the cubic 

 yard ; bones calcined, about one-half the 

 above; animal charcoal, about 2,000 Ibs. to 

 the cubic yard; marl, about, 3,750 Ibs; phos- 

 phate of lime, about 3,000 Ibs., and street or 

 road detritus, about one ton. 



Inorganic Constituents returned to the soil 

 in Twelve Tons of Farm-yard Manure to 

 the Acre. Potash. 201 Ibs. ; soda, 67 Ibs. ; lime, 

 337 Ibs. ; magnesia, 35 Ibs. ; chlorine, 12 Ibs.; 

 sulphuric acid, 84 Ibs. ; phosphoric acid, 108 

 ibs. ; soluble silica, 269 Ibs. ; nitrogen, 1G5 Ibs 



Ingredients and Proportions in Making Su- 

 perphosphate of Lima, according to Ander- 

 son. 42 Ibs., or one bushel of bones, 17j^ Ibs. 

 of sulphuric acid, 9 Ibs. of water and 10 bush- 

 els of ashes; the bones to be sprinkled with 

 the water, before the acid is employed. The 

 amount thus made will be sufficient for an 

 acre. The following is the mode of making 

 it: The cistern should be made of lead or 

 strong wood ; the bones should be spread in 

 small quantity upon the bottom of the cistern 

 and the acid gradually poured in upon them 

 from the watering vessel, which should be 

 made of lead, and at the same time a quantity 

 (proportionate to the acid) of boiling water. 



