COMPOSITION OF SOILS. 



Silica, with siliceous sand 



Alumina - - 



Protoxide and peroxide of iron 



Peroxide of manganese 



Lime (principally carbonate) 



Magnesia, idem ... 



Potash, with silica 



Soda with silica - - 



Phosphate of iron ... 



Sulphuric acid with Hme 



Carbonic acid, with lime and magnesia 



Humus soluble in alkalies 



Humus - 



100-000 



It will be observed that a considerable 

 quantity of phosphate of iron is contained 

 in this soil, and the corn which grows upon 

 it is, as in the former case, disposed to rust. 



9. Surface-soil (A) a loamy soil, from 

 Brunswick, remarkable on account of pro- 

 ducing buck-wheat, which is exceedingly 

 poor in the grain. (B) analysis of the sub- 

 soil at a depth of 1^ foot. 100 parts con- 

 tain : 



(A) 



Silica, with coarse siliceous sand 95*114 

 Alumina - - - 1*080 

 Protoxide and peroxide of iron 1*900 

 Protoxide and peroxide of man- 

 ganese - - - 0*320 

 Lime, in combination with silica 0*380 

 Magnesia, idem ; ' > > - 0*300 

 Potash, with silica 020 

 Soda - - - . 0.004 

 Phosphate of iron - '; V , 0*052 

 Suiphuric acid with lime 0*006 

 Chlorine (in common salt) 005 

 Humus soluble in alkalies 0*619 

 Humus - - 0*200 



(B) 



92*458 

 2*530 

 2-502 



0*920 



0-710 



0*551 



0.120 



0*034 



0*175 



a trace 



a trace 



100-000 100-000 



By manuring the land with wood ashes, 

 the soil is enabled to produce buck-wheat, 

 with rich grain ; the leguminous plants also 

 thrive luxuriantly upon it. This increased 

 fertility is due to the ashes, by means of 

 which both potash and phosphates are sup- 

 plied to the land. 



10. Subsoil of a loamy, sandy soil, from 

 Brunswick. It is remarkable for having 

 produced excellent crops of hops for a long 

 series of years. 100 parts, by weight, con- 

 sist of: 



100.000 



Aitnough the hops contain a large quan- 

 tity of potash, soda, phosphoric acid, sul- 

 phuric acid, lime, and magnesia, yet we do 

 not find that these exist in the soil in super- 

 abu ndant quantity. IN or is it necessary that 



they should, for the roots of the hops pene 

 trate 8 or 10 feet deep into the soil, and search 

 out the materials fitted to nourish the plants. 

 Hence it is that hops thrive well on soils 

 comparatively poor in their proper ingredi- 

 ents. The same is the case with all plants 

 of a similar nature, the roots of which pos- 

 sess a tendency to extend in search of food ; 

 we see this particularly in lucerne and sa*n- 

 foin. 



SOILS OF HEATHS. 



1 1 . Soil of a heath converted into arable 

 land, in the vicinity of Brunswick. It is 

 naturally sterile, but produces good crops 

 when manured with lime, marl, cow-dung, 

 or the ashes of the heaths which grow 

 upon it. 



Silica, and coarse siliceous sand - - 71.504 

 Alumina - - - - 0.780 



Protoxide and peroxide of iron, principally 



combined with humus - 0.420 



Peroxide of manganese, idem - - 0.220 

 Lime, idem - - ... 0.134 



Magnesia, idem .... 0.032 



Potash and soda, principally as silicates - 0.058 

 Phosphoric acid, (principally as phosphate 



of iron) ..... 0.115 

 Sulphuric acid (in gypsum) - -0.018 

 Chlorine (in common salt) ... 0.014 

 Humus soluble in alkalies - . . 9.820 

 Humus, with vegetable remains 14.975 

 Resinous matters 1.910 



100.000 



Ashes of the soil of the heath, before be 

 ing converted into arable land : 

 Silica, with siliceous sand ... 92.641 

 Alumina - - - - 1.352 



Oxides of iron and manganese - - 2.324 

 Lime, in combination with sulphuric and 



phosphoric acids .... 0.929 

 Magnesia, combined with sulphuric acid - 0.283 

 Potash and soda (principally as sulphates 



and phosphates .... 0.564 

 Phosphoric acid, combined with lime - 0.250 

 Sulphuric acid, with potash, soda and lime 1.620 

 Chlorine in common salt - - 0.037 



100.000 



12. Surface-soil of a fine-grained loam, 

 from the vicinity of Brunswick. It is re- 

 markable from the circumstance, that not a 

 single year passes in which corn plants are 

 cultivated upon it without the stem of the 

 plants being attacked by rust. Even the 

 grain is covered with a yellow rust, and is 

 much shrunk. 100 parts of the soil con- 

 tain : 



Silica and fine siliceous sand - - 87.8f>9 



Alumina - 2.652 



Peroxide of iron with a large proportion of 



protoxide - - - 5.132 



Protoxide and peroxide of manganese - 0.840 



Lime principally combined with silica - 1.459 



Magnesia, idem - - - - 0.280 



Potash and soda, idem ... 0.090 



Phosphoric acid in combination with iron 0.505 



Sulphuric acid in combination with lime 0.068 



Chlorine in common salt - . - 0.006 



Humus 1.109 



100.000 



