194 [ASSEMBLT 



rivers, during their floods and make what are called the alluvial 

 soils of the south and west. We car.not be surprised that some 

 or most of these soils, said to be from ten to twenty ft^et in depth 

 and formed of such materials, should be considered by those who 

 have located and tilled them, as inexhaustible. Some of tliese 

 rich sedimentary deposits have perhaps been thousands of years 

 in forming, and extend from one mile to one hundred miles into 

 the interior, from the bed or banks ol the rivers, from which they 

 were conveyed and accumulated. These deposits, no doubt 

 most of them contain a sufficient quantity of that important in- 

 gredient ascertained of late to be so essential a part of the food of 

 plants, phosphoric acid or hone earth ; this was not in the analysis 

 above given of water, by distinguished chemists of Europe. This 

 was water of some of the European rivers ; these are short and 

 small compared with many of ours, and do not hold in their bo- 

 soms such a vaiiety and quantity of mineral, animal and vegeta- 

 ble matter. Ours it has been observed contain all the ingredi- 

 ents of which hone earth is formed ; rocks and earths of a certain 

 kind contain it ; vegetables more or less of it ; animals are the 

 great source of it, and contain it in the greatest purity, their 

 frames cannot be built up without it. The waters of most of our " 

 rivers, it is thought, if properly analyzed would be found to con- 

 tain it. Certainly the material wouklbe found among the depos- 

 its on tlie various shores where they are cast. New chemical 

 combinations would be continually going on among these where 

 they lay imbeded, and the article would be found in sufficient 

 quantity here. 



Dr. Thompson, M. Saussure, Hassenfratz, and others, Euro- 

 peans, all of great reputation in their profession, agree as to the 

 chemical qualities of most rivers ; some streams of water contain 

 more foreign matter in quantity and variety than others and of 

 course yield more food for plants. This depends somewhat on 

 the soil they flow over or through, such for instance as chalk, 

 limestone or slate soil; the more of these and especially the chalk 

 kind tliey disiiitegrate and bear their particles in their descent^ 

 and flow over land the more it is benefited all river waters inclu- 

 ding springs contain more or less organic matter. To ascertain 

 whether pure water alone could accomplish all the magic elfects 



