16 D. A. Wells on the Soils of the Scioto Valley. 
and other sandstones of Ohio, and the carbonates may have dis- _ 
appeared by the action of vegetation and long continued washing 
and filtration. But the impression left after a careful examination 
of their constituents was, that the soils of this portion of Ohio, 
have had an origin similar to that of other soils which are known 
to have resulted from drift agency, and possess at present a char- — 
acter, different from what might have been expected had they — 
resulted from the decomposition of underlying or contiguous — 
rocks. ‘ 
The quantity of organic matter in these soils, is generally large, _ 
ranging from two to eleven per cent. in the specimens examined. ; 
It should be stated that the estimation of this organic matter was 
made upon the finest portion of the soil after sifting, and in this 
there is not included the smallest portion of undecomposed vege- a 
table fibre, which is not unfrequently included in the organic — 
per-centage of other analyses. ‘The amount of nitrogenous com- 
pounds contained in this organic matter is undoubtedly large, 
although not determined; the peculiar odor of these products 
while burning being very appreciable. ; 
articular attention was given to the accurate determination of — 
the amount of waxy and resinous matters contained in these soils, | 
and although it may not be possible to say that they enter unal- 
tered and directly into vegetable systems, yet we know that as 
constituents of vegetables they re-enter to form fats in the sys- 
tems of animals, I can, therefore, but consider a soil analysis, into 
which their careful determination is not included, as essentially 
deficient. In the statement of the analyses, the products ex- 
tracted by alcohol and ether are given separately. At present I 
am not prepared to say, that bodies of a different constitution are 
overlook, will form the subject of future investigations. I would 
Among the constituents of these soils soluble in water, were 
found soluble organic matter (to which Berzelius has applied the 
term “extract of earth, or mould,” and Dr. Dana of Lowell, 
“solution of vegetable extract,”) alkaline chlorids, lime, magne- 
sia, iron, silica, and organic matter combined with these bases. 
‘Me presence of the first three of these bodies was to be ex- 
pected; but the solution of the last three in water, in the absence 
of a mineral acid, and that too in considerable quantities, is, it 
seems to me, especially worthy of notice. An explanation must 
