Suburban Geology of Richmond, Indiana. 311 



line carbonates. Such however was not the case. And believ- 

 ing, that if the plants really contained a sulphate, it must be 

 derived from the earth in all probability, but not necessarily, I 

 have tested various portions of soil from different situations and 

 taken from different depths ; but I have not been able to pro- 

 cure the slightest cloudiness with the usual reagents, nor to dis- 

 cover any trace of sulphuric acid in any way. 



The soil of this district is generally rich, and being based upon 

 a clay stratum, bids fair to be durable. The analysis given in 

 the volume just cited is as follows : 



One hundred grains of soil from woodland — 



Soluble geine, 



Insoluble " 



Carbonate of lime, - 



Phosphate " 



Aluminous matter, - 



Siliceous " 



Gain, - 



100. 

 A specimen of soil taken from a cultivated field yielded a dif- 

 ferent result. After drying it several weeks in my office by the 

 ordinary summer air, I heated 480 grs. of it for an hour, at a 

 temperature of 400° ; the loss was 47 grs. Another 480 grs., 

 after careful trituration, separated as follows : 



Sand and vegetable fragments, - 2 grs. 



Fine sand, - - - 12 " 



Dust passed through gauze, - - 466 " 



480 " 

 Four hundred grains of the thoroughly dried earth, when cal- 

 cined, lost eleven grains. A large proportion of potash was dis- 

 covered by Mitscherlich's method, and the presence and quantity 

 of the other ingredients were ascertained by the usual processes. 

 After moistening some of the earth and reducing it to a thin 

 paste, I added nitric acid to it ; not a single bubble of carbonic 

 acid appeared. Several trials resulted in the same way ; the soil 

 therefore contains no carbonate. Crenic and apocrenic acids were 

 made apparent by digestion with carbonate of ammonia, and the 



