BULLETIN OF THE 



No. 108 



Contribution from the Bureau of Soils, Milton Whitney, Chief 

 August 5, 1914. 



(PROFESSIONAL PAPER.) 



HARMFUL EFFECTS OF ALDEHYDES IN SOILS. 



By Oswald Schreiner and J. J. Skinner, 

 Scientists in Soil Fertility Investigations. 



INTRODUCTION. 



In the course of a study of the soils on the Mount Vernon estate, 

 Virginia, large samples from the flower garden were subjected to a 

 special examination in the laboratory. In this flower garden box 

 hedges, roses, and other perennial garden plants have grown for 

 years and manure has been liberally applied. The soil is a brown 

 mellow loam containing enough sand and vegetable matter to effect 

 an excellent structural condition. At a depth of about 15 inches 

 the surface soil passes into a reddish brown to yellowish brown clay 

 loam. This subsoil in turn grades into a compact red clay, faintly 

 mottled in places with grayish colors, at a depth of approximately 

 24 inches. This layer of material resembles a hardpan formation. 

 The compact condition undoubtedly affects the movement of moist- 

 ure and air. The examination of the soil in the laboratory showed 

 that the surface soil was acid and the subsoil decidedly so. 



When subjected to the methods for isolating organic substances 

 from soils as devised in this laboratory, saccharic acid, acrylic acid, 

 mannite, and salicylic aldehyde were obtained. The details of the 

 isolation of these compounds have already been reported * and only 

 the salicylic aldehyde is of interest in the present paper. It was 

 obtained as follows: 



The soil was extracted with 2 per cent sodium hydroxide, and the 

 solution thus obtained was acidified with sulphuric acid and filtered. 

 The acid filtrate was shaken out with several portions of ether, the 

 ether extracts being combined and shaken with a concentrated 



i Shorey, E. C, Some Organic Soil Constituents, Bui. 88, Bureau of Soils, U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture, p. 19 (1913). 



Note. — This bulletin deals with the discovery and properties of aldehydes in soils. These are shown 

 to affect crops unfavorably and decrease the yield greatly. The results are of interest to agricultural 

 experimenters and those practical farmers whose training interests them in the advance of scientific agri- 

 culture. 



43777°— Bull. 108—14 1 



