TABLE OF CONTKNTS. XIX 



QUARTERNARY— 



low Loam"; constitutes a large portion of Mississippi Soils ; posterior 

 to the Orange Sand and Bluff formations — anterior to the Alluvium 

 anterior to the great denudation — posterior to the present river chan 

 nels, 197 ; further discussion of its stratigraphieal relations, 198 

 Flatwoods soils — brick clay in, 199, 200; Hommock or Second Bot- 

 tom, 200-1 ; Alluvial, 201. 



PART II. 



- AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



PRINCIPLES OP RATIONAL AGRICULTURE : definition and limitations 

 of the term soil, p. 202 ; natural vegetation a guide to the quality of 

 land ; may, however, lead to error; not only the species of plants but 

 their size and form must be considered ; cases illustrating these points, 

 20>; subsoils; proper mode of collecting and examining soils, 

 204; record of depth, at which taken always accompanies the analy- 

 sis ; value of analysis of soils asserted ; virgin soils usually investiga- 

 ted ; origin of soils, 205 ; origin of soils ; causes operating to 

 produce them, action of water, of temperature, of chemical agents ; 

 fallowing, 206. 



PBINCIPLES OF AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY : necessity and value of 

 technical terms; ingredients of soils; sixteen or seventeen elements 

 claim the attention of agriculturists; named, p. 206-7; important 

 combinations considered; Silicon, Sulphur, Phosphorus, Potassium 

 and Sodium treated of, p. 208 ; Calcium ; action of lime in soils, p. 

 209; calcareous soils ; growth of; Magnesium, p. 210 ; Aluminum; 

 clays; Iron, p. 211 ; " Soapstone" ; retentive power of clays ; Alum, 

 p. 212; Iron; oxide of; in soils; injurious effects of; modes of 

 remedying them, p. 214 ; bog ore or " Black Pebble " ; importance of 

 drainage ; chalybeate springs, p. 215 ; formation of rock by waters 

 charged with iron ; nourishment of plants ; constituents of plants ; 

 rotation of crops, p. 216; rotation of crops a systematic method of 

 exhausting soils; order of rotation settled by experience ; analyses of 

 soils, crops and manures of practical value, p. 217 ; analyses of south- 

 ern soils ; discrepancies in results ; physical constitution of soils ; 

 soil must be "open", " porous", p. 218 ; light or sandy soils ; heavy 

 clay soils ; crack in drouth ; retain moisture tenaciously, and so, in 

 wet seasons, prevent tillage; prevent access of air, p. 219; heavy soils 

 require deep and frequent tillage ; heavy siliceous soils ; defects of 

 them ; acid soils ; contain crenic, and apocrenic acids in a soluble 

 condition, p. 220 ; drainage — its value and effects ; drainage of clay 

 soils prevents injury from wet ; warms the soil; p. 221 ; prevents 

 soluble or liquid manures from being wasted or lost ; prevents washing 

 of the soil ; improves the health of the districts in which it is practised ; 

 reader referred to Maj. II. F. French on " Farm Drainage ", p. 222 ; 

 conditions of productiveness in soils — 1. Good Physical Constitution — 

 2. Qood Chemical Constitution; when defective in either artificial 

 correctives must be applied ; general name of these manures ; manures 

 of two kinds, mechanical and chemical ; the latter may bo divided 



