136 APPLICATION OF MANURE. 



1. Weigh a given portion of soU, heat it and dry it. The lose is water. 



2. Bum what remains. The loss is chiefly vegetable matter. 



3. Add hydrochloric acid to the residue, and from this the quantity of 



lime may he determined. 



4. Wash a fresh portion of soil to determine the quantity of insoluhle 



siliceous sand. 



Such an analysis, however, is by no means sufficient for the pur- 

 poses of the farmer. 



The chemical composition of a plant being known, conclusions 

 can be drawn as to the soil most suitable for its growth. This is a 

 matter of great importance both to the farmer and to the planter. 

 In order that a plant may thrive, even in a suitable soil, exposure 

 and altitude must also be taken into account. It is only by attention 

 to these particulars that agricultural and foresting operations can be 

 successful. As regards trees, the following practical observations are 

 given as an illustration of what has been stated. The Scotch Fir 

 thrives best in a heathy soil, incumbent on a pervious subsoU, and 

 at a high altitude ; Larch in loam, with a dry subsoil, in a high 

 situation, and on sloping banks ; Spruce and Silver firs in soft loam 

 or peaty soil, in a low moist situation, but they will also grow in a 

 dry soU, and at a pretty high altitude ; Oak in any soil and situation 

 under .800 feet above the level of the sea, but it thrives best in 

 clayey loam, on a rather retentive subsoil, and on gently sloping 

 ground ; Ash and Elm, on a gravelly loam, on gravel or sand, at an 

 altitude under 500 feet above the level of the sea ; Sycamore, at 100 

 feet higher than the ash or elm, and in a more retentive soil and 

 subsoil ; Beech, on a dry gravelly soil, and in a rather high situation, 

 but it is often luxuriant on strong retentive clay, and in a low damp 

 situation. 



Application of Manuee. 



If the soil does not contain the ingredients required for a crop, 

 they must be added in the form of manure. The principle of manur- 

 ing is to supply what the plant cannot obtain from the soil, and to 

 render certain matters already in the soil available for nutrition. In 

 order that this may be properly practised, there must be an analysis 

 of the soil, of the plant, and of the manure. Hence the importance 

 of agricultural chemistry to the farmer. 



Various kinds of Manure. 



Natural Manubes, as farmyard dung, are more valuable than 

 simple manures; inasmuch as the former furnish all the substances 

 required for the growth of plants, while the latter only supply a 

 particular ingredient. Natural manures may be regarded as confer- 



