20 



SOILS AND PLANT LIFE 



cover and remove the bottom with a can opener. Press 

 lid into place and invert the can. Place first a piece of 

 screen wire and then a piece of cheesecloth on the inside 

 of the can next to the lid. Fill the can level full with any 

 soil you may select from your air-dried and screened 

 samples. Carefully weigh the can and soil. Add water 

 until the whole soil mass is saturated and the water stands 

 on the surface. Carefully weigh again. Remove the 

 lid from the bottom of the can and allow the water to 

 drain out for at least two days. Carefully weigh a third 

 time. Spread the soil on a cloth or in a large shallow pan 

 and allow it to dry in the open or near a stove for two or 

 three days. Weigh a fourth time. 



By heating over a slow fire without burning, the 

 amount of hygroscopic moisture present could be de- 

 termined; but since this is rather difiicult, it is not 

 required here. 



The moisture first lost was the gravity, or free water; 

 that in the simlight or near the stove, the film water ; 

 that, which would be lost in the oven or in a pan over a 

 slow fire, the hygroscopic. 



The following table will assist you in keeping your 

 notes : 



Kind of 

 Soil 



Weight 

 OP Can 



Weight 

 OP Can 

 AND Soil 



Weight op 

 Can. Soil 

 AND Wateb 



Weight op 

 Can AND 



Soil apter 

 Draining 



Weight op 



Can and 



Soil after 



Drying 



