THE ABSORPTIVE PROPERTIES OP SOILS 267 



capacity of any particular soil for gases, water, or salts in 

 solution, under any particular condition, depends on the tex- 

 ture of the soil and on the time during which the action is 

 allowed to continue. The absorptive power of a soil may be 

 determined by percolating a solution of known strength 

 through a column of the soil or by shaking the sample with 

 a definite amount of the solution. The following data from 

 Parker ^ were obtained by shaking a 35-gram portion of soil 

 for two days with a solution carrying the equivalent of about 

 6.5 grams of KCl: 



Table LVII 

 effect of texture on the absorption of potassium. 



Soil Type 



Potassium Absorbed 

 etspressed as milligrams 

 OF KCl. 



Cecil clav 



325 



Decatur clay loam 



Carrington loam 



240 

 225 



Norfolk sandy loam 



148 







Sullivan, E. C, The Interaction Between Minerals and Water Solu- 

 tions; U. S. Geo! Survey, Bui. 312, 1907. 



Morse, F. W., and Curry, B. E., Reactions Between Manorial Salts and 

 Clay, Mucks and Soils; N. H. Agr. Exp. Sta., 29th Ann. Eep., pp. 271- 

 293, 1908. 



Demolon, A., and Bronet, Gr., Sur la FSnStration des Sngrais Solubles 

 dans les Sols; Ann. Agron., Tome 28, pp. 401-418, 1911. 



Bogue, E. H.^ Absorption of Potassium and Phosphorus Ions by 

 Typical Soils; Jour. Phys. Chem., Vol. 19, No. 8, pp. 665-695, 1915. 



MeCall, A. G., Hildebrandt, F. M., and Johnston, E. S., The Ab- 

 sorption of Potassium by the Soil; Jour. Phys. Chem., Vol. 20, No. 1, 

 pp. 51-63, 1916. 



McBeth, J. G., Fixation of Ammonia in Soils; Jour. Agr. Ees., 

 Vol. IX, No, 5, pp. 141-155, 1917. 



Wyekoff, M. I., Absorption of Ammonium Sulfate by Soils and Quarts 

 Sand; Soil Sei, Vol. Ill, No. 6, pp. 561-564, 1917. 



Kelley, W. P., and Cummins, A. B., Chemical Effect of Salts on 

 Soils; Soil Sci., Vol. XI, No. 2, pp. 139-159, Feb., 1921. 



^Parker, E. G., Selective Absorption by Soils; Jour. Agr. Res., Vol. 1, 

 No. 5, pp. 179-188, Dec, 1913. 



