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SOME EXPERIMENTS ON A SULPHATED FERRUGINOUS EARTH 

 FROM KENT COUNTY IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE, WITH 

 A VIEW TO ASCERTAIN ITS COMMERCIAL VALUE. 



By Jacob Green, M. D. Prof. Chem. in Jef. Med. College, Pa. 



Last winter I presented to the society some speci- 

 mens of an interesting earth from the state of Delaware, 

 and read at the same time some extracts of a letter from 

 Mr. W. Winser Morris, describing its locality in Kent 

 county. Since that period I have, with the assistance 

 of my friend Dr. S. Calhoun, subjected it to some ex- 

 periments, an account of which may not be uninterest- 

 ing to the society. 



In three specimens of earth presented, all appeared 

 to be composed essentially of the same ingredients, but 

 our examination was confined principally to the sample 

 contained in the middle division of the box, as it seemed 

 to be the most highly charged with active materials. 



In its external characters, this earth has but very 

 little solidity, and presents rather a spongy, pulverulent 

 texture; its color is blackish brown, inclining to gray; 

 on exposure to heat it loses its original tint, and becomes 

 light gray ; its taste is very sharp and highly astringent. 



On exposure to a strong heat in an open vessel, but 

 little volatile matter was given off, and no combustion 

 ensued ; thus proving that but little carbon, or vege- 

 table matter, was present ; the resulting mass was of a 

 dirty gray color. 



On washing a known quantity of the solid earth with 

 Vol. I.—E 



