The Neglect of CJiemistrij hy Practical Farmers. 439 



I have considered them wholly insoluble, although water, 

 impregnated with carbonic-acid, has been proved to have the 

 power of slowly dissolving them ; but this operation is too slow 

 to be of much practical benefit to the occupying farmer, notwith- 

 standing that by this agency a large proportion of existing soils 

 have been created. 



Tahle O. — It cannot be said of this table, as of the preceding 

 ones, that it has but little interest for farm.ers, for all the earths 

 mentioned in it are in universal use, and great interest at present 

 attaches to the fossils lately discovered in such large quantities in 

 the green sand formation, which are now extensively manufactured 

 into a valuable m.anure, under the namic of coprolites. This fact 

 alone ought to be a sufficient answer to the query, ' What good has 

 chemistry done the farmers ?' The composition of knovrn good 

 tile clays m.ay rJso be useful at this time, Vvlien draining operations 

 are being carried on so extensively ; as, by comparing the analysis 

 of any clay with which it Vv as desired to make tiles, with these^ 

 the landlord, or whoever might be interested in the question, could 

 judge whether the manufacture would probably be successful, and 

 if not, whether the composition of the clay mxight not be so altered 

 by washing the sand out, or otherwise, as to render it so. 



Tables P (1, 2). — These tables constitute a large collection of 

 analyses of the various kinds of soils ; and although there is m.uch 

 too great a variation betvv'een any two soils which farmers v.ould 

 class together for any average to be dravvii that would at all 

 approximate to the truth for an}- similar kind of soil, as far as our 

 present knowledge extends, the textural difference not always 

 agreeing with the difference in composition ; yet I think that they 

 will be found both interesting and useful to the practical farmxcr, 

 and show the necessity, or at any rate the advantage, of having 

 an analysis made of each individual soil and subsoil on their 

 farms. 



The first division shows the com-position of the various soils as 

 classed by farmers. 



The second has reference to the various peculiarities noticed in 

 some soils, such as clover failing, crops rotting, 6cc. 



I leave it to the intelligence of my readers to determine whether 

 the given composition of the different soils accounts in any degree 

 for the peculiar behaviour of the crops grown on them, as my 

 object in this work is merely to state facts (and facts as unde- 

 niable as any that the most practical farmer can adduce) and not to 

 build any theories of my ovvn upon them, which might probably 

 be erroneous. 



The form of these tables is identical with Tables E, F, G, H, 

 with the exception of the two small columns headed " Coarse 



VOL. XIII. 2 G 



