Absorptive Fropertics of Soils. 501 
Here again it will be seen that a prolonged digestion of the soil 
with the lime-water leads to a larger absorption of the lime, 
although the extra quantity is by no means great. 
To dc>termine the proportion of sand, 6cc. in this soil, it was 
treated as in the previous case, with boiling-water till all the clay 
was washed away. 
First Analysis for sand, il'c. in soil No. 16 — 
4000 grs. soil gave 880 grs. sand equal to 22 '0 per cent. 
Second Analysis — 
4000 grs. ' „ 873 grs. „ 21-9 „ 
Mean of the two results 21 '95 ,, 
The soil contained no carbonate of lime. It was thought desir- 
able to repeat some of these experiments with a stronger solution 
of lime-water; accordingly a fresh quantity was prepared and 
submitted to analysis. The following were the results : — 
First Analysis — 
9 C.ivbon.nte of Lime. I.ime. 
1000 grs. lime-water gave 2'60 equal to 1'45G 
Second Analysis — 
1000 grs. ,, 2-55 „ 1-442 
]J|[can of the two Analyses 1 "449 
The new quantity of lime-water therefore contained 1" 449 lime 
in 1000 grs., and was consequently nearly one-half strcmgcr than 
that previously used. 
The following experiment was made with this solution and the 
soil No. 16 : — 
Experiment No. 11. 
Soil No. 16 2.000 grs. 
Stronger solution ol lime-water 28,000 „ 
The soil and the lime-water were digested together for 24 hours. 
First Analysis — 
Carbonate of Lime. 
1500 grs. gave 2-03 equal to 0-756 in 1000. 
Second Analysis — 
1500 grs. „ 2-00 „ 0-746 „ 
Mean of tlie two Analyses 0-751 ,, 
Or 21-028 grs. in 28,000 grs. 
The lime in the lime-water previous to experiment at 
1-449 in 1000 was 40-572 grs. 
Ditto after digestion with the soil 21 -028 „ 
Absorption by 2000 grs. soil 19-544 
Or an absorption of 9*772 by 1000 grs. 
It thus appears that from the stronger lime-water a greater quan- 
tity of lime is sejiarated by the soil than when the proportion of 
alkali is less — for we have 
