L i(i u id .Alan u re. 
155 
to all previous experience, such a soil possesses in an eminent 
degree the power of absorbing manuring matters ; it might be 
therefore expected that the whole of the ammonia contained in 
such a weak solution as the Tiptree liquid manure would 
be removed by such a soil when used in the proportion of 
2 of soil to 7 of liquid. The same might be suspected with 
regard to potash and phosphoric acid. However, this experiment 
shows that a soil distinguished for its great power of absorbing 
soluble fertilizing matters does not entirely remove them even 
from a very dilute solution. As the subject is of considerable 
scientific interest, I may be allowed to examine the results 
obtained in this experiment a little more in detail, and there- 
fore notice 
1. Although only 7"7 grains of organic matter were present in 
the Tiptree liquid manure, Mr. Mechi's soil removed only 2\ in 
round numbers, leaving dissolved in the liquid. 
2. In the preceding experiments — 
1000 grs. of soils from College Farm absorbed .. 'TSS of ammonia. 
,, pasture land "737 „ 
„ sterile sandy land .. .. •121 „ 
,, fertile loamy land .. '487 ,, 
None of these soils contained so much clay as Mr. Mechi's soil, 
but, nevertheless, they all absorbed more ammonia than the 
stiff clay soil in the experiment with a very dilute liquid. There 
are only 3 36 grains of ammonia in a gallon of the Tiptree 
liquid manure, which certainly might be expected to be ab- 
sorbed by 20,000 grains of soil ; for, if so, 1000 grains would 
only have absorbed "168 of a grain of ammonia. Nearly the 
same quantity of ammonia, we have seen, was absorbed by a 
soil consisting almost entirely of sand, which, we know, does 
not possess in a high degree the power of retaining ammonia. 
Notwithstanding the large proportion of clay and the small 
quantity of ammonia in the liquid manure from Tiptree Hall 
Farm, only 1'81 grains of ammonia were absorbed by 20,000 
grains of soil, and 1*55 grains remained in the liquid after 
three days' contact with it. 1000 grains of this soil thus absorbed 
only "0905 of a grain of ammonia. 
There can be no doubt that a stronger solution of ammonia 
passed through Mr. Mechi's soil would have parted with a much 
larger proportion of ammonia than in the present experiment. A 
distinct proof, then, is here afforded that soluble manuring 
matters — like ammoniacal salts in contact with soil — are not ren- 
dered entirely insoluble. In this experiment we have the most 
favourable condition for the complete absorption of ammonia, 
yet nearly one-half of the ammonia is left in the liquid after 
contact with the soil ; thus showing plainly that the compounds 
which we cannot doubt are formed in clay soils, when soluble 
