On  the  Power  of  Soils  to  absorb  Manure. 
341 
Quantity  of  Ammonia  in  the  standard  solution. 
1st  Estimation — 
Grains  of  the  Solution.  Platinum  Salt. 
163*41  gave  6*86 
Ammonia. 
= *5230 
Per  Cent, 
or  *3200 
2nd  Estimation — 
210-70 
gave 
8*83 
_ 
•6732 
or 
•3195 
3rd  Estimation — 
208-94 
gave 
8*65 
_ 
• 6595 
or 
•3156 
4th  Estimation — 
250-16 
gave 
10-39 
_ 
•79213 
or 
•3166 
5th  Estimation — 
275-33 
gave 
11-37 
= 
•8668 
or 
•3150 
1st 
2nd 
3rd 
4th 
5th 
• • • 
•3200 
•3195 
•3156 
•3166 
•3150 
' Mean, 
•3173 
The  extreme  latitude  in  these  experiments  only  amounts  to 
ToVirth  of  a grain  of  ammonia;  and  the  mean,  which  is  *3173, 
may  be  safely  taken  as  the  true  strength  of  the  solution. 
In  making  an  experiment  upon  the  extent  of  absorption  of  a 
soil  for  ammonia,  a given  quantity  of  the  solution  was  weighed — 
care  being  taken  to  avoid  exposure  of  it  to  the  air,  and  to  effect 
the  different  operations  as  rapidly  as  possible.  The  first  experi- 
ment was  made  with  Mr.  Huxtable’s  loamy  soil. 
Experiment  63. — Mr.  Huxtable’s  loamy  soil  dried  at  about  150°  Fahr., 
and  broken  up  till  it  passed  a sieve  of  40  boles  to  the  inch;  760  grains; 
standard  solution  of  ammonia,  1787  grains ; well  shaken  and  allowed  to 
digest  for  two  hours  : — 
1st  Distillation  of  the  resulting  Liquid — 
Grains. 
Platinum  Salt. 
Ammonia. 
Per  Cent. 
193-12 
gave 
4-75 
= -36214  or 
•1875 
2nd  Distillation — 
3S9*73 
gave 
9-56 
= *7288  or 
•1870 
1st  Result  . 
• • • 
• 18750  per  Cent. 
2nd 
} > • 
. . . 
•18700  ,, 
Mean 
• • • 
•18725  ,, 
100  grains  of  the  original  Solution  contained  '31730  grains  of  Ammonia. 
100  grains  of  the  resulting  Solution  contained  •18725  ,,  , , 
Loss  by  each  100  grains  of  Solution  . . *13005  ,,  , , 
The  whole  quantity  of  solution  (1787  grains)  would,  therefore,  have 
lost  2 ‘3239  grains,  which  has  obviously  been  absorbed  by  the  760  grains 
of  soil. 
Thus,  every  100  grains  of  soil  has  absorbed  or  united  with  *3083  grain 
of  ammonia. 
According  to  this  first  experiment,  a light  loamy  soil  absorbs 
from  solution  ’3083  per  cent,  of  its  weight  of  free  ammonia. 
