ANALYSIS OF SOILS. 
107 
over the fire. It was well pulverized with the fingers, and sifted through the 
coffee-strainer, then through the gauze, and lastly through the cambric handker- 
chief. Some portion was left behind at each sifting. The two first portions were 
washed in the strainer and the gauze ; the residue was sand of two different 
degrees of fineness, which, when dried, weighed, the coarser 24 grains, and the 
next 20 grains. The earth and water which had passed through the strainer and 
the gauze were now strained through the cambric, and left some very fine sand 
behind, which, dried, weighed, and added to what had remained in the cambric 
when sifted in a dry state, weighed 180 grains. All that which had gone through 
the cambric was mixed with water in a jug, and stirred about. The heavier earth 
subsided, and the lighter was poured into one of the lamp-glasses, which had 
a cork fitted into it, and was placed upright. In about two minutes there was a 
deposit, and the lighter portion was poured into a similar glass, where it was left 
some time to settle. In this, a slower deposition took place, and, in about a 
quarter of an hour, the muddy water was poured off into a third glass. The three 
glasses were placed upright, and left so till the next day. In the first glass was 
some very fine earth, apparently clay ; in the second the same, but more muddy ; 
and in the third nothing but thin mud. 
" The contents of the vessel were left to deposit the sediment on each ; this 
sediment was poured on a plate by taking the cork out of the tube, which was 
cleaned with a piece of fine linen which had been carefully dried and weighed. 
Each plate was examined occasionally, and some of the lighter part that floated oil 
the least agitation was poured from one plate to another, until it was thought that 
all the humus had been separated. Most of the water could then be poured off 
without muddiness, yet it was passed through a dried and weighed paper filter. 
The earth was slowly dried, by placing the plates on the hearth before a good fire 
until they were quite dry, and so hot that they could not be easily held in 
the hand. The deposit left in the jug was poured on a plate" — (plates with lips 
would be a great improvement, and convenient to the operator) — "and a little 
muddy part which was observed, was poured off with the water on another. This 
was again transferred, and the finer added to that which was in the second plate. 
" Collecting now all the separate portions, there were found — 
Of coarse sand . . . . .24 grains 
finer sand . . . 20 „ 
very fine sand . . . 180 „ 
clay deposited in the jug and first plate and dried . 240 „ 
deposit in the second plate . 24 „ 
„ on the paper filter . . . . 1J ,, 
„ on the linen rag . . . \ „ 
490 
leaving 10 grains to be accounted for." 
