BULLETIN OF THE 
No. 108 
Contribution from the Bureau of Soils, Milton Whitney, Chief. 
August 5, 1914. 
(PROFESSIONAL PAPER.) 
HARMFUL EFFECTS OF ALDEHYDES IN SOILS. 
By Oswald Schreiner and J. J. Skinner, 
Scientists in Soil Fertility Investigations. 
INTRODUCTION. 
In the course of a study of the soils on the Mount Vernon estate, 
Virginia, large samples from the flower garden were subjected to a 
special examination in the laboratory. In this flower garden box 
hedges, roses, and other perennial garden plants have grown for 
years and manure has been liberally applied. The soil is a brown 
mellow loam containing enough sand and vegetable matter to effect 
an excellent structural condition. At a depth of about 15 inches 
the surface soil passes into a reddish brown to yellowish brown clay 
loam. This subsoil in turn grades into a compact red clay, faintly 
mottled in places with grayish colors, at a depth of approximately 
24 inches. This layer of material resembles a hardpan formation. 
The compact condition undoubtedly affects the movement of moist- 
ure and air. The examination of the soil in the laboratory showed 
that the surface soil was acid and the subsoil decidedly so. 
When subjected to the methods for isolating organic substances 
from soils as devised in this laboratory, saccharic acid, acrylic acid, 
mannite, and salicylic aldehyde were obtained. The details of the 
isolation of these compounds have already been reported * and only 
the salicylic aldehyde is of interest in the present paper. It was 
obtained as follows : 
The soil was extracted with 2 per cent sodium hydroxide, and the 
solution thus obtained was acidified with sulphuric acid and filtered. 
The acid nitrate was shaken out with several portions of ether, the 
ether extracts being combined and shaken with a concentrated 
1 Shorey, E. C, Some Organic Soil Constituents, Bui. 88, Bureau of Soils, U. S. Department of Agri- 
culture, p. 19 (1913). 
Note.— This bulletin deals with the discovery and properties of aldehydes in soils. These are shown 
to affect crops unfavorably and decrease the yield greatly. The results are of interest to agricultural 
experimenters and those practical farmers whose training interests them in the advance of scientific agri- 
culture. 
43777°— Bull. 108—14 1 
