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ANALYSES OF SOILS. 
ANALYSIS OF ONE HUNDRED GRAINS. 
Water and vegetable matter._. 12*25 
Silicates._.74*65 
Carbonate of lime. 2*43 
Peroxide of iron and alumina... 8*75 
Magnesia. 1*00 
99*08 
The 8'75 grs. of oxide of iron and alumina were redissolved in weak muriatic acid, and 
found to contain 4*16 of soluble silica. 
The silicates were fused with carbonate of soda, and were found to contain 
Pure silica _________68*64 
Peroxide of iron and alumina______ 4*93 
Carbonate of lime... 0*88 
Magnesia... a large trace. 
In this rich soil a trace of phosphoric acid seemed to exist, but it was not certainly detected, 
though sought for in both precipitates by caustic ammonia. The soluble silica, and car¬ 
bonate of lime and magnesia, are present in very large proportions, and probably also the 
organic acids. 
Some of the eastern soils, those of Hoosic in Rensselaer county, from the farm of Mr. 
Ball, were submitted to a careful examination for phosphates, with the following results : 
Water .... 
Organic matter____ 
Silex_____ 
Carbonate of lime. 
Magnesia .. 
Phosphates___ 
_ 4*60 
--- 6*72 
.___ 74*87 
_ 0*15 
_ 0*12 
.___ 0*20 
86*66 
The alumina and iron contained 0*05 of soluble silica. 
A still larger proportion of the phosphates has been obtained from the soils of the Ta- 
conic range, from Peekskill to Bridport in Vermont. As a general result, it may be stated 
that the phosphates are more abundant in the latter section, in the maize growing district, 
than in the wheat district, and the soluble silica is in greater proportion in the latter than 
in the former. The Harmon wheat soil, though it gave, in 400 grains, not a trace of the 
phosphates in the surface soil or subsoil, yet it gave a large amount of soluble silica. The 
matters soluble in water, however, the crenates particularly, abounded in the Wheatland 
soil; and to the presence of soluble silica, and the soluble organic matters, its excellence 
as a wheat soil may be attributed. 
