332 
THE CULTIVATOR 
Oct, 
see some of the noted stock of that county. They cer¬ 
tainly have some fine stock—that is, cattle and coarse 
woolcd sheep. I purchased two from Mr. Turner—a 
six-year-old cow and two-year-old heifer. Mr. Turner 
is one of the best breeders in England. 
I was disappointed in the horses that I saw in England. 
They were too slim, light of limb, small round the 
waist, with too much of the blood of the race-horse in 
them for endurance. But two of the best mares I saw 
while in Europe were from England. They were at Yon 
Timer’s (a son of the celebrated agriculturist of Ger¬ 
many.) He imported them for breeding. They have 
some good business-horses in Germany. 
In conclusion I would say to those who have good 
Merino sheep, that they have nothing to fear from Eu¬ 
rope, as they have but few Merinos, and what they have 
are worth more there than here. In general, choice 
animals are worth more there than here; they have 
learned to appreciate the value of them. I believe I 
have looked the sheep countries over pretty thoroughly. 
My instructions from Messrs. Hammond, Hall, and Re- 
milee, who were associated with me in the enterprize, 
were not to spare time and money in looking, and if I 
could find any better sheep than we had here, to buy. 
Those instructions I endeavored to carry out. Yours, 
W. R. Sanford. Orwell , Vermont, August 1st, 
1851. 
Comparative Analyses of Soils. 
Analytical Laboratory, Yale College, 1 
New - Haven , Conn ., Aug . 25. 3851: ) 
Messrs. Editors —At the recent meeting of the 
American Association for the Advancement of Science, 
held in your city, I brought forward a number of papers 
embodying-results obtained in my laboratory during the 
past year. Some of these are very interesting to the 
agriculturist, and in the present and one or two succeed¬ 
ing letters, I propose to give a short account of them. 
By the aid of Mr. Crane, my first assistant, I have 
made within a few months, some examinations into the 
nature of the results to be obtained, by analysing soils 
in such a way, and from such localities, as to institute 
direct comparisons in their composition. 
One of the first points taken up, for instance, was to 
ascertain how near to the average constitution of a field 
we should get, by analysing samples taken respectively 
from different parts of its surface. It has been urged 
by many, in view of the small quantity employed for 
analysis by the chemist, that such a quantity could not 
represent the composition of the whole soil. To test 
the value of this objection, I had two samples of soil 
taken, one from each end of a six acre lot. This soil 
has been formed by the decomposition of a basalt or 
trap rock, and is of a red color. It is in the town of 
Farmington, State of Connecticut. By way of still 
farther comparison, another soil formed from'the same 
rock, was obtained from a hill side not more than a 
quarter of a mile distant, and finally still another, from 
a point about equidistant between the two, where a red 
sandstone slate rock or shale appeared upon the surface. 
The following table therefore affords us ground for 
several useful comparisons.- 
Basaltic or trap-soil Farmington. Red shale soil. 
Amount in 100lbs. or percent- No. 1. No. 2. No. 3. No. 4. 
age of 
Alumina and iron,. 10.88 9.51 8.65 15.34 
Lime,. 0.25 0.31 0.22 0.07 
Magnesia,...,..... 0.77 0.87 0.72 1.73 
Sulphates of potash and soda,. 0.70 1.12 0.72 2.92 
Soluble silica,... 0.24 0.17 0.13 0.32 
Insoluble matter,. 82.58 81.68 82.07 75.89 
Of the trap-soils, Nos. 2 and 3 are taken from different 
parts of the same field as described above, and it will 
be seen at once that they bear each other a striking re¬ 
semblance. There is in no case a difference of one per 
cent between any two of the constituents, and in most 
instances they really correspond very closely; as in the 
two derminations of lime, where in 100 lbs. of soil, there 
is only a variation amounting to 9-100 of 1 lb. In the 
magnesia the difference is but 5-100, and in the soluble 
silicia still less, only 4-100. If now we look also at the 
first column, we see that in the first line, there is shown 
to be more iron and alumina than in the other cases, 
owing to a small additional quantity having been dis¬ 
solved by acid. With this exception, the other sub¬ 
stances agree quite closely with those in Nos. 2 and 3. 
The three examples then show that these trap soils have 
a character of their own, that they correspond with each 
other in the main, and are in many points even almost 
identical, whether taken from the same field, or from 
somewhat distant localities. This point settled, let us 
turn our attention for a moment to the red shale soil 
No. 4, which it will be remembered, came from between 
No. 1 and Nos. 2 and 3. 
Here we are at once able to perceive a most decided 
difference. The quantity of iron and alumina is nearly 
5 per cent greater than in No. 1, where it is largest 
among the other three, while that of lime is less than £ 
of what is found in any of the others. Magnesia on the 
other hand, amounted to fully twice, and potash and soda 
to three or four times as much, as in any other case. In 
soluble silica there is no very strking difference. Here, 
then, from the relative position of these soils, we have 
quite a remarkable instance, and one which pointed out 
very distinctly the benefit of analysis. These soils, lying 
so near together, vary in most important particulars; 
under long cultivation, with any especial crop, they 
would be exhausted in different degrees. The table also 
shows by its comparison of the three trap soils, that their 
character is the same, and that a fair sample made by 
mixing small quantities from different parts of a field, 
would give a reliable average result. 
I will add another instance in support of this assertion; 
that soils from the same rock agree pretty closely. In 
the following tables, Nos. 1 and 2 are specimens of stiff” 
blue clay, taken at considerable distances apart, on a 
hill-side near Albany. No. 3 was a white laminated 
clay, also quite stiff, coming from a lower layer in the 
same neighborhood. 
Albany Clays. 
Per centago of 
No. 1, blue. 
No. 2, blue. 
No. 3, white 
Iron and alumina,. 
13.32 
13.76 
17.01 
Lime,.. 
4.87 
4.83 
4.31 
Magnesia,. 
2.47 
2.69 
2.71 
Potash and soda. 
3.67 
3.16 
4.80 
Soluble silica,.\.. 
1.68 
1.39 
0.47 
Insoluble matter,. 
70.40 
69.16 
67.63 
The agreement betv 
veen Nos. 1 and 2, of these clays t 
