Wisconsin State Agricultural Society. 309 
which distinguish plants from inorganic matter. There is a life 
force; but how that life force is introduced I presume is not thor¬ 
oughly understood by aii} r human being. It seems to approxi¬ 
mate to the explanation which perhaps may sometime come and 
lead to a better and more perfect understanding of the laws by 
which plant life is governed. How beautiful is that theory by 
which the oxygen of the atmosphere decomposes the carbonic acid 
gas, the plant omitting the oxygen and absorbing the nitrogen, 
and again, that oxygen working itself away down to the roots, 
and there combining with the carbon and thus evolving and 
producing a life force. This is the point which was so beauti¬ 
fully in harmony with the remarks of the Professor yesterday in re¬ 
gard to the stirring of the soil. How important that that soil 
should be pulverized so that the air and gases may unite! I have 
come a good ways to attend this convention and been very much 
gratified at the results which I have witnessed. 
SOILS OF EASTERN WISCONSIN. 
BY PROF. T. C. CHAMBERLIN', BELOIT COLLEGE. 
It is extremely difficult to present anything on the subject of 
soils in such a way as to be clearly understood by those not familiar 
with chemistry, mineralogy, molecular physics and allied sciences 
on the one hand, and with the actual culture of the soil on the 
other, and at the same time to be thoroughly accurate. This diffi¬ 
culty arises partly from the nature of the case, and partly from the 
vagueness of the terms used in speaking of soils. These terms have 
a different signification as used by different persons, and often they 
are not well defined in the individual’s own mind, and this some¬ 
thing of vagueness in his own ideas leads to obscurity when he at¬ 
tempts to communicate his ideas toothers. We speak of “light 
soils” and “heavy soils;” and, perhaps without thinking, we sup¬ 
pose that these terms refer to actual weight, or in the terms of 
science, to specific gravity. But such is not usually the fact. Thus 
we say, “ a heavy clay soil,” and “ a light sandy soil,” but in fact 
the clay soil will only weigh about three-quarters of the weight of 
