“A square foot of soil, 18 inches deep, was dug from the second portion of the land which produced the clover-hay and clover-seed.
SOIL FROM PART OF 11-ACRE FIELD TWICE MOWN FOR HAY.
“The upper six inches of soil, one foot square, contained all the main roots of 18 strong plants; the next six inches, only small root fibres, and in the third section, a six-inch slice cut down at a depth of 12 inches from the surface, no distinct fibres could be found. The soil was almost completely saturated with rain when it was dug up on the 13th of September, 1866:
| Lbs. | |
|---|---|
| The upper six inches of soil, one foot square, weighed | 60 |
| The second ”””” | 61 |
| The third ”””” | 63 |
“These three portions of one foot of soil, 18 inches deep, were dried nearly completely, and weighed again; when the first six inches weighed 51¼ lbs.; the second six inches, 51 lbs. 5 oz.; and the third section, 54 lbs. 2 oz.
“The first six inches contained 3 lbs. of silicious stones, (flints), which were rejected in preparing a sample for analysis; in the two remaining sections there were no large sized stones. The soils were pounded down, and passed through a wire sieve.
“The three layers of soil, dried and reduced to powder, were mixed together, and a prepared average sample, when submitted to analysis, yielded the following results:
Soluble in hydrochloric acid. | Organic matter | 5.86 |
| Oxides of iron | 6.83 | |
| Alumina | 7.12 | |
| Carbonate of lime | 2.13 | |
| Magnesia | 2.01 | |
| Potash | .67 | |
| Soda | .08 | |
| Chloride of sodium | .02 | |
| Phosphoric acid | .18 | |
| Sulphuric acid | .17 | |
| Insoluble in acid | Insoluble silicious matter, 74.61. | |
| Alumina | 4.37 | |
Lime, (in a state of silicate) | 4.07 | |
| Magnesia | .46 | |
| Potash | .19 | |
| Soda | .23 | |
| Silica | 65.29 | |
| 99.68 |
“This soil, it will be seen, contained, in appreciable quantities, not only potash and phosphoric acid, but all the elements of fertility which enter into the composition of good arable land. It may be briefly described as a stiff clay soil, containing a sufficiency of lime, potash, and phosphoric acid, to meet all the requirements of the clover-crop. Originally, rather unproductive, it has been much, improved by deep culture; by being smashed up into rough clods, early in autumn, and by being exposed in this state to the crumbling effects of the air, it now yields good corn and forage crops.
“In separate portions of the three layers of soil, the proportions of nitrogen and phosphoric acid contained in each layer of six inches, were determined and found to be as follows: