Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-08-20
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER,
ANALYSIS OF SOILS.

that bv means of chemical analys the exact
nosition Of soils could be ascertaned, and thence
we should learn what special application each soil
might need to make it fertile 1t is obvious that II
This result were attainable agriculture would be-
come If the nature Of IN exact science; and, as
might be expected, the general interest ana great
importance of these researches Lave attracted the
public attention to them. The agricultural Jour
mails give notices of chemists who anayze soils for
farmers. and give ADVICE founded on the analysis,
for the application of nanures On the other hand,
we have seen published the opinions of men OF
science to the effect that such analysis IN the pre-
sent state Of chemistry does not lead to useful re-
suits In the address of Professor HALLoWELI, OF
Alexandria, to the Agricultural Society of Loudoun,
Virginia, recently published in the Integencer, he
expresses the opinion that the analysis of the soil is
Gwholly useless for practical purposes" His re-
marks on the subject are as follows:
have been requested state my opinion Of the adj
VINTAGE Of anayzing soils with the view OF determining
what Ian1res apply for their Improvement and do
so with pleasure, having experience in the prac
scicnceis such enable the chemist to determine,
with the utmost precision the constituents Of body sub
ected his examination; but difficulty lies in getting
fair specimen Of the soil to operate upon The guam
tity usually taken analyze is from fifty hundred
grains, say half teaspoon full, and how is so
quantity to be obtained that shall be = small
the he'd II Il shoaie exact sample o.
pears almost impossible it ever should ana y ap
suit will necessarily mslead AMI se, then the re-
practice. purposes On tLis - wholly useless ior
lively little reliance account place compare
general analyst ii any benefits likely to arise from
sometime - Of soils, though such analysis may
:. oe very beneficial in determining the presence
- hurtfu ingredient that may be difused through
the SOIL and which may be neutraized BY substance
readily determined and applied. Iwould rely much more
knowledge Of the constituents Of The associated rocks
from which the soil has resulted and the mode Of crop
ping and culture which the lands have been
and thus knowing what they originally contained and
what has been removed from them can readily infer
what left If the money paid for anayIng soil, as
general thing, spent in the purchase OF some guano
crushed bones ashes lime, with which to experiment
different crops small scale, it would be likely to
lead to much more satisfactory and profitable results"
TO the same effect, as to the practical value Of
such analysis of Soils is the opinion Of Boussngault
in his Rural Economy:
ssThe qualities which we esteem in workable soil de-
pend almost exclusively the mechanical mixture Of its
elements We much less interested in its chemical
composition than in this that simple washing, which
shows the relations between the sand and the clay tells,
of ITSELF much that is important to us than Ella
borate chemical analysis"
But the most elaborate examination of this i'm
portant question which we have seen is by an emf
nent chemist of our own country, Professor BooTH,
of Philadelphia. The distinguished reputation of
this gentleman for learning and skill in every de-
partment Of scientific and practical chemistry, and
the general interest to the public Of the subject he
discusses, induce US to present his address to our
readers.
On osc Practical Value efaae analysts Of .Soi2s.
BY JAMES c. BOOTH.
, agriculture
Having followed the path pursued by many chemists in
Europe and America in analyzing soils with view to
their bearing the improvement Of agriculture, have
become and more convinced that chemistry has
yet advanced to such perfection that those analyses
have any immediate practical value Having aread,
dssuaded planters and farmers from having analyses
their soils executed under the expectation Of imme
date benefit to be derived therefrom and having free
expressed my views en- the subject to members OF tt
Agricultural Society Of this city, deem it advisable
present concise expression Of those views, and my
for holding them in order to prevent any msunde.
standing as TO their nature and scope.
As chemistry advanced in analytical accuracy and c.
tent Of application to physiology, the examination
minute consttuensSn the soil has progressed and the
importance to agriculture urgently insisted But SING
the field has wdencd before US, find that frs
physiological conclusions replaced by others,
these again by still better grounded from which
may fairly infer that although the science progressing
il is still, art of inferior practical value. Tn
plain farmer, the enlightened egrcuturst, can
not determine with rigid accuracy the exact
measure to apply the requisite to render tina
soil productive because of the difficulties aerd
upon accurate analysis, and of ignorance yka
precise individual constituent constituents is requi
impart fertility IL this cannot be done, the aLayS
of soils for immediate practical benefit is manifest il
jury the advance Of the science Of vegetable physoog5
well Of its application TO agriculture because III
necessary i'll attendant upon the application
changing theory will prejudice the mind Of the practices
still further against the real value Of theory
eventually retard thereby the progress Of scienf
agriculture. For this in particular propose
give my views why the analysis Of soils is at the preser
time Of immediate value 10 the farmer.
!. There is no little difficulty experienced by D.
chemist in obtaining fair average Of sell in any singh
locality in order ts subject il TO analysis because Tia
uppermost part OF soil differs from that subaoent to
BY the interm1tupe Of parts Of plants and rooets,
by the influence Of greater culture and Of atmosphere
agents very large majority Of plain farmers woul
lind diligently in doing that which would demand con
siderable and skin the part Of the chemist or NOR
enlightened Agricultural II would be much di;i
cult 70 obtain on average sample of the soil Of Who'll
Reid, because TO the above difficulties is often added tina
Of a variation Of soil in proxmate localities.
Doubtless multiplied analyses OF specimens from tn
field might give toerably correct information Il
regard 70 the chemical composition Of SOIL and hes
multiplied by the number Of fields In farm might eno
BILE to form fair opinion the ehemchal charace
Of the farm. But the difficulties Of such analyses an
their serious objections IL there were no others
to their practical value 10 the farmer.
q or what value detached analyses Of soils hun
bred miles apart compared with thorough local invests
CATION Of the soil under very different crcum
OF culture? With his usual shrcwdness. Berzelus le
the way in such investigation by anayrng elaborated
naturally fertile soil taken from beneath the action
the plough, and the same soil from above the forme
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