The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-11-23
Y, OHIO. WEDNESDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER gs, 1859.

the tops contain from so to 60 per cent. The
turnip contain from 6 to II per cent, while
the tops contain Is per cent. When the lime
contains certain proportion of clay it becomes
cement. Limestones containing 8 to IL per
cent. of clay, furnish hydraulic lime, which
hardens under water in Is to 20 days; when
1S per cent. of clay, it hardens in 8 days: if
25 per cent it will harden in 3 or days; Ro-
man cement contains 35 to 40 per cent. of clay,
and hardens in an hour.
ISt.lph;te of Lime is a compound containing
one equivalent of sulphuric acid less, and two
equivalents of water more than gypsum, and
has recently been very successfully employed
in the extraction of sugar from beet root; this
substance prevents the pulp from changing
color by exposure to the air and the loss Of su-
gar by fermentation. <sse-
.Salphafe of Lime, or gypsum, ifallowed to re-
main when In solution in state of contact
with organic matters is reduced to sulphide of
lime, which, under the influence of water and
carbonic acid, is converted into carbonate of
lime. Nearly all the plant-ashes contain this
substance, it is therefore of create importance
to the plant.
Phosphate of Lime, an ingredient so essential
to the cereal plants as we'll as to the animal
framd, is found in the mineral kingdom.
Traces of phosphoric acid are found in a
great number of rocks and stones In the soil,
in almost all plants and in animal matters. 1t
never occurs free, or uncombined, but always
in combination with basc-most generally
with lime. Phosphate oflime is always found
in wheat, and all the vegetable substances
which constitute part of the food of man and
animals; and We find it in a very considerable
quantity associated with carbonite of lime in
coprolites Cor fossil manure of extinct animals)
and other forms of fossil manures, which of
late have been much talked of, but is by no
means abundant in the latter. When bones
are burnt, their remains, after the combustion
of all the organic matter which they contain,
about three-fourths of their weight of earthly
substances; this is phosphate of lime, together
with small portion of carbonate of lime ;
bones consist of phosphate and carbonate of
lime, cemented together as it were with gela-
tine and little albumen-they also contain a
small quantity of oil. Phosphate of lime is
insolublc in water, but readily dissolves in So
lutions containingg little free acid.
Magnesium is silver white metal, but as a
metal is rare and is not employed in any USE
full purpose. Like most of minerals and met
ais, it readily unites with oxygen, forming OK
de of magnesia or common magnesia. In the
drug shops it is sold as a white powder. When
united with sulphuric acid it forms the ordi-
nary epson salts of commerce. Magnesia is
found in the ashes of many plants, but what
action it has upon other ingredients of the soil
is not understood sufficiently to warrant an ex-
preston.
These ingredients, being the chief ones of
the soil, are all derived from granite through
disintegration by the incessant action of the
elements, of rain, dew and frost during the
lapse of untold ages. These have served to
comminute and separate the original ingre
dients from each other, and to recombine them
so as to form new compounds. Granite un-
doubtedly is the primary rock in the geological
series, that is to say, it is the base from which
all other rocks are derived. The first stratyfed
rock is qneiss, which is nothing more than
granite, which always occurs in shapeless mass
es, decomposed under great pressure, perhaps
under some vast ocean-the gneiss strata be-
came upheayed, the bed of the ocean changed,
and the gnciss, now in its turn is decomposed,
and the particles separated-the feldspathic
portion forming the various states, the lime be-
ing held in solution, is deposited in separate
strata the mica forming the mica schists, and
in combination with the feldspar, forming the
mica states. These secondary or derivative
rocks in turn undergoing decomposition, form
ing new combinations more recent rocks and
strata, until at length the feldspar has been re-
solved into clay, the quartz into sand rock, the
lime universally diffused, and in places deposi-
ted in lodges of rocks, often measuring thou
sands of feet in thickness, and many miles in
extent. The action of the rains, frosts, ETC.,
acting on granite and other rocks, and disinte-
grating them, is called mechanical disintegra-
ton; but nature has adopted and employed
yet another means of reducing rocks, which is
recognized as chemical disintegration or decom-
position. Those minerals which contain metal
lie sulphurets, become, by the gradual absorp-
tion of oxygen converted into sulphates, which
are not only soluble in water, but absorb moist
ure from the air, and thus crumble down. In
the disintegration of silicious minerals the Pro-
cess is equally simple. Silica is insoluble in
both hot and cold water; it unites with aka
lies and forms the saline compounds known as
silicates which have been previously mention
ed the silicates of potash, soda and lime, are
neutral compounds, and as this property of heu-
tralizihg metallic oxides and alkilides belongs
to acids, only silica has received the name of
silicc acid; this acid is, however, very feeble,
for all the soluble silicates can be decomposed
by carbonic acid. The action of water contain
ing carbonic acid becomes very manifest on
quartz. Liebig mentions an experiment in
which some white sand was thoroughly clean
sed by boiling in nitro-muriatic acid, and after
completely removing the acid by washing the
sand with water, the sand THUS purified was ex-
posed to the action of water saturated with
carbonic acid. After lapse of thirty days
this water was analysed, and found to contain
in solution, silica, carbonate of potash, lime,
and magnesia; thus proving that the silicates
contained in the sand were unable to withstand
the continued action of water containing car
bonic acid, although the same siicates had re-
sisted the short action of the uitro-muriatic
acid.
So also in nature, feldspat, as we'll as the
minerals and rocks containing silicates of aka
line bases, can not resist the continued solvent
action of carbonic acid dissolved in water; and
in this way, either in the form of soluble sill
oates or hydrate of silica, this important in
gredient in some plants, is taken UP By the
roots 1t may perhaps be objected by some
that feldspar could not furnish the amount of
potash necessary for the growth of dense for
ests as well as the cereal and other cultivated
crops Liebig who is perhaps the best author