The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1868-02-29
Farm anD 0arnen.


Soils are generally classified as elayey, clayey
loan, loan. sandy loan and sandy. Other inor-
yanic substances usually present, such a. lime
potash, magnesia, oxide of iron, &c, but clay and
band constitute the bulk of the matter, and the
proportion in which they are mixed determines
the character of soils.
But few, however, who these descriptive
terms, and fewer still who hear them, under
stand exactly what is meant by them. We fire.
Qusntly hear men speak of particular soil as
clayey loan, or a loan, or sandy loan, but ask
them what they mean by these terms and but
few could tell, further than that the soil contain
ed good deal of clay and good deal of sand
IL is very rare to find either pure clay or pure
sand near the surface, but a minimum per cent
pf each has been established, below which the in
gredent is dropped from the account, not in the
analyses of soils, but in their classification The
classification runs thus:
Cayey soil has ) to - per cent sand.
Clayey loan - to 30 90 I"
Loan so to 90
Sandy loan 60 to 80
Sand 80 or moro " I"
President Chadbourne, in one of his recent
lectures on agricultural chemistry, remarked
that while thorough analysis of specimen Of
BOIL, az to show the amounts of salts and acids
contained, was very slow and tedious process,
occupying an accomplished chemist week or
more, any person could determine the proportion
pr clay and sand in specimen of soil by the fol-
lowing process. Take any convenient quantity
pf soil, dry it thoroughly and then weigh it and
note the weight. Then put it in water and boil
! an hour or two, and when cool pour into tall,
barrow glass receiver IA large phial will do,) be-
ing careful to have more than will fill it,
water included and shake il well together. In
wo or three minutes the sand will be settled to
the bottom, and the clay, portion of it, will
remain suspended in the water. Pour this off
carefully nearly down IL the sand and add clean
water, shake IT up again and when the sand Las
Fettled, pour Oft, and repeat this operation till
what remains will no longer cloud the water.
Then pour out the sand upon piece of paper,
dry it, woigh it, and compare it with the gross
weight, and you have the proportion vi the two
Ingredients
A few experiments of this kind with familiar
Foils, will enable one to Judge, by the eye and
touch, with sufficient accuracy TO assign it to its
proper class. This would be an accomplishment
70 any farmer, and is one that may easily DE &C
luired. Nor will such an requirement. be less
useful than curious. When q farmer reads Of
he favorable results of an experiment upon enc
of these classes of soils, say lOau, how is he to
know that IL will succeed upon his land without
he can distinguish, with some degree OF accuracy
whether his soil is loan. or clayey loan, san.
iy LEAN {. Many OF the apparently contradic-
tory results from similar treatment Of what is
supposed to be the same kind Of SOIL undoubt-
dly results from the confounding of one class of
BOIL with another, while the two may require
iery different treatment both as to crops and ma
hures. Know myself. said . wise man, and with
great propriety may it be said to the farmer,
Know thy land WISCONSIN Frrmer.