The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-05-13
USES OF CLAY AND SAND AS CONSTIT-
VENTS OF SOILS.
By PROF. C. B. CHAPMAN,


AS has been before stated, mixture
of clay and sand, and sometimes some
other substances, constitutes loan, or
loamy soil.
Clay is very rarely found entirely I'M
associated with sand. Pure clay, which
is sometimes called pipe clay, although
referred to as pure clay, is composed of
about sixty parts of silica, and forty
parts of alumina. The small quantity
of oxide of iron which it commonly
contains, contributes greatly to its ten
acity. 1t conains no silicious sand, OF
such as can be separated by agitation or
by washing with water. The sand and
clay are associated by much stronger
bond of union than when they exist in
the relations which form loan. While
this mixture of these materials contrib
utes to form one of the most sterile of
soils, it is sometimes highly valued on
account of its adaptation for the manu-
facture of articles for domestic use.
Tile clay forms the strongest of clay
soils. It is composed of pure clay, mix
ed with from five to fifteen per cent. of
silicious sand, which may be separated
from the clay by boiling or washing.
Clay loan consists of fifteen to thirty
per cent. of fine sand, which can be sep
arated by boiling. The two principal
materials of this may be easily separa-
ted, and as a consequence it is more
easily worked. Such soil is very prop
erly sought for in the selection of a
farm, especially when it is chiefly de-
signed for the production of crops by
cultivation.
A loamy soil contains from thirty to
sixty per cent. of sand, this is retained
so loosely that it may be easily seperat-
ed from the clay by washing.
A sandy loan leaves from sixty to
ninety per cent. of sand when agitated
in water.
A sandy soil is composed mostly of
sand, and contains no more than ten per
cent. of clay.
In marty soil the proportion of lime
must be more than five per cent. and
less than twenty per cent.
Marls are called sandy, loamy, and
clayey in accordance with the proper
tions of these substances which they
contain, provided they be nearly free
from lime, or do not contain more than
five per cent. of lime.
Soils are denominated calcareous
when the proportion of lime exceeds
twenty per cent. and thus by its guam
tity becomes an important constituent
of the soil.
There are calcareous sands, calcareous
loans, and calcareous clays, and these
take their names from the proportion of
clay and sand which they contain.
Vegetable mold is sometimes prom
inent characteristic of soils.
In peaty soils the proportion of peat
material may be as much as sixty and
sometimes seventy-five per cent.
Garden mold contains no more than
five per cent. of organic matter, and
this seems to be about the proportion
that furnishes the best, or the most pro-
ductive field, for too much food for
plants, no more than too much food for
men and animals, is not to be desired,
and does not contribute to their healthy,
or vigorous growth.
These organic matters need to be
maintained in Cat least) a certain pro-
portion in soils, and as they are being
increasingly removed by various pro-
cesses, as by the growing plant in order
to contribute materials for its substance,
by various mechanical and chemical
processes, by evaporation, or in connec-
ton with its decay, it becomes prom
inent object of the farmer to maintain
the proper proportions of these sub
stances, as well as the required kinds of
them in any field which he cultivates.
1t is sometimes pecuniary benefit to
the farmer to ascertain the proportions
of organic matters to the inorganic
which exist in his soils. This may be
approximately determined, as well as
the facts which relate to the proportions
of inorganic matters as before described.
In order to accomplish this, q given
specimen of soil should be well dried,
but in such way as will not involve
anything like burning. This process
requires considerable time, and such at
tention as will secure constant evapor-
alton, for water constitutes a consider
able proportion of its original weight.
When this is accomplished, the mass
may be subjected to such a degree of
heat as will secure the burning of all the
inorganic matters which it contains. If
the weight of the dried material has
been ascertained, and it is now again
weighed, the loss in weight which it has
sustained will furnish tolerably accu-
rate information with regard to the
proportion of the organic to the inor-
ganic matters which it contains.
The darkc olor of soils is too often re-
garded as an evidence of the proper
ton of organic matters. This is often
a certain indication upon this point but
in some cases the dark color depends
upon the presence of oxide of iron.
This substance is known to be injurious
to growing plants. Whenever it is
present, together with astringent organ
ic substances, the dark color which it
imparts leaves a strong resemblance, by
observation only, to the dark color
which is impaired by the presence OF
useful organic Western
Farmer,