Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1879-09-16
ghosp1orio

coarse dune sand from
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 06l COS
Pure white Berkshire County
sand. Observation-Disclosures. o.6S 002
Rocks vary widely in composition
even wheI of the same appearance
and these hre hut sample ANALYSES -
As soils are composed of disirtegrnted
rock, we may saw IN general TINT they
contain the elements of rocks, and
that they receive their supply of the
ash elements Of plant food either Ill
rPrt'y or indirectly from the rocks -
Plant food must. however, he soluble.
md this food in the rocks Is insoluhle
Water in contact with rock will usu.
ally absorb II minute quantity Of solu-
hle food from the rock eepeciallv soil
water. which contains greater or legs
Qusntv Of carhonir acid in solution
aud this solvent action Is increased hy
the amount of surface Of contact. A
round stone affords little surface; but
the same stone broken into fragments
furnishes greatly increased surface
of exposure. On this account. under
similar conditions finely comminuted
rock is Of more advantage In the soil,
in respect to supplying plant food,
than coarse rock. Hence, in the anal.
ysis of soils. n mechanical division IL
effected by means of sleeves Of various
degrees of fineness. aud hut the i'm
palDahle portions Of the rock particles
are considered Of agricultural value.
Under conditions, exceptional in
their nature, plants can grow and
thrive in heaps of rocks without the
presence of the finer PARTICLES which
properly constitute soil, rs the mois-
ture, either held or frequently sup
piled, promotes sufficient annual de.
composition and affords sufficient wa
ter for the feeding of the plant. Thus
In Cerhalona there is lofty noun
tain whose steep flank is an arcumu-
lati0n of loose, angular fragments Of
limestone rock standing 0t the natural
angle, and free FROM soil, On this
heap Of bare stones, according to Prof
AnsIed, the vine not only grows but
ilonrlshes, aud the grapes ripen ad.
mirably. The ront'els Irvine around
the stones and they manage 10 extract
from them and from the mir all tie
nonrishment they require.
We al know that heavy soils last
longer" or furnish crops fer n longer
time with0nl manure, than light soils.
and the reason is to lc snnpht In part
from the greater soil surface cXposed
to the roots Of the plants, which have
thus a greater resource fof food Ina
table published by johnson, 1t Is stat.
ed dat heavy clay contains from sew.
enty five 10 ninety per ocut OF i'm
palpahle matter, clay loan from rIr
~ 10 sixty per cent, n sandy lOnm
from twenty-five To forty per cent; II
light, sandy loan from ten 10 toeuty-
Ave per cent. The connection OF this
fact with agricultural practice is seen
In the use of different rotations on the
various classes of soil, where as cx-
tremes grass car be gown for two or
three years successlvely on the light
est soil, and eight or ten years OH the
heavier clays.
The amount of plant fond repre-
stnted by fraction of II per cent. OF
analysis IS very large when calculated
for foot Of depth Of soil, on account
Of the great weight Thus n wheat
soil from Ouond0ga, II Y weighed
3 76s 90" pounds per acre for foot Of
depth; rich garden soil 30i0 900
pounds; havy clay soil, 207 600
pounds, co anon erable soil from g..
4S5, 900 pounds to 5000 600 pounds. n
dry sand, l.7O2 0OO pounds n soil half
clay aud half sand, lS2 600 pounds
If we assume 3 100000 pounds per
acre one foot deep we have figures M
below -
ono rer cent. by analysis, represents $50 900 lbs
Ouo.tonlh per cent, by analysts .,, 5000
onohuudredh ror cent, by Nslysis.r 800
The application Of these figures can
he made ~ below, the table giving the
analysis OF surface soil with coarse
gravel derived from dccomposed grun-
tie, originally thin and now much
worn and denuded OF vegetable mat
ter; the location Georgia and DR. | en-.
dleton aud Professor White the analy-
lsta;-
Psr cant Lts pr dcrs
Organic mpllcr.t,n., 1919 fl2B1
.t....l 81 "A