The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1892-05-14
NO. 8. sUBsOIL 4 FEET DEEP r

NO. 8. sUBsOIL FEET DEEP. per cent
Acid lnsoluble silica and silicates. :. 6S6750
Acid soluble, oxides of iron and alu.
mnia Fe2 Ga Il Ala Os... 16.OS1O
Acld soluble silica 81 O2... .2l60
Acid soluble potash Ks O.... 1400
Acid soluble pho5phoric acid Pa o.. '0960
Acid soluble car OF lime Ca Goa. 1924
ACID soluble megnisia Mg Goa - .1420
Volatile at red heat, carbon, combined
water nitrogen etc........... 6 1000
Hygroscopc moisture. ......... 61000
Not estimated and loss.......... 1885
100 OOOO
WATER SOLUBLE CONSTITUENTS.
An attempt was made to determine
the water soluble constituents Of
these soils in the usual manner by
percolation. With soil No l no diff
Guilty was encountered; with sub
soil Nos, and 3 the attempt was
abandoned for reasons that will sub.
sequently appear. The following
were the proportions of the important
constituents in the water soluble ex-
tract from surface soil No l.
Water soluble potash per cent. Obs
Nitrogen .O14,
Phosporic acid, trace.
1t requires only a most casual
glance at the above analytical tables
to show that we are dealing here with
what for Florida may be termed
a fairy "rich'' soil. Potash, nj.
trogen, and phosphoric acid are all
present in fair proportions, although
the latter substance is not now in a
water soluble condition. 1t would
seem, therefore, that in this particular
instance we must look to some other
cause than starvation or poverty OF
soil for the origin of "Die-Back' in
this particular grove. Before going
further the writer will describe the
difficulties encounteredin his attempts
to obtain the water soluble constitu-
ents of subsoils Nos. 2 and 8 which
it will be remembered are essentially
composed of a more or less tenacious
clay. In both cases these soils were
carefully air-dried and pulverized
and passed through 600 mesh"
sieve. One hundred grammes
(about four ounces) of this
air-dried, pulverized, and somewhat
granular material from each of these
subsoils was placed in a percolatol
and tepid water 100. F. poured
thereon. At first in each case the
water trickled through at a moder-
ately rapid rate. 1t was soon OBJ
served, however, that the filtrate
came more and more slowly. Nearly
100 &C., less than four fluid ounces, OF
fltrate were in that manner OBJ.
tained from soil No. 2 in the first
twenty-four hours, and only abou,
half that quantity from soil No. 8
This experiment was continued fol
two weeks, during which little more
than 200 &C. (about ounces) Of wa
ter had passed through soil No. 2
and less than half that amount
through soil No. 3. At the end Of
this time the drops falling from No
were observed to be only one every
two hours with a slightly more rapid
ate of percolation from No 2. As
there seemed to be no possibility Of
obtaining the requisite amount OF
soil extract" in this way the at
tempt was abandoned. Then the
plan recommended by some German
chemists was tried. One hundred
grammes of soil was stirred up with
500 &C. OF water, and an attempt
made to filter the mixture. The
same difficulties were encountered as
before. The pores Of the filter soon
become clogged, and the water
ceased to pass through. The only
practicable method seemed to be to
to mix the soil with the proper
amount of water and allow it to
gradually settle. The writer has be-
fore him quart beaker nearly filled
with such a mixture of soil and wa
ter which has now been standing un.
disturbed for more than two weeks
The water is still far from clear, and
Judging from appearances it will be
number of weeks yet before all
this "clay" will finally subside.
THE LESSON OF THESE FAILURES.
These various failures to obtain a
water soluble soil extract" are par
ticularly instructive, and to the mind
of the writer point very distinctly to
the cause of "die-back" in this par
ticular portion of Mr.. Northey's
grove. We are dealing here with a
subsoil in which the natural drainage
is exceedingly defective. 1t is prac'
tically almost water-tight. Except
as cracks are produced by the ooca'
sional drying up Of moisture or pas
ssges are formed by the penetration
and subsequent decay Of the roots Of
trees and plants, there Is no possibil.