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nual expenses being Irom $21,000 to
$34,000.
3. That the character of studies pur
sued at the Agricultural Colleges is
similar, in very many respects, to the
general studies pursued at Colleges and
Universities.
4. That the economy of the associa
tion is apparent in avoiding the pur
chase of new libraries, new apparatus,
<fcc., and in saving the salaries of seven
professors.
5. That the association would not of
necessity require the erection of new
buildings, as dormitories, <fcc.
6. That the present organization of
the University is admirably adapted to
coordinate on terms of equality the
College of Agriculture.
7. That the most experienced dnd
distinguished educators, in this •ountry
and in Europe, advocate the association
of the Agricultural College with an
existing scientific and literary institu
tion.
In behalf of the Committee,
Jos. E. Brown,
R. D. Moore.
W. L. Broun.
From the Maryland Farmer.
Analysis of Soils-
As many honest and simple-mind
ed men have very imperfect and crude
ideas of the processes by which analy
sis is effected ; and, consequently, Dut
little correct appreciation of the time
and labor necessarily involved in the
performance of an accurate and thor
ough analysis, I propose to give a brief
sketch of the means used to effect the
purpose.
In the first place, then, let us state,
that all chemical analyses are affected
by using materials which volatilize,
dissolve, or precipitate, certain sub
stances, and not others. And in one
or the other of these modes, we sep
arate the several ingredients of every
compound; and then collect, cleanse,
and weigh them. The analysis of soilsi
is no exception to the general rule.
But soil is a compound which con |
tain# so many different substances, so
vgri’oasly combined, iliat an iioncßi.,
thorough, and accurate analysis is a te
dious, difficult, and laborious job; and
one which involves much labor, of
both mind apd body, to attain ati ac
curate result. The more especially is
this true, if the analyst has not at hand,
such facilities, in the way of apparatus,
as have been devised for the purpose.
In examining a specimen of soil,
we have to ascertain its physical pro
perties, as well as its chemical compo
sition. And this is generally the first
step in the general process of a com
plete analysis. For instance, the den
sity of the soil, its absoltte weight, the
relative proportions of gravel, sand,
and clay ; the absorbing power of the
soil, its power of holding water, the
rapidity with which it dries, its power
of absorbing heat from the sun, are all
properties which influence the growth
of vegetation, and are therefore in
quired into. And the different ma
nipulations resorted to, to obtain a
knowledge of these facts, consume
much time and labor. The next in
quiry is, as to the organic matter pres
ent in the soil ?
This is solved, by first drying, in an
oven or otherwise, at a temperature
not higher than 250 y to 300 F., and
then burning an accurately weighed
portion, in the open air, till all the
blackness has disappeared. Weighing
again, and deductingthe present weight
from the weight before burning, the
difference gives the organic matter
which has been volatillized.
The reason of drying, under a tem
perature less than 300 u F., is that the
water is thus volatilized, without a
change in the humic and ulmic acids,
which are two important ingredients of
the soil, and should be estimated. The
determination of the quantity of humic
acid is effected by boiling with a solu
tion of carbonate of soda, for an hour;
the flask then removed from the fire,
filled up with water, well shaken, and
the particles of soil allowed to subside.
The clear liquid is then poured off, and
it has a brown color if it has taken up
any humic acid. The process of boil
ing with flesh carbonate of soda, is
then repeated, once or twice; until the
pale color of the solution gives evi
dence of the whole soluble organic
matter having been taken up. The
colored solutions contain all the humic
BANNER OF THE SOUTH AND PLANTERS’ JOURNAL.
acid, and they are then mixed and
filtered. When filtered, muriatic acid
is slowly added to the colored liquid,
till effervescence ceases, and the whole
has become distinctly sour. On being
set aside, the humic falls, in brown
flocks. A filter is now dried, carefully
weighed, the liquid filtered through it,
and the humic acid thus collected. It
must be then washed in the filter with
pure water —rendered slightly sour by
muriatic acid—till all the soda is sep
arated from it, and dried at 250 F.,
until it ceases to lose weight. The
final weight, less than that of the filter,
gives the quantity of humic acid con
tained in the nbajtos jo uoiviodmitted
to examination. But, insoluble humus
still remains in the soil, after the treat
ment with carbonate of soda, and gives
a more or less brown color to it To
determine this, the soil, which has been
treated with carbonate of soda, is boil
ed with a solution of caustic potash,
repeated, if necessary, as in the case of
the soda soluflon.
The vegetable matter is thus changed
in constitution, is dissolved in the caus
tic potash, giving a brown solution, and
is separated in brown flocks by the ad
dition of muriatic acid, and is then
collected and weighed, as above de
scribed.
The sum of the weights of the above
mentioned substances, deducted from
the whole weight of organic matter,
(as determined by burning,) gives that
of other organic substances present in
the soil. To determine the several in
organic substances, which may be found
in the solution (after digesting with
dilute muriatic acid for 12 hours,) of a
portion of soil which had been pre
viously digested in distilled water,
dried, at 250° F., and weighed;
the following approved scheme is re
commended by authorities, and will
explain the process, and give some idea
of the labor in doing it.
The solution should be decidedly
sour, and may contain lime, magnesia,
filumina, oxide of iron, oxide of mag
linese, potash, soda, and phosphoric
heid.
Add Caustic Ammonia in Excess.
—' of this /is to divide tffe
substances in the solution, into those
which are insoluble in excess of ammo
nia, and those which are soluble.
The oxide of iron, alumina, and
phosphoric acid are precipitated, while
lime, magnesia, oxide of maganese,
potash and soda, may remain in the
solution. We then have two divisions
of the original solution, with ammonia
added to one of them. But acetic
acid will dissolve alumina and oxide of
iron, but will not dissolve phosphates
of alumina and iron. We therefore
digest the precipitate, caused by the
caustic ammonia in excess, in acetic
acid, and if all is dissolved, we know
there is no phosphoric acid in that pre
cipitate. But if there is a part remain
ing undissolved, it may consist of
phosphate ot alumina and iron; while
the liquid solution may contain alumi
na and oxide of iron. We therefore
fuse the part remaining undissolved
with carbonate of soda- and wash with
distilled water. This separates the in
soluble alumina and oxide of iron from
the soluble phosphoric acid, and the
latter is determined by neutralizing the
solution with nitric acid, and adding
nitrate of silver, when phosphate of
silver will fall. This may be cleansed
and weighed, and the amount of phos
phoric acid determined. The ammonia
and oxide of iron are then dissolved in
muriatic acid and added to the solution
of alumina and oxide of iron, caused
by the digression in acetic acid. By
adding ammonia, and digesting this
with caustic potash, we separate the
oxide of iron, wash and weigh. We
then add muriatic acid to the solution
of alumina in caustic potash until it
becomes sour, then ammonia in excess,
when the alumina falls, and is easily
washed and weighed.
We have thus described the mode of
determining each and all of the ingre
dients found in the insoluble part of
the inorganic substances in caustic am
monia in excess.
To determine those in the clear solu
tion, resulting from the addition of
caustic ammonia in excess to the solu
tion produced by digesting the soil in
dilute muriatic acid, we add to the
clear solution of oxalate of ammo
nia, and cover it from the air.
Oxalate of lime falls ; it may be wash
ed, heated to redness, to convert it into
carbonate, and weighed. This gives
us the lime. Then add hydro-sulphate
of ammonia to the remaining clear li
quid ; if maganese is present it falls as
a sulphuret; dissolve in muriatic acid,
precipitate by carbonate of soda, wash,
heat to redness in the air, and weigh.
This gives the manganese.
Render the clear solution sour by
muriatic acid, boil, filter, evaporate to
dryness, and heat to incipient redness,
to drive off all the ammonical salts
that might be present; then re-dissolve
in a little water, mix with a little pure
red oxide of mercury, evaporate again
to dryness, heat to redness, and treat
with water. Caustic magnesia remains,
if present, undissolved; wash, heat to
redness, and weigh. This gives the
magnesia.
The solution contains the chloride of
potassium and sodium, if present
Evaporate to dryness, weigh, re-dissolve
in water, and add bi-chloride of plati
num, to separate the potash, Wash
the precipitate with weak alcohol, dry
by a gentle heat, and weigh. Thus we
have the potash. The chloride of so
dium remains in solution, and its weight
is found by deducting from the weight
of the mixed chlorides (previously as
certained) that of the chloride of po
tassium. Thus we have the last ingre
dient of the solution, obtained by di
gesting the inorganic substances in cold
dilute muriatic acid. But there is still
some earthy matter in the soil which
has not been dissolved by the cold
muriatic acid. The undissolved por
tion may then be treated with hot con
centrated muriatic acid, stirred for a
few hours, and the solution evaporated
to dryness. The dry matter is then
moistened with a few drops of muriatic
acid, and treated with distilled water.
What, remains undissolved, is silica,
which must be collected on a filter,
dried, heated to redness, and weighed.
The solution may contain oxide of
iron, alumina, lime, magnesia, potash
or soda, which existed in the soil in the
form of silicates, anj which were not
dissolved in the cold dilute acid.
These may now be determined, as
above dqacribfli determination
of the same substancevin the solution
of cold acid. But the soil may still
•ontain alumina, not soluble in hot mu
riatic acid, and quartz sand, and finely
divided silicious matter. By drenching
the residual soil with concentrated sul
phuric acid, and heating till the sul
phuric acid is nearly all driven off,
and treating with water, and adding
ammonia to the filtered solution, alumi
na and oxide ot iron, (if any be present)
will be thrown down. The treatment
with sulphuric acid must be repeated
until no more alumina appears. That
which the sulphuric acid leaves behind
must be washed, dried, heated to red
ness and it will be found to consist
chiefly of quartz and sand. The ac
curacy and care of the various process
es are then tested by adding together
the weights of the several substances
that have been separately obtained,
and comparing the sum with the
weight of the soil employed. We thus
arrive at the results which are sought
for in the analysis of soils.
It will be seen that the use of an ac
curate pair of scales iB of the first im
portance; the chemical properties of
the different substances is likewise
needed; and that an honest, patient
and painstaking operator is necessary to
the attainment of accuracy in the re
sults.
And yet, some of our law-makers
and law administrators, appear to think
that every citizen of the State should
have this series of process performed
for him as often and as repeatedly as
any one may desire, without fee or re
ward. The services of an agricultural
professor are advertised for to teach
chemistry, mineralogyland botany; and
when elected, the President of the
Board of Trustees, Mid many of the
managers, seem to thilk it very unreas
onable if that professor has not done this
for any and all the cit&ens of the State,
without compensation for his time and
labor, and without tie apparatus ne
cessary to the performance of the du
ties ! They appear tc think that the
manipulation can be effected without
implements, and that the duty of a pro
fessor of chemistry, in|the Agricultural
College, is merely tc ascertain, for
them, what are the ingredients of any
sample of soil or rock which they may
bring to him, withovl cost to them-/
selves.
Is this meeting the requirements of
the laws of the State, and of the
United States? which call for instruc
tion in those branches of science and
arts which relate to agriculture and me
chanic arts? Are the results of
science to be grasped with the mere
force of memory, and the whole atten
tion given to the processes of art?
What is this more than the old appren
ticesphip? Science, thus learned, does
not educate nor enlighten; its posses
sion will be evanescent, and its influ
ence as a passing shadow. The memo
ry is treacherous, and will lead to error
in practice, whenever there is a modi
fication of circumstances. The appli
cation of science to the advancement of
art, requires a knowledge of the prin
ciples of that science; and they who
neglect these will be in danger of char
latautry, A. 11.
Correspondence of Farmer & (Sardener.
Fish Culture in the South.
The citizens of this State and of
South Carolina are awakening to the
interest of breeding fish ; many within
my past year’s experience are looking
up brooks and erecting hatching hous
es for the introduction of the Brook
Trout, the fish par excellence, of all
the tinny tribe. The greatest obstacle
to be overcome is the apparent great
mystery surrounding the undertaking,
or the commencement of it, which once
begun, vanishes, and the subject be
comes more infatuating and enlarges
upon the pisciculturist every step he
takes. Our country abounds in nu
merous ponds and creeks and rivulets
that are stocked with native breeds
which are easily taken. With these,
the majority of most persons are con
tented. The mysteries of fish raising
they look not to, and care but little for
the vaaluable qualities of the pure va
rieties. I have found that the idea
prevailing among all to whom I have
given aid in the laying out of ponds,
was that a large expanse and body of
water was the very heigh.- of perfec
tion in a fish ,iot lilt,
P-Sogitrv on an ex
pansive prairie, where I would have
no control over them, as to attempt to
manage the raising of fish in a large 1
lake.
Rather take me to the source of sup
ply that is proposed for the purpose of
raising fish, and the size of the ponds
and reservoirs will be regulated by that.
I would have every fish under my con
trol that I wished ; and then for those
I cared little for, (save the future sport
to be derived from angling), I would
shift them down to the largest pond to
cany on their Kilkenny warfare.
Let ns begin on anew ground. Our
supply may be collected from nu
merous small springs and made to
pass through one opening into a box ;
from this, then we commence opera
tions. Provide yourself with a flight
of Coste hatching trays, about sl2 in
cost. This will answer for four thou
sand trout eggs. Your eggs will cost
you $lO per M ; ninety per cent, will
hatch, if you follow the directions sent
with them. With this small supply of
water, you can build the following
size reservoirs—recollect that a certain
supply of water has only a certain
amount of life-giving properties, and
that it is not the amount or body of
water that supports the fish :
Pond No. I.—One cubic foot of wa
ter in this pond will sustain fifteen
young trout, so we will make the pond
fifty feet long, four feet wide average,
eighteen inches deep at the lower end
and six inches deep at upper—that will
contain about two hundred cubic feet.
Line the pond all around with plank
and keep off surface water. The chan
nel from the hatching house supplying
this pond should be ten or twelve inch
es wide, three inches deep, and bottom
covered with gravel. Back the water
of the pond up in this channel.
Pond No. 2.—ln this we want more
space for the trout for this pond, which
will be one year and three months old
when put into it, and we propose to
keep them in here until they are two
and half years old. The water will be
warmer, for we have a larger body of
it, so that for every two cubic feet of
water we shall only keep three fish.
So if we turn out twenty-five hundred
trout from Pond No. 1, we must have
the reservoir eighty feet long, average
breadth seven feet, and greatest depth
three feet six inches. Avoid having
auy gravel on the bottom, for these
trout will seek to spawn on the bottom.
The race from No. 1 should be thirty
six feet long, two feet six inches wide,
and sides of one and a half inch plank,
set edgewise. Back the water in up
per end, nine inches deep, and one foot
in lower end. I would advise the use
of Ainsworth hatching race, a contri
vance which can be had which will
save vast labor in securing spawn and
in a natural way. The trout will be
old enough in this pond, and we must
provide all necessary means to spawn
in such races as will enable us to con
trol them easily.
Pond No. 3.—Make this one hun
dred feet long, nine wide and four
deep, plank as above and keep gravel
out; race, three feet, three inches wide
and forty-five feet long, and same depth
as race to Pond No. 2. This pond will
allow three cubic feet to every fish,
which is necessary, for the water is
growing wanner and the fish have be
come larger. It would be well if an
additional supply of water could be
taken in, if the same could be
make it to flow through the race-way.
In this pond the fish will spawn for the
second time, when two and a half years
old, and in the following summer they
will be marketable, and should weigh
a pound or more at an age of forty
months.
Have your ponds shaded, more or
less, and if naturally exposed, shade
the water with board fiats anchored
down.
Feed growing trout on curds, animal
liver, in fact any fresh animal food will
answer.
In starting new ponds, I would re
commend the introduction -of Land
locked Salmon, Black Bass, and Caro
lina Bald Bream, especially for large
ponds and waters of variable tempera
ture. All of these varieties can be
easily obtained, and any information
connected with this exhaustless subject
can be had freely by directing their in
quiries to me. For ornamental fish,
nothing excels the Gold Fish for beau
fy^^ljKlgMiveness.
u\'tHk Y T.r»..
Columbia, a C.
Managkmentof Rabbits. —I do notclaim
to be a professional rabbit keeper, or to be
able to give much information about them
that is new or original, but submit the fol
lowing for the benefit of those who are less
familiar with them.
Rabbits should be kept diy and well fed
with some variety both of green and dry
food; for as they do not drink, green food
is necessary, and yet they need some dry
food as well, such as hay and grain. Nothing
in the whole catalogue of vegetables seems
to come amiss with them; but the favorite
food seems to be clover in Summer and
carrots in Winter; oats, com crusts of
bread, anything in fact is acceptable to
them.
The rabbit will breed at four months old;
but it is better not to allow them to breed
before they are six or eight months, when
they attain their full size and strength. The
doe goes thirty days with young, and throws
from two to sixteen at a litter; the young
ones are blind when bom, and destitute of
fur, looking like magnified young rats; but
at about four weeks old they begin to run
around, and are about as pretty, frisky and
innocent pets as can easily be found. The
young being so naked and helpless at birth,
it is hard to breed them in severe weathdr
without more care and trouble than will gen
erally be given them ; but as they are able
to produce four good litters in the warm
season, there will be no trouble in multiply
ing them fast enough. The doe should have
plenty to eat while nursing her brood, and
should not be put to buck until three days
after the young ones are taken away from
her, which may be done at five or six weeks
old.
The great essentials in rabbit keeping are
to keep clean, dry, and well fed. The young
may ran together until two months old,
when the does should be separated from the
bucks. When there is no sale for the in
crease for pets, they are generally accepta
ble for the table, except by some over senti
mental youth.
The breeding doe should have a hutch for
herself, and be kept as quiet as possible at
the time of giving birth to her brood; for
if much annoyed or disturbed they some
times destroy their brood. By no means
allow rabbits the liberty of the garden;
they will girdle young trees, burrow in the
beds, and cause no end of trouble.—Culti
vator and Country Gentleman.
As we have frequently spoken against
the use of tobacco, we are willing to say a
word in its favor. It once saved a man
from being devoured by cannibals. The
man was one of a party. His companions
were eaten. One of the natives afterward
explained that our hero was not partaken of
“ Cause him taste too like tobacco." But
as the man was killed, it is hardly worth
while for travelers to begin to use tobacco
as a safeguard.
3