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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