Elements of agricultural chemistry and geology

A practical exposition explains chemical and geological principles relevant to crop production and soil management. It surveys organic and inorganic constituents of plants, how water, carbon, nitrogen, and mineral salts are taken up and transformed into starch, sugar, and woody fibre, and how plant structure relates to nutrition. Soil composition, classification, and origins are examined with attention to parent rocks, stratigraphy, and superficial deposits that determine agricultural capacity. Methods for improving land—drainage, subsoiling, liming, marl, and mixing soils—are discussed alongside the chemistry and comparative action of vegetable, animal, and mineral manures, including artificial fertilizers. Finally, the work considers how cultivation and manuring affect crop quantity and quality, animal feeding, and the properties and growth of timber.