These salts are here, as elsewhere, of great variety; nitrates of ammonia, which, combining with the inorganic substances-- magnesia, lime, soda, potash, alumina, and oxide of iron--form double salts, and become soluble in water, and fit food for plants.

Or there may be a deficiency of vegetable mould (humus) or manure to supply, with the aid of carbonic acid, air, water, and ammonia, the organic acids required to adapt the inorganic substances to the use of plants.
[* Rain-water contains small quantities of carbonic acid, ammonia, atmospheric air, and vegetable or animal matter.] All are, in due proportion, more or less conducive to the growth and perfection of the plants, which men and animals require from the soil: some plants require more of the one, and some more of another; and some find a superabundance of what they need, where others find a deficiency, or none at all.

The muteear seems to differ from the doomuteea soil, in containing a greater portion of those elements which constitute what are called good clay soils.

The inorganic portions of these elements--silicates, carbonates, sulphates, phosphates, and chlorides of lime, potash, magnesia, alumina, soda, oxides of iron and manganese--it derives from the detritus of the granite, gneiss, mica, and chlorite slate, limestone and sandstone rocks, in which the Himmalaya chain of mountains so much abounds; and the organic elements--humates, almates, geates, apoerenates, and crenates--it derives from the mould, formed from the decay of animal and vegetable matter.

It is more hydroscopic, or capable of absorbing and retaining moisture, and fixing ammonia than the doomuteea.