ABSTRACT

A small, sensitive hydrometer, reading in grams per liter, is enclosed within a pipette case similar to that holding the ordinary battery hydrometer. Pipette samples are taken from a suspension of known concentration as in the standard pipette method; instead of drying and weighing the samples, the concentration of the suspension in grams per liter is read from the hydrometer within the pipette case. The method is rapid and is well within the usual accuracy of sampling and dispersion. Since the pipette samples are taken from a known depth, and the hydrometer is immersed in a suspension which is uniform throughout, the faults of the Bouyoucos hydrometer method are eliminated.

The minimum equipment necessary for a rough analysis by this method is such that mechanical analyses of fine grained sediments could be made in the field. Such analyses would be designed to supplement, rather than replace, accurate laboratory analyses.