CHEMICAL SCIENCE. 201 



especially ammonia. Besides producing a valuable manure from the 

 offals of slaughter-houses, fisheries, manufactories for extracting oil 

 from fish or flesh, &c., the invention is intended to convert to a useful 

 application such animal matters as do not ordinarily constitute the 

 food of man ; as, the flesh of horses, mules, dogs, rapacious beasts, 

 birds, and fishes. The carcases of porpoises, sharks, dog-fish, white- 

 fish, and many others, are frequently thrown upon land as manure, 

 either before or after the extraction of the oil. But this can be done 

 only when the transportation is for a short distance. For want of 

 suitable means of preventing putrefaction, and reducing the bulk and 

 weight to diminish the expense of transportation, the use of the ma- 

 terials has been always confined to narrow limits, and the noxious and 

 offensive gases which always accompany decomposing animal mat- 

 ter render such materials nuisances to the neighbourhood where they 

 are found. Highly nitrogenized vegetable matter may also be treated 

 in the same manner, and used for the same purposes. 



" The process is as follows : Putrefiable organic matters contain- 

 ing nitrogen are subjected to the action of concentrated sulphuric acid, 

 or are mingled with various sulphates, nitrates, or chlorides, and espe- 

 cially the sulphates of iron, lime, soda, or potash, or with the nitrate 

 of potash or of soda. The proportions used are such as to keep the 

 weight of the acid, whether free or combined, when compared with 

 that of the animal matter, from one fifth to one tenth of the latter. 

 The acid or salt, acting as an antiseptic, secures the animal matter 

 from decomposition. If the acid be free, or be held to its base by 

 feeble affinity, as in the sulphate of iron, it secures the azotized portion 

 of the organic matter from being food for worms, or flying off with 

 hydrogen in the state of ammonia. Among the antiseptics employed 

 is a mixture of sulphuric acid and nitrate of soda, and dry tan or saw- 

 dust, the first two ingredients being allowed to react before the addi- 

 tion of the ligneous matter. Besides preventing or arresting putre- 

 faction, another property is secured in the use of the acids, salts, &c., 

 the fixing of the fertilizing products of the organic materials treated, 

 even when subjected to the temperature required to evaporate the 

 water. This property allows the materials to be quickly dried with- 

 out injury, and to be reduced in weight and bulk, and made suscepti- 

 ble of transportation with moderate expense. If the manure is to be 

 long kept, or transported to considerable distances, after treatment by 

 acids, &c., subject the organic matter to a process of desiccation, 

 to vaporize the water, which renders it lighter and friable, and thus 

 presents a material in a suitable state for sowing or spreading on land, 

 like guano, or any pulverulent matter. In order to facilitate the 

 union between the organic matter treated, and the acids and other 

 agents employed, I use the acid in a concentrated state, in which the 

 flesh, &c., is boiled. In this way the nitrogen is arrested, and the 

 aqueous particles escape. From this treatment of the materials a 

 gelatinous mass is obtained, which is mingled with pulverulent matter, 

 either neutral or, it may be, an active fertilizer, according to circum- 

 stances, such as bone-dust, ground plaster, spent bone-black, coal 

 ashes, road dust, spent tan, powdered charcoal, &c. During the for- 



