I. AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ECONOMY. 417 



use of animals which, in foreign countries, as Buenos Ayres, 

 Australia, etc., are killed for their hides and tallow, and the 

 decomposition of which in great quantities is so liable to pro- 

 duce pestilence. 3 B, Ajyril 24, 1873, 71 8. 



USES OF SUINT. 



The suiut of sheep's wool, or the matter which accumu- 

 lates therein as the result of perspiration and other excre- 

 tions, is now carefully collected in various parts of Europe, 

 and made a source of revenue ; so much so, indeed, that par- 

 ties are always found willing to take the crude wool and re- 

 turn it thoroughly cleaned to the owner, finding a profit in 

 the soluble matter obtained by washing. This has been dis- 

 posed of in various ways ; but quite recently it has been 

 found to be excellently adapted to the economical manufact- 

 ure of yellow prussiate of potash ; as, after heating, it is 

 found to consist of an intimate mixture of potash and nitrog- 

 enous carbon. 1 A, Ajyril 10, 1873, 183. 



EFFECT OF MANURE ON WEEDS. 



The application of manures suited to particular kinds of 

 cultivated plants appears to have an excellent effect in check- 

 ing the growth of weeds, which would otherwise prove inju- 

 rious. In regard to clover, it was found that when the land 

 was wholly unmanured the weeds formed fifty-seven per cent, 

 of the entire yield ; but that the application of gypsum re- 

 duced the proportion of weeds to two per cent. Nitroge- 

 nous manures had very slight effect, and phosphoric manures 

 but little more. We must not from this, however, consider 

 gypsum as an antidote to weeds in general, since it is a spe- 

 cific manure for clover, and gives it a power to struggle suc- 

 cessfully with the weeds, and crowd them out. 3 A^ April 

 26,1873,455. 



NEW PHOSPHATE FERTILIZER. 



It is announced by Dr. Breitenlohner that in Kladno, in 

 Bohemia, phosphorus, so injurious in rendering iron cold-short, 

 is removed, and at the same time converted into a valuable 

 fertilizer, according to Jacoby's method, by treating the 

 roasted, pulverized ore, in water tanks, Avith sulphurous acid 

 gas, obtained by igniting sulphuret of iron. Phosphate of 



S2 



