528 On Liquid Mayiure. 



Chloride of potassium 77"38 



Phosphoric acid 9'51. 



Sulphuric acid 37*60 



Carbonic acid 27"95 



612-53 



On oomparinc: the composition of the two samples from 

 VVestonbirt and Badminton, it will be found that the latter con- 

 tains both more organic and mineral matters in solution. Not- 

 \vitbstanding the larger amount of organic matter, it contains 

 very much less ammonia. A somewhat smaller proportion ot 

 ammonia might have been expected, since cows' urine, which 

 entered largely into its composition, is much poorer in nitrogen 

 than horse-urine, which chiefly composed the liquid manure 

 from Westonbirt. However, the quantity of ammonia (only 

 1141 in a gallon) is so inconsiderable that the differences in the 

 proportion of the original liquids which chiefly composed these 

 two kinds of liquid manure are altogether insufficient to account 

 for the small quantity of free ammonia in that from Badminton. 

 Tliis liquid, having been kept in an open tank for more than 

 three years, has evidently lost by evaporation carbonate of 

 ammonia, which we have seen is rapidly formed during the 

 decomposition of urea. Tliat this really was the case was proved 

 by the small quantity of carbonate of ammonia which was left 

 m it. During the long time it was kept in the tank the 

 volatile carbonate of ammonia had every chance of escaping. 

 VVe may thus learn that it is not advisable to preserve liquid 

 manure for a long period, and that the safest plan is to fix the 

 ammonia art once by the addition of some sulphuric acid. 



The organic matters left on evaporation of both kinds of 

 liquid manure presented the same characters, and both contained 

 an identical percentage of nitrogen. Tiius 155*44 grains of 

 organic matters contained in that from Westonbirt yielded on 

 analysis 4'78 grains of nitrogen, wliilst 239'J)2 gi'ains of organic 

 matters found in the Badmintcm liquid furnished 898 grains. 

 Tliis gives for 100 parts 375 grains of nitrogen lor each ot 

 the two samples. No appreciable difference is observable in 

 the compositi(m of the mineral portion. Tlie ash of the Weston- 

 birt manure, like that of the Badminton liquid, is rich in salts of 

 potash and is greatly deficient in phosphoric acid, 



•3. — Liq^iid Mamire from tlie Royal Agricultia-al College Farniy 

 Cirencester. Collected in 1857. 



The liquid-manure tank on the College P'arm is placed close 

 to the manure-pit, in which stable manure, cows' and pigs' dung 

 -arc collected together. It is of a sufhcient capacity to hold, in 



