Sulfuric Acid as Agent 351 



Very large quantities of kainit are required to con- 

 serve the ammonia, for, even with 1 or 2 per cent of it 

 in the manure, the losses are hardly reduced. Besides, 

 when used in such proportion, the kainit is apt to injure 

 the feet of the animals. To sum up, therefore, kainit 

 and other crude potash salts, as well as common salt, 

 cannot be regarded as efficient, within economical 

 limits, in the conservation of manure nitrogen. 



Sulfuric acid. There is another substance which, 

 among the many recommended for the purpose, has 

 stood out rather prominently as a possible remedy 

 against the undesirable bacterial activities in manure. 



Sulfuric acid appears suitable for the purpose, since 

 it is capable, not only of combining with the ammonia, 

 but, also, of destroying the denitrifying bacteria. Yet 

 there are evident objections to its use. It is a very cor- 

 rosive substance, dangerous alike to the attendants 

 and to the cattle, and injurious to the walls and floors of 

 the building. Moreover, while the sulfuric acid destroys 

 the undesirable bacteria in the manure, it also destroys 

 those whose activities can not be dispensed with in 

 the proper transformation of the manure and its con- 

 stituents. It acts, in this case, as a preservative just 

 as salicylic acid, formaldehyde, or benzoate of soda act 

 in the preservation of food products. 



When a sufficiently large quantity of the acid is em- 

 ployed, all of the ammonia already present in the manure 

 is held fast, and the further development of the various 

 bacteria that cause losses of ammonia or of nitrogen 

 is either retarded or entirely stopped. Furthermore, 

 the influence of the sulfuric acid is felt, not only in the 



