THE FARMER AT HOME. 135 



ighly exciting power on plants, and constitute one of the most essen- 

 ial ingredients in animal manures. When stable manures ferment 

 oo highly, this gas is volatilized and driven off, as the pungent odor 

 .rising from the manure proves, and is thus mainly lost to plants 

 /vhere the dung is applied. This may be remedied by making the 

 jompost heap of layers of manure, earth, swamp muck, or any sub- 

 stance that will absorb and retain the gases that may be developed 

 luring fermentation, as well as the fluids that drain from the manure 

 while undergoing the process of conversion into compost. 



GASTRIC JUICE. A fluid separated by the capillary exhaling 

 arteries of the stomach, which open upon its internal tunic. The 

 sesophages also afford a small quantity, especially in the inferior part. 

 Modern philosophers have paid great attention to this fluid ; and 

 from their several experiments, it is known to possess the following 

 properties. It is the principal agent of digestion, and changes the 

 aliments into a kind of uniform, soft paste. It acts on the stomach, 

 after the death of the animal. Its effects show that it is a solvent ; 

 but of that peculiar nature, that it dissolves animal and vegetable 

 substances uniformly, and without exhibiting a stronger affinity for 

 the one, than for the other. It is far from being of the nature of a 

 ferment, as many suppose ; for it is one of the most powerful antisep- 

 tics we are acquainted with ; and from the experments of Spallanzani, 

 Scopoli, Carminati, and others, its nature appears to be essentially 

 different in the several classes of animals, as they have proved by 

 analysis. The gastric juice of the human subject, when healthy, is 

 inodorous, of a saltish taste, and limpid, like water, unless it be a 

 little tinged with the yellow color of some bile, that has regurgitated 

 into the stomach. In quantity, it is very considerable, as must be 

 evident from the extent of the surface of the stomach, and its con- 

 tinual secretion ; but it is the most copious, when solicited by the 

 stimulus of food. Besides the properties of this fluid before mentioned, 

 it has others, which have induced physicians and surgeons to exhibit 

 it medicinally. It cures dyspepsy and intermittent fever. Applied 

 externally, in form of fomentation or poultice, it cures putrid and 

 scrofulous ulcers in a wonderful manner ; and it is to be regretted, 

 that its utility is not more generally known. 



GELATINE. This is one of the constituent parts of animal 

 substances, and may be obtained by repeatedly washing the fresh skin 

 of an animal in cold water, afterwards boiling it, and reducing it to a 

 small quantity by slow evaporation, and allowing it to cool. It then 

 assumes the form of jelly, and becomes hard and semi-transparent. It 

 is a principal ingredient both of the solid and fluid parts of animals, 

 and is employed in the state of glue, size, and isinglass. Gelatine is 

 used in a new kind of bread, now manufactured in Paris. It having 

 been found that the gelatine of bones used for soups was exceedingly 

 nutritious, it was imagined that if this gelatine ^ould be introduced 



