REFUSE CHARCOA.. :F THE SDGAR-REFINERS. 453 



color from solutions of raw sugar. Blood is also used for clarifying 

 the sajiie solutions, and quick-lime for neutralizing the acid matter 

 they contain — thus rendering the syrups more capable of easy crys- 

 tallization. Hence the animal charcoal, the blood, the lime, and the 

 coloring and other matters separated from the sugar, become mixed 

 together, and form the refuse of the sugar refiners. This refuse often 

 contains from one-fifth to one-fourth of its weight of blood, and hence 

 is in general — and especially in France, where it is extensively em- 

 ployed as a manure — considered from four to six times more power- 

 ful than the pure animal charcoal alone. In the western parts of 

 France this mixture has for some years been in great repute among 

 agriculturists, and in addition to that which is produced at home, has 

 been largely imported from other countries. Into the ports upon the 

 river Loire alone there were entered, in 1S39, upwards of ten thousand 

 tons. ('Boussingault, An. de Cliim. et de Phys., 3d series, iii., p. 96.) 

 It sells at about five pounds a ton. 



The value of this substance depends very much upon the propor- 

 tion of blood which it contains, and as this is in some measure vari- 

 able, its fertilizing qualities must be variable also. In England blood 

 is used much more sparingly in the refining of sugar than it used to 

 be, and hence the refuse of our refineries is probably less valuable 

 as a manure now than it was in former years.* This is probably one 

 reason why Mr. Fleming obtained from the use of it a somewhat 

 smaller crop of turnips than from an equal quantity of the unused 

 animal charcoal. Upon Swedish turnips 10 cwt. of unused animal 

 charcoal gave him 21 tons 2 cwt. ; while 10 cwt. of the refuse gave 

 10 tons 7 cwt. (Appendix, No. VIII.) 



Still this result is sufficiently favorable to recommend the refuse or 

 exhausted animal charcoal to the practical agriculturist where more 

 economical manures cannot readily be obtained. 



3^. Anim,altzed carbon. — The estimation in which the refuse char- 

 coal of the sugar works was held, has led to the manufacture of very 

 useful imitations of it under the name of animalized carbon. A cal- 

 careous soil, rich in vd§etable matter, (an intimate mixture of peat 

 and marl or shell-sand would answer well,) is charred in close ves- 

 sels, and is then mixed at intervals with repeated portions of night 

 soil as long as it disinfects it or removes its smell — and to this mixture 

 IS added 4 or 5 per cent, of clotted and partially dried blood. This 

 animalized carbon is said to be of much value as a manure. The 

 main objections to it are its liability to adulteration and the uncertain- 

 ty to which, even when skilfully and conscientiously prepared, its 

 composition must be in some measure liable. 



§ 7. Ofjish, jish refuse., ichale blubber, and oil. 



1°. Fish. — In some parts of the world, and occasionally on the shores 

 of England, fish are met with in such abundance that they can be econo- 

 mically employed as a manure for the land. They are either spread over 



* The refining " consists in putting the susar into a larire square copper cistern along with 

 some lime water, a little bullock's blood, and from 5 to 20 per cent, of bone black, and in- 

 jecting steam through the mixture. Instead of the blood many refiners employ a mixture 

 of gelatinous alumina and gypsum, called finuigs, prepared by adding lime water to a so- 

 lution of alum, and collecting the precipitate" (Ure.) Hence the reason why, in England 

 «t least, the refuse charcoal of the sugar works is not always rich in blood. 



