150 MANURE. 



of dry chalk per week. Whence comes this ? 

 From soil, from brick-dust, from grain, meal, &c. 

 But it exists not in soil as carbonate of lime. Ani- 

 mals, like plants, decompose the silicate of lime 

 of soil, and recombining the base, form carbonates, 

 to form egg-shells. Considering the countless thou- 

 sands of eggs, which are produced by the birds of 

 every feather in New England, how big a bit of 

 chalk would their shells produce ! So of fresh water 

 clams; their shells common throughout New Eng- 

 land, are carbonate of lime. These facts speak vol- 

 umes. Whenever birds cease to lay eggs, or clams 

 to form shells, then, and not till then, may it be said 

 that New England soil is barren, because it con- 

 tains no lime. 



216. Flesh, fish, fowl, all animal solids, muscle, 

 gristle, skin, sinews, &c, all afford geine by putre- 

 faction, and evolve vast volumes of ammonia. Salts 

 are more or less present in all animal substances. 

 There are uniformly found in the soft or fluid por- 

 tions some of the following salts, 



f Sulphate and phosphate of lime, 

 .»-. , J Phosphates of soda, magnesia &; ammonia, 

 « . -I Sulphate and muriate of potash and soda, 

 I Carbonates of potash, soda, lime and mag- 

 I nesia. 



