182 ARTIFICIAL MANURE. 



exists in part, either as a component of crenic and 

 apocrenic acid, or as phosphate of ammonia, and 

 when the presence of ammonia is added to the salts, 

 whose existence has already been pointed out, it may 

 be said, that peat approaches dung, moistened with 

 the liquid evacuation of the animal. 



261. The power of producing alkaline action, on 

 the insoluble geine, is alone wanted to make peat 

 good cow dung. Reviewing the various matters', 

 from whatever source derived, solid or liquid, which 

 are used as manure, all possess one common prop- 

 erty, that of generating ammonia. The conclusion 

 then of this whole matter, is this ; the value of all 

 manures, depends on salts, geine, and ammonia ; and 

 it is directly in proportion to the last ; it follows, that 

 any substance affording these elements, may be sub- 

 stituted for manure. 



262. The great question comes, how is to be giv- 

 en to peat, a substance which, in all its other char- 

 acters, is so nearly allied to cow dung, that lacking 

 element ammonia ? How is that to be supplied ? 

 Without it, cow dung itself would be no better than 

 peat, nay, not so good ; for in peat, nearly one-half 

 of the geine, is already in a soluble state. Passing by 

 the fact, already alluded to, that peat contains traces 

 of ammonia, which, evolved when treated with caus- 



