184 ARTIFICIAL MANURE* 



264. By then, the addition of alkali to peat, it Is 

 put into the state, which ammonia gives to dung. 

 The question then arises, how much alkali is to be 

 added to swamp muck or peat, to convert that into 

 cow dung ? Recurring to the doctrine of chemical 

 proportions, whose value to the farmer is thus made 

 evident, it will be remembered that the equivalent 

 of potash and soda, that is, that proportion of one 

 which ran take the place of the other, is as 2 to 3 ; 

 that is, 2 parts of soda are equal to 3 of potash. If 

 either of these is compared with ammonia, it will be 

 found that one part of ammonia is nearly equal to 

 two of soda. When these substances are met with 

 in commerce, it is in the state of salts ; as carbon- 

 ate of ammonia of the shops, or white ash or potash 

 and pearlash. The equivalent of these, is deduced 

 from determining the pure alkali of each, adding the 

 equivalent of carbonic acid, and to this the usual 

 impurity. It is found that 



59 parts of ammonia, are equal to 

 58 " soda, or white ash, or to 

 72 M 1st quality pot or pearlash, or 

 86 " 2d quality pot or pearlash. 



265. For all agricultural purposes, is may be con- 

 sidered, that salts of hartshorn, or carbonate of am- 



