L 265 j 



The rains in our climate must tend very much 

 to injure this species of manure, where it is exposed 

 to them, soon after its deposition ; but it may proba- 

 bly be found in great perfection in caverns or clefts in 

 rocks, haunted by cormorants and gulls. I examined 

 some recent cormorant's dung which I found on a 

 rock near Cape Lizard in Cornwall. It had not at all 

 the appearance of the guano ; was of a greyish white 

 colour ; had a very foetid smell like that of putrid ani- 

 mal matter: when acted on by quicklime it gave 

 abundance of ammonia ; treated with nitric acid it 

 yielded uric acid. 



Night soil, it is well known, is a very powerful 

 manure, and very liable to decompose. It differs in its 

 composition ; but always abounds in substances com- 

 posed of carbon, hydrogene, azote, and oxygene. 

 From the analyses of Berzelius, it appears that a part 

 of it is always soluble in water ; and, in whatever state 

 it is used, whether recent or fermented, it supplies 

 abundance of food to plants. 



The disagreeable smell of night soil may be des- 

 troyed by mixing it with quicklime ; and if exposed to 

 the atmosphere in thin layers strewed over with quick- 

 lime in fine weather, it speedily dries, is easily pulver- 

 ised, and in this state may be used in the same manner 

 as rape cake, and delivered into the furrow with the 

 seed. 



The Chinese, who have more practical know- 

 ledge of the use and application of manures than any 

 other people existing, mix their night soil with one- 

 third of its weight of a fat marie, make it into cakes, 



M2 



