THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



467 



been easy of trial, if Liebii^ Iiatl iiseJ the sulphate 

 (iC ammonia, ready lornied, as manure, ami in as 

 small quantiiy to ihe acre as it is Itirnishetl through 

 fiypsum. If such experiment is made, and ihe 

 results like those known from jrypsum are pro- 

 duced, then the docrrine of Jjiebiir will have the 

 support of ftcts. Wiihout this, it is unsupported 

 both by experiment and by reasoning. IC adaiit- 

 tin<r it to be liiily true, then, ammonia, heinij a 

 universal manure, uypsum, by fixinij ammonia, 

 would he beneficial on all soils and to all plants. 

 But nothing is belter known of irypsum than that 

 it is almost, and generally, entirely inoperative on 

 the greater number ol' .-^oils or localities, and also 

 (or the greater number of cultivated plants. 



Atrain — when any application oi manure to 

 land serves lo increase iis pro(hjct as much as 100 

 per cent., (as is not unusual from one bushel of 

 gypsum sown on an acre of clover,) it must be 

 inlerred that there was before in the soil either 

 none, or a much less quantity, oC the same ma- 

 nure. But accordinii lo the calculation of Liehitr, 

 belbre reterred to, 116 pounds of ammonia would 

 be the annual supply of an acre, brought I'rorn 

 the atmosphere by rain and snow. Of this quan- 

 tity only about 17 poimds could be united with 

 the sulphuric acid of a buslipl, or 85 pounds of 

 gypsum,* and be thereby fixed in the soil. It is 

 beyond all question, ihat the benefit ol' the annual 

 and gradual supply of 116 lbs. of amnionia by rain 

 to a crop like clover, which is always ready to im- 

 bibe it through its living roots, could not be in- 

 creased 100 per cent, on the eHeci of that and 

 of all other existing manures, or causes of pro- 

 ductiveness, by merely, making more fixed 17 

 pounds of '.he 116 pounds of ammonia otherwise 

 lurnished. 



Liebig accounts for the fertilizing quality ol 

 burnt clay, which has been so mysterious, to the 

 chemical power it exerts to combine with ammo- 

 nia, and also to attract it from the atmosphere 

 and hold it for the use of growing plants. Oxides 

 of iron have the same chemical power in regard 

 to ammonia, and theiefore the author places them 

 in the same class as fertilizing ingredients of soil. 

 But ferruginous soil, of itself, is noi fi;rtile, but the 

 reverse ; it is only when they are a!so enough cal- 

 careous that ferruginous soils seetn to he the more 

 fertile because of their iron. Thus the author's 

 position is rendere<l unicnahle by covering; too 

 much ground. After stating that all rusts of iron 

 and all minerals containins iron, absorb and hold 

 ammonia, he says — 



"The peculiar odor observed on moisteniii<^ mine- 

 rals containing; alumina, is partly owing to their ex- 

 haling ammonia. Indeed, gypsum and some varieties 

 of alumina, pipe-clay for example, emit so much am- 

 monia, when moistened with caustic potash, that even 

 after they have been exposed for two days, litmus 

 paper held over them becomes blue. Soils, therefore, 

 which contain oxides of iron, and burned clay, must 

 absorb ammonia, an action which is favored by their 

 porous condition; they further prevent t^ie escape 

 of the ammonia once absorbed, by their chemical pro- 

 perties." — (p. 145.) 



" The ammonia absorbed by the clay or (erruginous 

 oxides is separated by every shower of rain, and con- 

 veyed in solution to the soil. 



* 100 sulphate of lime composed of ."2.] lime, KJi 

 sulphuric acid (dry) ihkI 21 water. TOO carbonate of 

 ammonia, 43i ammonia ami 5fU carbonic acid. 



" Powdered charcoal possesses a similar action, but 

 surpastes all other substances in the power which it 

 possesses of condensing ammonia within its pores, 

 particularly when it h?.s been previously heated to 

 redness. Charcoal absorbs 90 times its volume of 

 ammoniacal gas, which may be again separated by 

 simply moistening it with water {De Smtssure.) De- 

 cayed wood approaches very nearly to charcoal in 

 tins power; decayed oak wool absorbs 72 times its 

 volume, after having been completely dried under the 

 air-pump. We have here an easy and satisfactory 

 means of explaining still further the proprieties of 

 humus, or wood in a decaying state._ It is not only 

 a slow and constant source of carbonic acid, but it is 

 also a means by which the necessary nitrogen is con- 

 veyed to plants." — (p. 116.) 



It would seem to us, as a necessary deduction 

 from the foregoing extract, that powdered char- 

 coal ought to he the richest fertilizer, and theri'- 

 fore best manure, that could he applied to soil, 

 and rotten wood not much interior. Yet all larnt- 

 ers know that neither of these substances possess 

 any thing like such value. 



We have remarked at sufficient length on our 

 author's views of the modes by which plants are 

 supplied with their larger and more important and 

 indeed essential constituent parts, carbon, hydro- 

 gen, oxyiren and nitroi^en. And all these are fur- 

 nished to vegetation either remotely and indirect- 

 ly, or immediately and directly, from the atmo- 

 sphere, in gaseous f(:)rm, and from sources uniimit-, 

 ed and inexhaustible in quantity. The only other 

 constituents of plants, and which are of inorganic 

 origin, and not necessarily belonging to air or wa- 

 ter, but which must be necessarily furnished by 

 the soil, are the solid matters indestructible by 

 burning, and left in small quanuiies in the ashe.=! 

 of plants. These, though altogeiher formins but 

 ! a very small proportion of plants, are of sundry 

 j kinds and varying proportions of earths, alkaline 

 j salts and metallic oxides. Some of these, as salts 

 I of lime and of potash, from their being univer- 

 1 stilly found in plants, must be essential to their 

 healthy existence ; and of course these substances, 

 or their elements, are indispensable to every soil, 

 and should he supplied as manure if exhausted 

 by cropping, or otherwise niiiurally deficient. But 

 almost every natural soil possesses these elements 

 in the small rjuantity necessary lor crops; and 

 they are re-supplied to the soil in ordinary pu- 

 trescent manures, containing animal admixtures. 

 Carbonate of lime in large quantity is beneficial 

 as manure, lor other and more im|)ortant purposes 

 ihan lo furnish the small ingredient required by 

 growinar plants. The sulphate of lime (gypsum) 

 has been already spoken of. The phosphate of 

 lime (the material of bones) is essential to wheat 

 and certain other plants, and is o!"ten deficient in 

 long cultivated and exhausted tends. Hence the 

 great efiect of bone dust as manure, even in small 

 quantities. There can be no doubt but that the 

 other usual inorganic constituent parts of plants, 

 are necessary or beneficial, and should be supplied 

 if deficient in the soil. Of this no doul»t is enter- 

 tained as to potash. Muriate of soda (common 

 salt,) and oxide of iron, are also certainly benefi- 

 cial, and perhaps are also essential ingredietiis of 

 soil and of' plants. And it may be that if one of 

 these substances be essential lo vi getation in the 

 smallest pro|)orlioti, and ye! absent, that a few 

 I ounds of that substance miiiht be an ample and 

 most producive manure \hr an acre. But very 



