MANURES. 



MANURES. 



145 

 130 



14 



1000 parts of horse-dung, dried in a temperature 

 of 100, absorbed by exposure for three hours 

 to air saturated with moisture of the tempera- 

 ture 62 - 



1000 parts of cow-dung, under the same circum- 

 stances, absorbed ------ 



1000 parts of pig-dung ----- 



1000 pans of sheep-dung - - - - - 



1000 parts of pigeons' dung - 



1000 parts of u rich alluvial soil, worth 2 guineas 

 per acre -------- 



The following were dried at 212. 



1000 parts of fresh tanners' bark 115 



3000 parts of putrefied tanners' bark - - - 145 



1000 parts of refuse marine salt, sold as manure 49 



1000 parts of soot ------ 36 



1000 parts of burnt clay ----- 29 



1000 parts of coal ashes ----- 14 



1000 parts of lime .----. U 



1000 parts of sediment from salt parts - - 10 



1000 parts of crushed rock-salt - 10 



1000 purls of gypsum - - -*- - - 9 



1000 parts of chalk 4 



There is reason to conclude that some ma- 

 nures act as stimulants to plants, and excite 

 them to a more vigorous growth : it is proba- 

 ble that the saline matters of farm-yard com- 

 post operate in this way, and that saltpetre and 

 other saline fertilizers do the same. I have 

 often had occasion to notice the increased 

 luxuriance and productiveness of fruit trees, 

 such as cherries and pears, by the application 

 of common salt. (Essay on Salt, p. 4.) Priestley 

 made similar observations. " It seems pretty 

 plain," to give the words of Dr. Thomson, 

 " that the vessels of plants are made to contract 

 by various stimuli: the experiments of Coulomb 

 and Saussure render this probable ; and an 

 observation of Dr. Smith Barton makes it next 

 to certain. He found that plants growing in 

 water vegetated with much greater vigour, 

 provided a little camphor was thrown into the 

 water. (Chemistry, vol. iv. p. 338.) 



Of the organic manures, the richest abound 

 in azote, or nitrogen ; and, in fact, there are, 

 as Dr. Liebig observes (Organic Chem. p. 70), 

 "numerous facts showing that the formation 

 in plants of substances containing nitrogen, 

 such as gluten, takes place in proportion to the 

 quantity of this element, which is conveyed to 

 their roots in the state of ammonia, derived 

 from the putrefaction of animal matter. Am- 

 monia, which is composed of 14-15 of nitrogen 

 and 1 of hydrogen, is capable of undergoing 

 such a multitude of transformations, when in 

 contact with other bodies, that in this respect 

 it is not inferior to water, which possesses the 

 same properly in an eminent degree." "The 

 employment of animal manure," he adds (p. 

 86), "in the cultivation of grain, and the vege- 

 tables which serve for fodder to cattle, is the 

 most convincing proof that the nitrogen of 

 vegetables is derived from ammonia. The 

 quantity of gluten in wheat, rye, and barley is 

 very different : these kinds of grain also, even 

 when ripe, contain this compound of nitrogen 

 in very different proportions. Proust found 

 French wheat to contain 12-5 per cent, of 

 gluten : Vogel found that the Bavarian con- 

 tained 24 per cent.: Davy obtained 19 per 

 cent, from winter, and 24 per cent, from sum- 

 mer wheat; from Sicilian wheat 21, and from 

 Barbary wheat 19 per cent. The meal of 

 Alsace wheat, according to Boussingault, con- 

 tains 17-8 per cent, of gluten; that of wheat 

 772 



growing in the Jardin des Plantes 26-7; and 

 that of winter wheat 3-38 per cent. Such great 

 differences must be owing to some cause, and 

 this we find in the different methods of cultiva- 

 tion. An increase of animal manure gives 

 rise not only to an increase in the number of 

 seeds, but also to a most remarkable difference 

 in the proportion of the gluten which they con- 

 tain." And he adds (p. 175), when speaking 

 of the action of manures, "according to the 

 common view, the action of solid animal ex- 

 crements depends on the decaying organic 

 matters, which replace the humus, and in the 

 presence of certain compounds of nitrogen, 

 which are supposed to be assimilated by 

 plants, and employed in the production of 

 gluten and other azotized substances. But 

 this view requires further confirmation with 

 respect to the solid excrements of animals ; 

 for they contain so small a portion of nitrogen, 

 that they cannot possibly, by means of it, ex- 

 ercise any influence upon vegetation." 



The following table of manures, constructed 

 from the experiments of MM. Payen and Bous- 

 singault, showing the number of loads required 

 in both the moist (or ordinary) and dried (or 

 prepared) states to equal 100 loads of farm- 

 yard dung, so far as the quantity of the nitro- 

 gen they contain is concerned, will be interest- 

 ing, I think, to the farmer. (Gard. CVrnw.) 



MM*. Dry. 



Pea straw ------ 22 100 



Saintfoin straw ----- 83 361 



Vetch straw ------ 39 174 



Wheat straw 166 650 



Do. 81 367 



Do., lower joints - 97 453 

 Do., upper joints, with the heads after 



thrashing ------ 30 137 



Rye straw ------ 235 975 



Do., of 1841 95 300 



Oat straw 142 541 



Barley straw ------ 173 750 



Wheat chaff 47 207 



Jerusalem artichoke straw - - - 108 453 



Broom ----- - 32 142 



Green beet leaves ----- 80 43 



Potato leaves ------ 72 84 



Carrot leaves ------ 47 66 



Heath leaves 22 102 



Sea wrack 46 138 



Do. * 42 123 



Do. -------28 85 



Do., fresh from the sea - - - 74 



Malt dust 8 39 



Buried clover roots ... 24 110 



Flax cake ------ 7 32 



Rape cake ------8 35 



Fishcake 74 322 



Grease cake ---.-- 11 49 



Beet-root pulp ----- 35 154 



Do. 105 154 



Potato pulp ------ 76 100 



Starch water ------ 573 



Do. 645 



Starch refuse - - - - - - 111 107 



Do. 21 



Dunghill drainings 67 12P 



.Sawdust of acacia ----- 137 513 



Do. 173 629 



Do. firwood 250 8*6 



Do. 173 fi'29 



Do. oak ------ 74 250 



Solid cow-dung ----- 125 84 



Cow urine ------ uo 51 



Mixed cow-dung ----- 97 75 



Solid horse-dung ----- 72 



Horse urine ------ 15 15 



Mixed horse-dung ----- 54 64 



Do. pig-dung ----- 63 57 



Do. sheep-dung ----- 36 65 



Do. goal-dung ----- 18 49 



Pigeon-dung ------4 21 



Liquid Flemish manure - 210 



Do. 181 - 



