NIGHTSHADE. 



NIGHT-SOIL. 



times, as it is reported, yellow. A grain or two 

 of the dried leaf has sometimes been given to 

 promote various secretions. Both its poison- 

 ous and medicinal powers depend on an alkaline 

 principle, which can be procured in a separate 

 state, and has been called solania. It is a 

 powerful narcotic, and the poisoning principle 

 of the solanums. 



NIGHTSHADE, DEADLY, or DWALE 

 (Jltropa belladonna}. A plant with narcotic and 

 dangerous qualities, found growing in hedges 

 and waste ground on a calcareous soil, fre- 

 quently about ancient ruins. The root is fleshy 

 and creeping. Stems herbaceous, annual, 3 

 fee t h igh, round, branched, leafy, slightly downy. 

 Leaves lateral, mostly two together of unequal 

 size, ovate, acute, undivided. Flowers solitary, 

 stalked, drooping, dark dull purple in the 

 border, paler downwards, about an inch long. 

 Berry of a shining violet black, partially en- 

 veloped in the calyx, which is persistent, the 

 size of a small cherry; sweetish, and not nau- 

 seous, so that children have often been tempted 

 to eat it to their own destruction. The poi- 

 sonous principle is an alkali named atrupia. 



NIGHTSHADE, ENCHANTER'S. See 

 Even wrr. it's .\K;H TSIIADF... 



NIGHT-SOIL. In agriculture, a powerful 

 manure. This valuable fertilizer has not been 

 employed in England to the same extent as 

 on the continent, although it is certainly one 

 of the most valuable of the organic manures; 

 and to this neglect many causes have contri- 

 buted. Its disagreeable odour.certain vexatious 

 fiscal regulations with regard to its removal, 

 and erroneous modes of applying it, either in 

 excessive quantities, or mixed with other com- 

 posts in such proportions that its powers could 

 not be distinguished in the mass; its semifluid 

 nature requiring for its removal carriages of 

 a peculiar construction, the extent and com- 

 pleteness of the sewerage of our large cities, 

 and several other minor obstacles, have ren- 

 dered its use not nearly so extensive as, even 

 in a national point of view, is desirable. Davy, 

 however, described it, 25 years since, as "a 

 very powerful manure, and very liable to de- 

 compose : a part of it is always soluble in 

 water; and, in whatever state it is used, whe- 

 thei recent or fermented, it supplies abundance 

 of food for plants." (Lectures, p. 229.) "The 

 disagreeble smell," he adds, " may be destroyed 

 by mixing it with quicklime ; and if exposed 

 to the atmosphere in thin layers in fine weather, 

 and mixed with quicklime, it speedily dries, is 

 easily pulverized, and, in this state, may be 

 used in the same manner as rape-cake, and de- 

 livered into the furrow with the seed." 



Night-soil is a mixture of urine and faeces; 

 and these have been found to contain the fol- 

 lowing substances. Faeces were analyzed by 

 M. Berzelius: the products were 



Water 



Vegetable and animal remains 



Bile 



Albumen ------ 



Peculiar and extractive matter 



Sain 



Blimy matter, insoluble residue, &c. 



Pw*. 

 73-3 



0-9 

 0-9 

 2-7 

 1-2 

 14- 



100- 



106 



The salts detected in this analysis, equal to 

 1-2 parts, were carbonate of soda, muriate of 

 soda, sulphate of soda, ammonia, phosphate 

 of magnesia, and phosphate of lime. (Gehlen's 

 Journal, vol. vi. p. 536.) To the same great 

 chemist we are indebted for an analysis of hu- 

 man urine. He found 1000 parts to contain 



Parts. 



Water - 933- 



Urea (peculiar animal matter) - . 30 10 



Sulphate of potash - .... 3-71 



Sulphate of soda ..... 2'16 



Phosphate of soda ----- 291 



Muriate of soda (common salt) - - 4-45 



Phosphate of ammonia. .... i ,, , 



Muriate of ammonia - 1-50 



Acid matter ~i 



Acetate of ammonia > 17 - 14 



Animal matter and nreaj 



Earthy phosphates and tluate of lime - 1* 



Mucus 032 



Silica (earth of flint) .... o o;< 



1000- 



(Jlnnab of P kilos, vol. xi. p. 423.) 

 The very chemical composition, therefore, of 

 this compost would indicate the powerful fer- 

 tilizing effects which it is proved to produce. 

 The mass of easy soluble and decomposable 

 animal matters and salts of ammonia with 

 which it abounds, its phosphate of lime, its 

 carbonate of soda, are all by themselves ex- 

 cellent fertilizers, and must afford a copious 

 supply of food to plants. 



The history of the use of night-soil, as a 

 manure, is attended with difficulties; for the 

 very nature of the fertilizer predisposes every 

 experimentalist, especially in this country, to 

 be silent as to his knowledge of its powers. 

 Many absurd prejudices are entertained by the 

 labouring classes; such as to the imaginary 

 taste it imparts to vegetables, when added to 

 the soil ; and, in the earliest of all authorities, 

 it is mentioned with becoming reserve. The 

 warmth of the climate would insure a regular 

 attention to the removal of excrements of every 

 kind. Thus we find that, amongst the Jews, the 

 dung of the bullock slain in sacrifices was 

 directed to be burned (Exod. xxix. 14; Lev. iv. 

 11, viii. 17, xvi. 37; Numb. xix. 5), and used as 

 fuel; and, in periods of distress, even human 

 dung (Ezekiel iv. 12 15). Dunghills were 

 evidently formed (Daniel ii. 5, iii. 29 ; Luke xiv. 

 35), and carried away (I Kings i. 10), to be 

 spread on the surface of the earth (Psalm 

 Ixxxiii. 10; Jer. viii. 2, xvi. 14, xxv. 33; Zeph. 

 i. 17); and straw was spread to increase the 

 quantity of it (ha. xxv. 10). And Jerusalem 

 had even a gate called the Dung Port, or Gale 

 (Neh. ii. 13, iii. 13. 14, xii. 31). The inhabit- 

 ants certainly applied dung to their fruit trees 

 (Luke xiii. 8). 



The account of eastern customs, furnished 

 Jby modern travellers, illustrates very remark- 

 ably the notices of the sacred historians. "In 

 Arabia, says Niebuhr (vol. i. p. 91), "the dung 

 of asses and camels is chiefly used for fuel, 

 because these are the most numerous and 

 common. Little girls go about gathering 

 dung in the streets, and in the highways; they 

 mix it with cut straw; and of this mixture 

 make cakes, which they place along the walls, 

 or upon the declivity of some neighbouring 

 eminence, to dry them in the sun." Tournc* 

 4 U 841 



