MANURES. 



MANURES. 



as the result of his experiments instituted with 

 the view of ascertaining the comparative fer- 

 tilizing powers of farm-yard manure and pou- 

 drette, that poudrelte is a complete substitute for 

 common dung, whether with respect to price 

 or quality." 



In 1818 a company was formed near Paris 

 (Messrs. Donat & Co.), for the manufacture 

 of another kind of manure from night-soil. 

 The name of "urate" (from the principal in- 

 gredient used) was given to it; and the Royal 

 Society of Agriculture deemed it an object of 

 sufficient importance to deserve being submit 

 ted to the examination of a joint committee of 

 chemists and agriculturists, in which were in- 

 cluded the names of Vanquelin, Dubois, &c. 

 The report made by these distinguished men is 

 full of interest to the agriculturist. Urine is 

 the active ingredient, and plaster of Paris 

 (gypsum), so common in the neighbourhood 

 of that capital, the other constituent. This 

 mixture is reported by the joint committee to 

 be so powerful in its effects upon the dullest 

 soil, that they recommend that it should only 

 be employed by skilful and discriminating 

 farmers. For this discovery the inventor re- 

 ceived a gold medal from the government. A 

 powerful manure of the same name is now ex- 

 tensively prepared by the "London Manure 

 Company," of 40 New Bridge street. It abounds 

 with the salts of ammonia, phosphate of lime, 

 and the animal matters of urine. It appears, 

 also, from the fine, dry state of powder in which 

 the "urate" is delivered, that it is admirably 

 adapted for application by the drill with the 

 seed. The quantity applied per acre is about 

 5 c\vt.; and, as it is almost entirely composed 

 of organic matters, phosphate of lime (earthy 

 salt of bones), sulphate of lime (gypsum), and 

 various salts of ammonia, it is evidently a 

 most powerful fertilizer, as well adapted for 

 turnips as for the grass and grain crops. I 

 have had an opportunity of inspecting the 

 manufactory of this company, and from the 

 care displayed in its preparation, the " urate" 

 will, I think, be rapidly and extensively em- 

 ployed by the farmer. 



In some recent reports of trials with this 

 manure upon turnips, I observe that Mr. An- 

 derson, of Oakley, Bedfordshire, describes it as 

 proving "itself quite equal, if not superior, to 

 the farm-yard manure. The land I used it on 

 was a sharp gravel, and was much out of con- 

 dition previous to the present crop. The 6 

 tons were drilled with Swedish turnip-seed, 18 

 inches apart, on 18 acres." 



Mr. Manning, of Elstow, says, "I drilled a 

 ton of urate upon 3 acres, in rows 17 inches 

 apart, upon a very hoi, gravelly soil ; each side 

 abutting on this was manured in the usual 

 way, with good farm-yard manure, about 14 

 loads per acre. The turnips on the urate were 

 fat to hoe 7 days before the manured part ; 

 from their first appearance, a stranger could j 

 point out ihe spot where it commenced and 

 ended; the difference is still evident, and in its 

 favour. Both the manured and urate pieces 

 were sown the same day, about the 14th of 

 June. I certainly consider it a good artificial j 

 dressing, and its fertilizing properties great." 

 In 1820, another patent was granted to a M. 

 780 



Loques, by the French government, for a ma- 

 nure called "stercorat," consisting of a mix- 

 ture of both the solid and liquid parts of the 

 excrementitious matters, and some earthy sub- 

 stance. It is said to be particularly efficacious, 

 and sells at a very high price. 



M. Parmentier, a celebrated French agricul- 

 tural writer, some years since expressed his 

 surprise at the tardiness of his countrymen in 

 adopting the practice of their Flemish neigh- 

 bours, and in continuing so long to pay money 

 for getting rid of that which other nations first, 

 and the French themselves afterwards, found 

 to be so productive of wealth. He quotes the 

 case of an individual who in former times had 

 amassed great wealth by the sale of a manur- 

 ing powder, which he manufactured from the 

 very soil he was annually paid by government 

 to remove out of the extensive military bar- 

 racks of Lisle. 



There existed at one time much public pre- 

 judice against this mode of rendering the land 

 more productive, on the wild supposition that 

 the obnoxious principles of such a manure 

 would form part of the plants raised by means 

 of it; but the most accurate experiments have 

 proved, that not the least vestige of such ani- 

 mal substances is to be detected either in the 

 ascending sap, or in the more solid parts of 

 the plants so cultivated. A great extent of the 

 rich plains of Normandy are fertilized every 

 year by the manure powder manufactured at 

 present out of the cess-pools of Paris. 



The poudrette sells for eight francs the sestier 

 on the premises, and the whole is fetched away 

 at that price as soon as ready, and principally 

 distributed within 12 leagues of Paris. Now, 

 as there are 7 sestiers in a ton, it is evident 

 that the value of the latter is 60 francs, or 2/. 

 10s. ; and yet the comparative agricultural value 

 of this compost is not so great as that of the 

 Flemish manure." Messrs. Payen and Com 

 pany, the patentees of the "engrais animalize," 

 or disinfected night-soil, sell their "poudrette" 

 at 2 francs per ton under the market price 

 of that of Montfaugon, and they have rarely 

 any left on the premises. 



The engrais animalize, or disinfected night- 

 soil, has recently been introduced into England 

 Dy M. Poittevin, and a manufactory of it esta- 

 jlished in Whitechapel, near London. It is 

 here produced by mixing the night-soil of the 

 metropolis with a considerable quantity of re- 

 cently prepared charcoal powder, and drying 

 he mass in a very gentle heat. As thus pre- 

 mred, its appearance somewhat resembles that 

 f the friable, rich, vegetable mould of an old 

 lot-bed ; it is of very dark colour, and totally 

 devoid of smell. Its introduction into England 

 las been too recent for any very extensive 

 rials to have been yet made with it ; my own 

 ire only now carrying on ; these, however, 

 >romise well. In some comparative experi- 

 ments made last year with bones, they were 

 found to answer very completely. These re- 

 sults have been confirmed by sevrral commu- 

 nications with which I have ten recently 

 favoured, stating that, to use the words of Col 

 Challoner, " this manure, in its effects upon 

 the turnip crop, was fully equal to bones." 

 And Mr. Beach, of Oakley Hall, near Basing 



