NO. 15. 



THE FARMERS' CABINET. 



227 



it would be of advantage to the farming 

 interest, to lay before them the follow- 

 ing brief analysis of its contents. 



Tlic great object in the application of ma- 

 iiire, sliould be to make it allbrd as iniicli 

 soluble matter as possible to the root of the 

 jlaiits; and that in a slow and gradual man- 

 :ior, so that it may bo entirely consumed in 

 forming tiie sap or organized parts of the 

 ilaiit. Mucilaginous, gelatinous, sacciiarine, 

 )ily and extractive iluids, and solution of car- 

 jonic acid in water, are substances that in 

 ;heir unchanged states contain almost all the 

 principles necessary for the plants; but there 

 ire few cases in whicii they can bo applied 

 is manures in their pure forms; and vegetable 

 Tianures, in general, contain a great excess 

 )f fibrous and insoluble matter, which must 

 jndergo chemical changes before they can 

 jecome the tbod of plants. Whenever ma- 

 luros consist principally of matter soluble in 

 Abater, their fermentation or putrefaction 

 should be prevented as much as possible; and 

 ;he only cases in which these processes can 

 je useful, are when the manure consists prin- 

 cipally of vegetable or animal fibre. The cir- 

 cumstances necessary for the putrefaction of 

 mimal substances are similar to those requir- 

 !d for the fermentation of vegetable substan- 

 :es; a temperature above the freezing point, 

 he presence of water, and the presence of 

 I'xygen, at least in the first stage of the pro- 

 ess. To prevent manures from decomposing, 

 ley should be preserved dry, defended from 

 le contact of air, and kept as cool as possible. 

 V.11 irreen succulent idants contain saccha- 

 ine or mucilaginous matter, with woody 

 bre, and readily ferment. They cannot, 

 lerefore, if intended for manure, be used too 

 jon after their death. When green crops 

 re to be employed for enriching a soil, they 

 lould be ploughed in, if it be possible when 

 1 fiower, or at the time the flower is begin- 

 ing to appear, for it is at this period that 

 ley contain the largest quantity of easy solu- 

 te matter, and that their leaves are most ac- 

 ve in forming nutritive matter. Green 

 •ops, pond weeds, the parings of hedges or 

 tches, or any kind of fresh vegetable matter, 

 kquires no preparation to fit tiiem for ma- 

 lare. The decomposition slowly proceeds 

 neath the soil; the soluble matters are 

 adually dissolved, and the slight fermenta- 

 n that goes on, checked by the want of a 

 e communication of air, tends to render 

 e woody fibre soluble without occasioning 

 |e rapid dissipation of elastic matter. 

 When old pastures are broken up and made 

 ble, not only has the soil been enriched 

 the death and slow decay of the plants 

 ich have left soluble matters in the soil ; 

 the leaves and roots of the grasses living 



at the time and occupying so large a part of 

 the surface, allbrd saccharine, mucilaginous, 

 and extractive matters, which become imme- 

 diately the food of the crop, and the gradual 

 decomposition give a supply for succcssivo 

 years. Rape cake, which is used with great 

 success as a manure, contains a large quan- 

 tity of mucilage, some albuminous matter, 

 and a small (juantity of oil. This manure 

 should be used recent, and kept as dry as pos- 

 sible bctbre it is applied. It forms an excel- 

 lent dressing for turnep crops, and is most 

 economically applied, being tlirown into the 

 soil at the same time witii the seed. Malt 

 dust consists chiefly of the infant radicle sepa- 

 rated from the grain. We have not a correct 

 analysis of this manure; but there is great 

 reason to suppose it must contain saccharine 

 matter ; and this will account for its powerful 

 effects. Like rape cake it should be used as 

 dry as possible, and its fermentation prevent- 

 ed. Linseed cake is too valuable as a food for 

 cattle to be much employed as a manure. 

 The water in which/nxand Jiemp are steep- 

 ed for the purpose of obtaining the pure vege- 

 table fibre, has considerable fertilizing pow- 

 ers. It appears to contain a substance analo- 

 gous to albumen, and likewise much vegeta- 

 ble extractive matter. It purifies very readily. 

 A certain degree of fermentation is absolutely 

 necessary to obtain the flax and hemp in a 

 proper state ; the water to which they have 

 been exposed should therefore be used as a 

 manure as soon as the vegetable fibre is re- 

 moved from it. Sea weeds, consisting of dif- 

 ferent fuci, alga?, and conferva", are much 

 used as a manure on the sea coast of Britain 

 and Ireland. By digesting the common fucus, 

 which is the sea weed usually most abundant 

 on the coast, in boiling water, it yielded about 

 one-eighth of a gelatinous substance, which 

 had characters similar to mucilage. This 

 manure is transient in its effects, and does not 

 last for more than a single crop, which ia 

 easily accounted for from the large quantity 

 of water, or the elements of water it contains. 

 It decays without producing heat when ex- 

 posed to the atmosphere, and seems as it 

 were to melt down and dissolve away. 



Dry straw of wheat, oats, barley, beans and 

 peas, and spoiled hay, or any other similar 

 kind of dry vegetable matter is, in all cases, 

 useful manure. In general, such substances 

 are made to ferment before they are employ- 

 ed, though it may be doubted whether the 

 practice should be indiscriminately adopted. 

 There can be no doubt that the straw of dif- 

 ferent crops immediately ploughed into the 

 ground affords nourishment to plants, but 

 there is an objection to this method of using 

 straw, from the difficulty of burying long 

 straw, and from its rendering the husbandry 

 foul. When the straw is made to ferment 



