22S 



THE farmers' cabinet. 



VOL. i. 



it becomes a more manageable manure; but 

 there is likewise on the whole a great loss 

 of niltritive matter. More manure is perhaps 

 supplied for a single crop ; but the land is less 

 improved than it would be, supposing the 

 whole of the vegetable matter could be finely 

 divided and mixed with the soil. Mere 

 woody fibre seems to be the only vegetable 

 matter that requires fermentation to render 

 it nutritive to plants. Wood ashes imper- 

 fectly formed, that is, wood ashes containing 

 much charcoal, are said to have been used 

 with success as a manure. A part of their 

 effects may be owing to the slow and gradual 

 consumption of the charcoal, which seems ca- 

 pable, under other circumstances, than those 

 of actual combustion, of absorbing oxygen so 

 as to become carbonic acid. 



Manures from animal substances, in gene- 

 ral, require no chemical preparation to fit 

 them for the soil. The great object of the 

 farmer is to blend them with the earthy con- 

 stituents in a proper state of division, and to 

 prevent their too rapid decomposition. Fish 

 forms a powerful manure in whatever slate 

 it is applied ; but it cannot be ploughed in too 

 fresh, though the quantity should be limited. 

 It is easy to explamthe operation offish as a 

 manure. The skin is principally gelatine; 

 which, from its slight state of cohesion, is 

 readily soluble in water: fat or oil is always 

 found in fishes, either under the skin or in 

 some of the viscera; and their fibrous matter 

 contains all the essential elements of vegeta- 

 ble substances. 



Bones are much used as a manure in the 

 neighbourhood of London. After being broken 

 and boiled for grease, they are sold to the 

 farmer. The more divided they are, the 

 more powerful are their effects. The ex- 

 pense of grinding them in a mill would prob- 

 ably be repaid by the increase of their fer- 

 tilizing powers; and in the state of powder 

 they might be used in the drill husbandry, 

 and delivered with the seed in the same man- 

 ner as rape cake. Bone dust, and bone shaving, 

 the refuse of the turning manufacture, may 

 be advantageously employed in the same 

 way. Horn is a still more powerful manure 

 than bone, as it contains a larger quantity of 

 decomposable animal matter. Ilair, \yoollen 

 rags, and feathers are all analogous in com- 

 position, and principally consist of a substance 

 Bimilar to albumen, united to gelatine. The 

 refuse of the different manufactures of skin 

 and leather form very useful manures ; such 

 as the shavings of the currier, furriers' clip- 

 pings, and the oftiils of the tan yard, and of 

 the glue maker. The gelatine contained in 

 every kind of skin, is in a state fitted for its 

 gradual solution or decomposition ; and when 

 buried in the soil, it lasts for a considerable 

 time, and constantly affords a supply of nu- 



tritive matter to the plants in its neighbour- 

 hood. Blood contains certain quantities of 

 all the principles found in other animal sub- 

 stances, and is consequently a very good ma- 

 nure. During the putrefaction of urine, the 

 greatest part of the soluble animal matter that 

 it contains is destroyed ; it should consequent- 

 ly be used as fresh as possible ; but if not 

 mixed with solid matter, it should be diluted 

 with water, as when pure it contains too large 

 a quantity of animal matter to form a proper 

 fluid nourishment for absorption by the roots 

 of plants. Putrid urine abounds in ammoni- 

 acal salts ; and though less active than fresh 

 urine, is a very powerful manure. 



Amongst excrementious solid substances 

 used as manures, one of the most powerful is 

 the dung of birds that feed on animal food, 

 particularly the dung of sea birds. Aighi 

 soil, it is well known, is a very powerful ma- 

 nure, and very liable to decompose. It differs 

 in its composition ; but always abounds in sub- 

 stances composed of carbon, hydrogen, azote, 

 and oxygen. A part of it is always soluble in 

 water; and in whatever state it is used, 

 whether recent or fermented, it supplies 

 abundance of food to plants. Thedisagieea- 

 ble smell of night soil may be destroyed by 

 mixing it with quick-lime ; and if exposed to 

 the atmosphere in tiiin layers, strewed over 

 with quick-lime in fine weather, it speedily 

 dries, is easily pulverized, and in this state 

 may be used in the same manner as rape cake, 

 and delivered into the furrow with the seed. 

 The Cliinese, who have more practical know- 

 ledge of the use and application of manures 

 than any other people existing, mix their 

 night soil with one-third of its weight of a 

 fat marl, make it into cakes, and dry it by ex- 

 posure to the sun. These cakes, we are in- 

 formed by the French missionaries, have nc 

 disagreeable smell, and form a common ar- 

 ticle of commerce of the empire. The earth 

 by its absorbent powers probably prevents, tc 

 a certain extent, the action of moisture upor 

 the dung, and likewise defends it from tl» 

 effects of air. 



After night soil, pigeon's dung comeii 

 next in order as to fertilizing power. Thii 

 dung of domestic fowls approaches ven' 

 nearly in its nature to pigeons' dung, and ii 

 very liable to ferment. If the pure dung o 

 cattle is to be used as manure, like the othe 

 species of dung which have been mentioned 

 thera seems no reason why it sliould be madi , 

 to ferment, except in the soil, or if siifferec 

 to ferment, it should be only in a very sligh ' 

 degree. The grass in the neighborhood o 

 recently voided dung, is always coarse an( 

 dark green; some persons have attribute! 

 this to a noxious quality in unfermentec 

 dung; but it seems to bo rather the result Q 

 an excess of food furnished to the plants. 



