150 



On the Preparation and Use of Manures. 



Vol. VIII. 



garden, are now as anxious to save this re- 

 fuse matter as they were before to get rid 

 of it." The oily or sweaty matter on un- 

 washed wool, is a soapy substance, having a 

 base of potash, with an excess of oily mat- 

 ter, with slight traces of the carbonate and 

 muriate of potash, all valuable as manures; 

 and as all are easily soluble in water, such 

 water should never be lost. A wool mer- 

 chant at Montpelier, had his washing house 

 in the midst of a field, the greater part of 

 which he had, by the use of tliis wash, with 

 which he watered his plants, transformed 

 into a fine garden. The experiments made 

 by Judge Buel and by Mr. Bement, with 

 hog's bristles and horn shavings, were con- 

 clusive as to the value of these substances 

 for manures. In short, as all substances of 

 this nature are nearly pure gelatine, with a 

 slight addition of the phosphates of lime, it 

 is evident their decay must furnish an abun 

 dant supply of ammonia to plants, and there- 

 fore render them valuable as a manure. 



Liquid manure. — There is but one other 

 manure of animal origin to which it will be 

 necessary to allude in this place, and that is 

 urine, or as it is commonly called, liquid 

 manure. Analysis proves that this is a sub- 

 stance peculiarly rich in materials required 

 by plants, and experience enforces the re- 

 sults of analysis ; yet not one farmer in a 

 thousand, makes an effort to convert this 

 mine of riches to any account, but the whole 

 is most generally lost to him. Dr. Dana 

 gives the following as the constituents of 

 cattle urine, which may stand as the type 

 of all others, though human urine and that 

 of the horse, differ from this in the character 

 and quantity of some of the salts contained 

 in them : 



Water, 65. 



Urea, 5. 



Bone dust, 5. 



Sal ammoniac and muriate of potash, 15. 



Sulphate of potash 6. 



Carbonate of potash and ammonia, 4. 



100. 



Value of Urine. — Compared with cattle 

 dung, it will be seen that while that gives 

 only 2 lbs. of carbonate of ammonia to 100 

 lbs. of dung, the urine gives 5Jbs. of ammo- 

 nia in its urea, and nearly three times that 

 amount in the other ammoniacal salts. 

 One third of urine is composed of salts, 

 whose action on vegetation is of the most 

 energetic and favourable kind ; and yet there 

 are thousands who call themselves pretty 

 good farmers, who use all reasonable pre- 

 caution to preserve the solid parts of their 

 animal inanures, that have never made an 

 eflx)rt to save that which is of far the great- 

 est value, the liquid part. But it must not 



be forgotten, that soils must contain decayed 

 organic matter or humus, for these salts to 

 act upon, otherwise liquid manure or pure 

 urine can do no good. Where the wash of 

 the barn-yard and stables is saved, the loss 

 of a large part of the urine is prevented ; 

 but when, as is too often the case, this is 

 wholly lost, not only is the urine thrown 

 away, but a large part of the soluble humus 

 of the manure accompanies it. It is an ex- 

 cellent plan, therefore, to have some reser- 

 voir for the reception of such liquid matters 

 as would otherwise be lost. If this cannot 

 be done, cover the bottom of your yards with 

 muck, or even common loam, as this will 

 absorb g^d retain much of the urine and 

 liquid matters of the dung. Experience 

 has demonstrated that a load of loam, satu- 

 rated with urine, has a more powerful effect 

 on vegetation, than the same quantity of 

 best rotted stable manure. Human urine is 

 richer in salts useful to vegetation than any 

 other, containing, according to Dr. Thomp- 

 son, in 1000 parts, 42^ lbs. of salts. The 

 .slightest attention on the part of the farmer, 

 might prevent the loss of this ; and many a 

 load of swamp muck, or loam mixed with 

 gypsum, might, when saturated with urine, 

 be added to his available manures. Liquid 

 manures, or rather urine, differs much in 

 the salts it contains, according as the food 

 is rich or otherwise. " White turnips gives 

 a weaker urine than the Swedish, and green 

 grass is worse than either," according to Dr. 

 Dana. Turner and Liebig found that the 

 urine of fattening animals is richer in salts 

 than that of store animals. Indeed, the law 

 so well known with regard to solids, that the 

 richer the food the more valuable the dung, 

 it is probable holds good in regard to the 

 urine also. 



Soot. — Soot is a valuable manure, pecu- 

 liarly rich in humus as well as salts, and in 

 its composition more nearly allied to the 

 solid substance of animals, than any thing 

 else. It contains of humus or geine, 30.70, 

 of nitrogen 20., and of salts of lime 25.31 

 parts in 100. It also abounds in salts of 

 soda, potash and ammonia. According to 

 the analysis of Dr. Dana, 100 lbs. of soot 

 contains ?s many of the valuable salts as a 

 ton of cow dung, and its nitrogen, compared 

 with that manure, is as 40 to 1. The ordi- 

 nary farmer can make but little use of soot, 

 as it is not to be had in the country in any 

 considerable quantities; but those in the vi- 

 cinity of cities may avail themselves of this 

 manure with much profit. For the gardener 

 or the floriculturist, soot is an excellent ma- 

 nure; but care must be taken not to use it 

 too freely, as we have known tender garden 

 plants at once destroyed by too liberal appli- 



