FARMERS- REGISTER— ON CALCAREOUS MANURES. 



Uut whatever were the products of fermenta- 

 tion saved by this experiment, tlio absence of all 

 offensive effluvia throup,hout tlie process sufficient- 

 ly proved that little or notliing was lost — as every 

 atom must be, when ilesh putrefies in the open 

 air : and I presume that a cover of equal thick- 

 ness, of clay, or sand, or of any mixture of both, 

 without calcareous earth, would have had very lit- 

 tle effect in arresting and retaining the aeriform 

 products of putrefaction. All the circumstances 

 of this experiment, and particularly the g-ood ef- 

 fect exhibited by the manure when put to use, 

 prove the propriety of extending; a similar prac- 

 tice. In the neighborhood of towns, or where- 

 ever else the cai'casses of animals, or any otlier 

 animal substances subject to rapid and wasteful 

 fermentation, can be obtained in great quantity, 

 all their enriching powers might be secui-ed, by 

 depositing them between layers of marl, or calca- 

 reous earth in any other form. On the borders of 

 the Chowan, immense quantities of herrings are 

 often used as manure, when purchasers cannot 

 take off the myriads supplied by the seines. A 

 herring is buried under each corn-hill, and fine 

 crops are thus made as far as this singular mode of 

 manuring is extended. Eut whatever benefits 

 may have been thus derived, the sense of smell- 

 ing, as well as the known chemical products of the 

 process of putrefaction, make it certain that nine 

 tenths of all this rich manure when so applied 

 must be wasted in the air. If those who fortu- 

 nately possess this supply of animal manure, would 

 cause the fermentation to take place and be com- 

 pleted, mixed with and enclosed by marl, in pits 

 of suitable size, they would increase prodigiously 

 botli the amount and permanency of their acting- 

 animal manure, besides obtaining the benefit of 

 the calcareous earth mixed v.ith it. 



But without regai'ding such uncommon, or 

 abundant sources for supplying animal matter, 

 every farmer may considerably increase his stock 

 of putrescent manure, by using the preservative 

 power of marl : and all the substances that migh.t 

 be so saved, are not only no\w lost to the land, but 

 serve to contaminate tlieair while putrefying, and 

 perhaps to engender diseases. The last conside- 

 ration is of most importance to towns, though 

 worthy of attention every wi^.ere. Wiiocver Avill 

 make the trial will be surj)rised to find how much 

 putrescent matter may be collected from the dwel- 

 ling house, kitclien, and laundry of a family ; and 

 which if accumulated (witliout any calcareous 

 earth,) will soon become so offensive as to prove 

 the necessity of putting an end to the practice. — 

 Yet it must be admitted that when all such matters 

 are scattered about (as is usual both in town and 

 country,) over an extended surface, the same putre- 

 faction must ensue, and the same noxious effluvia 

 be evolved, though not enough concentrated to be 

 very offensive, or even always perceptible. The 

 same amount is inhaled — Init in a very diluted 

 state, and in small, though incessantly repeated 

 doses. But if mild calcareous earth in any form 

 (and fossil shells present much the cheapest,) is 

 used to cover and mix with the putrescent matters so 

 collected, they will be prevented from discliarging 

 offensive effluvia, and preserved to enrich thesoii. 

 A malignant and ever acting enemy will be con- 

 verted to a friend and benefactor. 



The usual dispersion and waste of such putres- 

 cent and excremenlitious matters about a furm 



house, though a considerable loss to agriculture, 

 may take place without being very offensive to the 

 senses, or injurious to health. I3ut the case is 

 widely different in towns. There, unless great 

 care is continually used to remove or destroy filth 

 of every kind, ii, soon becomes offensive, if not 

 pestilential. During the last summer, when that 

 most horrible scourge of the human race, the 

 Asiatic cholera, was desolating some of the towns 

 of the United States, and all expected to be visit- 

 ed by its fatal ravages, great and unusual exer- 

 tions were every where used to remove and pre- 

 vent the accumulation of filth, which if alIov,ed to 

 remain, it was supposed Vv'ould invite the approach, 

 and aid the effects of the pestilence. The efforts 

 made for that purpose served to shov/ what a vast 

 amount of putrescent matter existed in every 

 town, and which v.as so rapidly reproduced, that 

 its complete riddance was impossible. Immense 

 quantities of the richest-manures, or materials for 

 them, were washed away into the rivers — caustic 

 lime was used to destroy tlicm — and the chloride 

 of lime to decompose the offensive products of Iheir 

 fermentation, when that had already occurred. All 

 this amount of labor and expense was directed to 

 the complete destruction of what might have given 

 iertility to many adjacent fields, and yet served to 

 cleanse the towns but imperfectly, and for a very 

 short time. Yet the object in view might have 

 been better attained by the previous adoption of 

 the proper means for preserving these putrescent 

 matters instead of destroying them. These means 

 v/ouldbe to mix or cover all accumulations of such 

 matters with rich marl, (which v/ouid be the bet- 

 ter for tlie purpose if its shells Avere in small par- 

 ticles,) and in such quantity as the effect would 

 show to be sufficient. Eut much the greater part 

 of the filth of a town is not, and cannot be accu- 

 mulated ; and from being dispersed, is the most 

 difficult to remove, and is probably the most nox- 

 ious in its usual course of fermentation. This 

 would be guarded against by covering thickly 

 v/ith marl the floor of every cellar and stable, 

 back yard and stable lot. Every other vacant 

 space should be lightly covered. The same course 

 pursued on the gardens and other cultivated grounds, 

 would be sufficiently compensated by tiie increas- 

 ed product that would be obtained : but indepen- 

 dent of that consideration, the manures there ap- 

 plied would be prevented from escaping nito the 

 air — and being wholly retained by the soil, much 

 smaller applications would serve. Tlie streets 

 ought also to be sprinkled with marl, and as often 

 as circumstances miglit require. The various pu- 

 trescent matters usually left in the streets of a 

 town alone serve to make the mud scraped from 

 them a valuable manure ; for the piincipal part of 

 the bulk of street mud is composed merely of the 

 barren clay, brought in upon the wheels of v/agons " 

 from the country. Such a cover of calcareous 

 earth Avould be the most effectual absorbent and 

 preserver of putrescent matter, as well as the 

 cheapest mode of keeping a town always clean. 

 There would be less noxious or offensive effluvia, 

 tlian is genei-atedin spite of all the ordinary means 

 of prevention ; and by scraping up and removing 

 the marl after it had combined v/ith and secured 

 enough of putrescent matter, a compost would be 

 obtained for the use of the surrounding country, 

 so rich and so abundant, that its use would repay 

 a large part, if not the vrholc of the expense in- 



