FARMERS' REGISTER— ANALYSES OF SHELLS. 



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politicians determine. Within the last three or 

 four years, I learn, tliat several thousand laborers 

 have engaged in manufactories of one sorter other. 



5. Having utterly wearied myself with the 

 length of this article, I beg pardon of the reader — 

 if there be any — who shall have waded thus far 

 into it. Being astounded by the magnitude, and 

 lost in the intricacies of the remaining part of the 

 subject, we shall say but little on it. Admitting 

 that slave labor is less profitable than free labor 

 might be, what shall we do with the negroes.' For 

 an answer to this question, shall we go to those for 

 advice, who are perfectly ignorant of the subject.' 

 Shall we sell the slaves to traders.' JVIany of us 

 have purchased them at exorbitant prices, pure- 

 ly to save them from the clutches of these gentry. 

 Shall we turn them loose among ourselves.'' This 

 would be ruin to them, to us, and our children, 

 and treason to our country. Shall we send them 

 to Africa.' Where are the means.' Professor Dew 

 has most ably demonstrated this to be impossible, 

 and I am glad that Mr. Duff Green has stereo- 

 typed the essay, and sells it at only six dollars per 

 hundred. Our merchants should scatter it through 

 the land. In this age of crusading benevolence, 

 there are some, whose charity, instead of begin- 

 ning at home, never was there — it is eveV wander- 

 ing to distant regions enchanted liy the vast scope 

 of its own excursions. Whatever be the designs 

 of these people, their conduct tends more to inter- 

 meddle with, and diminish the comforts of tiieir 

 beneficiaries, than to remove their burthens. But 

 glorying in their desire to do good, they care not 

 lor consequences, or the means used. 



The mutual ties between master and slave are 

 much weakened, and we shall be compelled to 

 draw the reins of discipline much tighter than 

 heretofore. But it should be done in mercy and 

 in kindness. Every good farmer should, at least 

 once a daj', see each one of the brute animals on 

 his farm. How much more are we bound, con- 

 stantly to attend to the comfort of our slaves ! We 

 should preserve a daily intercourse of dignified 

 firmness, and humanity with them — watch over 

 their moral and religious instruction, and keep no 

 more than we can faithfully superintend. This 

 seems to be the onl}' way open, to diminish the 

 evils of our condition. In the developemcnts of 

 futurity something better may be indicated. 



M. N. 



CHEMICAL, ANALYSIS OF SHELLS. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



TVilliam and Mary, January '21, 1834. 



My Dear Sir, — The inquiry contained in your 

 last letter, has induced me to make a number of 

 analyses of recent, as well as fossil shells. In 

 these experiments, besides determining the quan 

 tity of animal matter present, to which your inquiry 

 peculiarly referred, I have also aimed at an exact 

 estimation of the other substances existing in the 

 various shells, submitted toanalysis. This, though 

 not a difficult, is a tedious and laborious species of 

 research, and could not be carried out to the extent 

 of a full investigation, without the devotion of 

 much time to patient and reiterated experiment. 



I therefore have the subject still on hand, as oc- 

 casion enables me to pursue it ; and shall from 

 time to time, transmit such processes and results, 

 as you may deem interesting to the readers of the 



Register. At present, I propose merely to give you 

 a sketch of some analyses of the recent oyster shell 

 which I have lately completed ; and which, if I 

 may be allowed to conclude, from the great care 

 bestowed upon every stiige of the examination, 

 are entitled to be looked upon as accurate. 



Mr. Ilatchett, a distinguished English chemist, 

 was the first who undertook a systematic investi- 

 gation of the chemical composition of bones, shells, 

 and other analogous substances. His numerous 

 analyses, established the general result that shell 

 and bone, in their various modifications, constitute 

 two distinct genera — both of them containing ani- 

 mal matter — indurated in the one case, by carbo- 

 nate, and in the other by phosphate of lime. The 

 shells of many marine animals, and several Zoo- 

 phytes, he found to occupy an intermediate rank, 

 containing animal matter, with variable propor- 

 tions of bnih ihe calcareous salts. The observa- 

 tions of this eminent experimenter, appear in the 

 main to be correct — but in some of his details, es- 

 pecially in regard to the oyster shell, he seems to 

 have fallen into error. Murray in his analysis of 

 llatchett's labors, speaking of the animal matter 

 contained in shells — remarks that " this substance 

 often constitutes a large part of the shell, as in that 

 of the oyster or muscle" — a statement which has 

 since been disproved by the analysis of Bucholtz 

 and Brandos, in Germany, as reported in the late 

 work of Berzelius, and with which the results 

 about to be detailed, are entirely inconsistent. As 

 you have yourself remarked, this is a question of 

 some interest in the agricultural application of the 

 shell, since the form in which it may be most use- 

 fully employed as a manure, will depend upon the 

 quantity of animal matter which it contains. You 

 will perceive by the following analysis, that the 

 proportion of this ingredient, is so minute, as to 

 render it unworthy of estimation, in comparing the 

 different modes in which the shell may be applied. 



The shells submitted to analysis, were of middle 

 size, had been some weeks opened, and were per- 

 fectly dry, and as clean as they could be made by 

 washing in coldwater with much friction. There 

 was, therefore, a small portion of the dark colored 

 substance usually attached to shells, adhering to 

 their cuter surface, and this was intentionally per- 

 mitted to remain. It did not, however, form one 

 half per cent, of the entire mass. 



The shells were first pulverized in a Wed"-e- 

 wood mortar, and to obtain a fine powder, the pul- 

 verized mass was thrown upon a very fine sieve 

 and the larger grains returned for the renewed ac- 

 tion of the pestle. The temperature of the room 

 was about 60°, and the dryness of the atmos- 

 phere, pretty uniform throughout the analysis. 



1. Two specimens of the powdered oyster shell 

 each weighing 200 grains at the temperature 60°, 

 were enclosed separately, in small glass matrasses 

 of known weight with long necks. The matrasses 

 were placed on a sand bath, and exposed some 

 time to a temperature of 200°, this having been 

 found by previous trial, to be about the highest 

 temperature which the substance would bear with- 

 out a change of color indicative of incipient de- 

 composition. A considerable dew collected in the 

 neck of each vessel, and by continuing the heat 

 this accumulated moisture was entirely expelled. 

 Without removing the contents, the flasks were 

 accurately weighed. The difference of weight of 

 each flask and its contents before and after the 



