INCONVENIENCES OF LIME. . 273 



and qualities so completely, that the operation is commonly and 

 expressively called "burning" the substances acted on. But to 

 use a sufficient quantity of quick-lime to meet and decompose all 

 putrescent animal matters in a town would be intolerably expen- 

 sive, and still more objectionable in other respects. If a cover of 

 dry quick-lime in powder was spread over all the surfaces requiring 

 it for this purpose, the town would be unfit to live in ; and the 

 nuisance would be scarcely less, when rain had changed the suffo- 

 cating dust to an adhesive mortar. Woollen clothing, carpets, and 

 even living flesh, would be continually sustaining injury from the 

 contact. No such objections would attend the use of mild calca- 

 reous earth; and this could be obtained probably for less than one- 

 third of the cost of quick-lime, supposing an equal quantity of 

 pure calcareous matter to be obtained in each case. At this time 

 the richest marl on James river may be obtained at merely the cost 

 of digging, and its carriage by water, which, if undertaken on a 

 large scale, could not exceed, and probably would not equal, two 

 cents the bushel.* 



The putrescent animal matters that would be preserved and ren- 

 dered innoxious by the general marling of the site of a town, would 

 be mostly such are so dispersed and imperceptible that they would 

 otherwise be entirely lost. But all such as are usually saved in 

 part would be doubled in quantity and value, and deprived of their 

 offensive and noxious qualities, by being kept mixed with calcareous 

 earth. The importance of this plan being adopted with the pro- 

 ducts of privies, &c., is still greater in town than country. The 

 various matters so collected and combined should never be applied 

 to the soil alone, as the salt derived from the kitchen, and the pot- 

 ash and soap from the laundry, might be injurious in so concen- 

 trated a form. When the pit for receiving this compound is 

 emptied, the contents should be spread over other and weaker 

 manure before being applied to the field. 



Towns might furnish many other kinds of rich manure, which 

 are now lost entirely. Some of these particularly require the aid 

 of calcareous earth to be secured from destruction by putrefaction, 

 and others, though not putrescent, are equally wasted. The blood 

 of slaughtered animals, and the waste and rejected articles of wool, 

 hair, feathers, skin, horn, and bones, all are manures of great rich- 

 ness. We not only give the flesh of dead animals to infect the 

 air, instead of using it to fertilize the land, but their bones, which 

 might be so easily saved, are as completely thrown away. Bones 

 are composed of phosphate of lime and gelatinous animal matter, 



* Such was the case in 1833 when this part was first published; but 

 now a half cent the bushel is the usual price charged for the best marl, as 

 it lies in the river banks. 



