308 



TALKS OX MANURES. 



NIGHTSOIL AND SEWAGE. 



The composition of human excrements, as compared with the 

 mean composition of the excrements from horses, cows, sheep, and 

 swine, so far as the nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash are con- 

 cerned, is as follows : 



TABLE SHOWING THE AMOUNT OF NITROGEN, PHOSPHORIC ACID, AND POTASH, 



IN ONE TON OF FRESH HUMAN EXCREMENTS, AND IN ONE TON OF FRESH 



EXCREMENTS FROM HORSES, COWS, SHEEP, AND SWINE. 



One ton of fresh faeces contains more than twice as much nitro- 

 gen, and more than three times as much phosphoric acid, as a ton 

 of fresh mixed animal-dung. The nitrogen, too, is probably in a 

 more available condition than that in common barnyard-dung ; 

 and we should not be far wrong in estimating 1 ton of faeces equal 

 to 2$ tons of ordinary dung, or about equal in value to carefully 

 preserved manure from liberally-fed sheep, swine, and fattening 

 cattle. 



" It is an unpleasant job," said the Deacon, " but it pays well to 

 empty the vaults at least twice a year." 



" If farmers," said the Doctor, " would only throw into the vaults 

 from time to time some dry earth or coal ashes, the contents of 

 the vaults could be removed without any disagreeable smell." 



" That is so," said I, " and even where a vault has been shame- 

 fully neglected, and is full of offensive matter, it can be cleaned 

 out without difficulty and without smell. I have cleaned out a 

 large vault in an hour. We were drawing manure from the yards 

 with three teams and piling it in the field. We brought back a load 

 of sand and threw half of it into the vault, and put the other half 

 on one side, to be used as required. The sand and fa3ces were then, 

 with a long-handled shovel, thrown into the wagon, and drawn to 

 the pile of manure in the field, and thrown on to the pile, not more 

 than two or three inches thick. The team brought back a load of 

 sand, and so we continued until the work was done. Sand or dry 

 earth is cheap, and we used all that was necessary to prevent the 

 escape of any unpleasant gases, and to keep the material from ad- 

 hering to the shovels or the wagon. 



44 Human urine," said the Doctor, "is richer hi phosphoric acid, 



