J. E. TESCHEMACHER'S ADDRESS. 617 



quantities; salt, strewed in small quantity, — this kills insects, 

 prevents fire fanging, and is generally beneficial ; loamy or 

 clayey earth, in quantities dependent on the stiffness owing to 

 the proportion of clay, and this should always be rendered pul- 

 verized by frost ; all brick rubbish, pounded fine : all hair, old 

 woolen rags and refuse of woolen manufactories ; ground or 

 pounded cores of horns, and all animal matters and offals; if 

 dead animals are at hand, they should be divided and dispersed 

 about in the heap ; if they cannot be cut up, they should be 

 opened and three or four quarts of quick lime, according to the 

 size of the animal, put inside — they should then be covered 

 well with bog muck or charcoal ; the lime will soon be very 

 efficient in decomposing them and driving out the ammonia 

 which will be absorbed by the charcoal ; with fish, add lime 

 in moderation, for the same purpose, as well as for neutralizing 

 the oil with which it will form a saponaceous soluble com- 

 pound, and which oil is not of much value as manure. Guano 

 is nothing but fish, which has been decomposed in passing 

 through the stomach of birds, and the bones of fish are rich in 

 phosphates. Phosphate of lime, either in the shape of ground 

 bones, or very finely ground crystalized phosphate of lime, 

 such as has been lately discovered in various parts of this 

 country and elsewhere — this is preferable after it has been 

 treated by oil of vitriol, in the method described in books, for 

 making vitriolized bones ; only 25 per cent, of the weight of oil 

 of vitriol would be better than a larger quantity, as it then 

 would leave a portion of the phdsphate of lime to be naturally 

 decomposed in the soil and come into play, after the more sol- 

 uble phosphates had been used up, one great object being to 

 render this compost as permanently valuable as possible. 



There exists some difference of opinion respecting the quan- 

 tity of sulphuric acid to be added to bone or powdered phos- 

 phate of lime ; some thinking 40 per cent., others 30, and 

 others 20 per cent, the proper amount. It is easy to show that 

 the decision on this point, as well as on many other disputed 

 points respecting manures, depends on the subject we are now 

 discussing, that is, the important one of the mechanical qualities 

 of the soil. The object of adding sulphuric acid to bones or 

 78 



