Farmyard Manure. 1 



A delicate reddened litmus paper held over the fresh-mixed 

 dung was not affected at first ; but after the lapse of a couple 

 of hours, the red colour was slightly changed into blue, thus 

 showing that this fresE dung contained but a very small quan- 

 tity of free or, properly speaking, volatile carbonate of am- 

 monia ; for it is in the state of carbonate, and never in a free and 

 uncombined form, that ammonia is given off from putrefying 

 substances. 



I have endeavoured to determine quantitatively the amount 

 of volatile compounds of ammonia in fresh manure, by distilling 

 about 1000 grs., mixed with about 8 ounces of water, into a 

 vessel containing dilute hydrochloric acid. This glass vessel 

 was connected air-tight with the retort on the one hand, and on 

 the other with a bulb apparatus, used in nitrogen combustions, 

 and containing likewise dilute hydrochloric acid. By this means 

 very small quantities of volatile arnmoniacal compounds may be 

 thoroughly fixed, and obtained, on evaporation of the acid, in the 

 receiving vessel and bulb apparatus as chloride of ammonium. In 

 this and the following analyses the amount of ammonia in the 

 volatile ammoniacal compounds contained in manure is given, 

 and, for brevity's sake, called free ammonia. At the same time 

 I have endeavoured to ascertain the proportion of ammonia which, 

 after the volatile ammonia compounds are distilled off, remains 

 behind in the manure in a fixed state. This portion is mentioned 

 in the analyses as ammonia in the state of salts. Both the free 

 ammonia, and ammonia in the form of salts, are included in the 

 determinations of the total amount of nitrogen (ammonia) con- 

 tained in the manure. 



The fresh manure analysed on the 3rd of November, 1854, 

 contained in its natural state, and when perfectly dry 



In Natural State. Calculated Dry. 



Per centage of free ammonia -034 -10 



ammonia in the state of salts '088 -26 



The amount of volatile ammonia, as well as ready formed am- 

 monia, existing in the form of ammoniacal salts in fresh manure, 

 thus appears to be very trifling. 



Since there exists no complete, trustworthy analysis of the ash 

 of fresh farmyard manure, I thought it advisable to analyse sepa- 

 rately the soluble and the insoluble portion of the inorganic 

 matters present in farmyard manure. 



One hundred parts of the solubje inorganic matters in fresh 

 farmyard manure were found to have the subjoined compo- 

 sition : 



c2 



