18 On Liquid Manure. 



Ammonia driven out on boiling (chiefly in the shape of j 



volatile carbonate and some as humate and ulmateofj 108*36 

 ammonia) ) 



* Organic matters and non-volatile ammoniacal salts . . . . 155-44 



* Containing 4 78 grains of nitrogen. 



Mineral matters (ash) 262-81 



Consisting of 



Soluble silica 2'49 



Oxide of iron *70 



Lime 5'34 



Magnesia 2-96 



Potash 103-23 



Chloride of potassium 72*00 



Chloride of sodium 17*18 



Phosphoric acid 2-70 



Sulphuric acid 22-31 



Carbonic acid and loss 33'90 



Total 526-61 



An imperial gallon of this liquid thus contains : 



Total amount of mineral matters 262-81 



non- volatile combustible matters .. 155*44 



nitrogen 94'02 



Which is equal to ammonia 114-16 



It will be seen that the proportion of ammonia in this descrip- 

 tion of liquid manure is very considerable. It is indeed very 

 much greater than in any other kind which I have examined. 

 We may therefore expect that it will produce a powerful effect, 

 more especially upon grass-land. But as carbonate of ammonia 

 is a caustic agent, and acts too energetically when applied 

 to *a standing crop in a liquid so rich in ammonia as the tank 

 liquid from Westonbirt, a considerable quantity of water 

 say three times the bulk of water should be added before 

 the liquid can be applied with safety. It will likewise be 

 noticed that nearly the whole of the nitrogen which originally 

 existed in the urine of horses in the state of urea had been 

 changed into carbonate of ammonia. This change of urea in 

 a liquid containing a variety of other organic matters proceeds 

 with extreme rapidity. Urea, an organic compound consisting 

 of two equivalents of carbon, two of oxygen, two of nitrogen, 

 and four of hydrogen, has only to take up the elements of four 

 equivalents of water in order to become converted into two equiva- 

 lents of carbonate of ammonia. This change will at once become 

 intelligible by glancing at the following diagrammatic repre- 

 sentation : 



