MANURES 85 



der all equal circumstances except the quality 

 of the natural soil, which should have varied in 

 particulars of composition, tenacity, silicious, 

 calcareous and other natural admixtures. 



The refuse from Sugar Refineries has been 

 considered a powerful manure, particularly 

 from those where animal charcoal or burnt and 

 pulverized bone is used in the process — and 

 this refuse has been carried at great expense 

 from the Refineries at St. Petersburg to the 

 South of France for the purpose of manuring 

 the Vineyards. It consists of carbon and phos- 

 phate of lime in exceedingly minute division, 

 also of vegetable mucilage, the vegetable 

 coloring matter of sugar which is probably 

 carbon in another state, and a portion of 

 saccharine juice. 



The carbon may be converted into carbonic 

 acid and received into a plant for the purpose 

 of being afterwards decomposed and depositing 

 its carbon there, tlie phosphate of lime we 

 know from the action of bone manure is very 

 powerful, and in this case is so very finely 

 divided that its action must be rapid. Of the 

 effect of the mucilage, I am ignorant, whether 

 being vegetable it is capable of being converted 

 into gcine or not, but I suspect not as it re- 

 8 



