142 Observations on Liebig's " Organic Chemist ri/.'" 



ammonia given off. Linseed cake is similar. Malt dust, the 

 refuse of the sprung radicles, contains vegetable matter, mostly 

 sugar, a highly concentrated food, and may be diluted. Peat 

 may increase the quantity of manure largely, if fermented with 

 hot fermenting stable dung. Quicklime will commence de- 

 composition in it, but will not carry it on so well, and absorbs 

 the carbonic acid. Refuse of herrings and other fish contains 

 soft animal substances and small bones, and decay proceeds very 

 fast ; it also contains a good deal of oil, and potash or wood 

 ashes in powder should be added to make the oil soluble. The 

 small branches and leaves contain most alkali, and are fittest for 

 ashes, which should be burnt and reduced to powder. As the 

 soft animal matters are easily soluble, they should be mixed with 

 earth to absorb. The virtues of night soil, human fasces, and 

 its powerful fertilising effects, have been already pointed out; 

 also of urine. According to Berzelius, there is more than 10 

 per cent of vegetable, animal, and extractive matter in human 

 faeces, besides salt 1-2 per cent, and insoluble matter 14*7: water 

 73-3. There is much loss in those manures, by being mixed 

 with large spongy absorbing cinders from domestic fires ; these 

 should be sifted to fine powder, or kept by themselves : there is 

 much more loss in this way than is generally known. As there 

 is generally sulphur in mineral coal, the powder is likely to con- 

 tain carbonates and sulphates of potash, and perhaps lime. The 

 dung of swine is allowed to be as good as dairy or stable 

 manure, if not better, when bedded with straw; but there is great 

 loss in this manure from being mixed with coal ashes, and the 

 swine bedded with sawdust from fir- wood. This will keep for 

 years without becoming soluble; the want of oxygen in the resin, 

 to carry on putrefaction, is the cause. It would be a great profit 

 to pay the people for the sawdust, to keep the manure by ifself ; 

 it does much harm by absorption, in place of good. The dung 

 of domestic fowls, and that of rabbits, sheep, &c., are all allowed 

 to be very strong. I do not recollect any particular analysis of 

 these: they ferment readily, and should be mixed with other 

 substances if kept long. 



Mild lime is valuable in soils, as retaining water, keeping 

 open, and increasing heat; quicklime, as tendmg to commence 

 decay in undecomposed substances. In some soils with a 

 superabundance of carbonic and other acids it will be useful 

 to neutralise these, but it may do harm wiiere there is little 

 organic matter; mild lime would be best there. Lime is said 

 to be most valuable when united to humic acid. The value of 

 this might be tested by mixing moss vi^ater with quicklime. 

 There is humic acid in all moss water; and, though in small 

 quantity, ^joo P''^*'^ humate of lime would be formed. From 

 Sir H. Davy's experiments in mixing quicklime and tanners' 



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