178 OF MANURE. 



The portion of the dung undissolved by the water 

 yields to alcohol a resinous substance possessing all 

 the characters of gall which has undergone some 

 change ; while the residue possesses the properties 

 of sawdust, from which all soluble matter has been 

 extracted by water, and burns without any smell. 

 100 parts of the fresh dung of a horse being dried at 

 100^ C. (212^ F.) leave from 25 to 30 or 31 parts of 

 solid substances, and contained, accordingly, from 

 69 to 75 parts cf water. From the dried excrements, 

 we obtain, by incineration, variable quantities of salts 

 and earthy matters according to the nature of the 

 food which has been taken by the animal. Macaire 

 and Marcet found 27 per cent, in the dung analyzed 

 by them; I obtained only 10 per cent, from that of 

 a horse fed with chopped straw, oats, and hay. It 

 results then that with from 3900 to 4400 lbs. of fresh 

 horse-dung, corresponding to 110 lbs. of dry dung, 

 we place on the land from 2737 to 3006 lbs. of wa- 

 ter, and from 804 to 992 lbs. of vegetable matter and 

 altered gall, and also from 110 to 297 lbs. of salt 

 and other inorganic substances. 



The latter are evidently the substances to which 

 our attention should be directed, for they are the 

 same which formed the component parts of the hay, 

 straw, and oats with which the horse was fed. Their 



— 500 grains, dried at a heat a little above that of boiling water, lost 

 357 grains of water. The dry mass weighing 143 grains was burned, 

 and left 8 grains of ashes, of which 4-80 grains were soluble in dilute 

 nitric acid, and 320 insoluble. The ashes being analyzed, gave 



Silica 3-2 



Phosphate of lime 0*4 



Carbonate of lime 1'5 



Phosphate of magnesia and soda . . 29 



80 

 It consists, then, of the following ingredients : — 



Water 3570 



Vegetable fibre and animal matter . 1350 



Sihca 3-2 



Phosphate of lime . . . . 4 



Carbonate of lime . . . . .1-5 

 Phosphate of magnesia and soda . . 2*9 



5000 



