NUTRITIVE MANURES. 61 



the property of being easily soluble in water. This sub- 

 stance has received the name of animal sweat ; the water 

 in which wool has been washed contains so much of it, as 

 to make it very valuable as a manure. 



I saw, thirty years since, a wool merchant in Montpel- 

 lier, who had placed his wash-house for wool in the midst 

 of a field, a great part of which he had transformed into 

 a garden. In watering his vegetables he had used no 

 other water than that of the washings ; and the beauty 

 of his productions was so great, as to render his garden 

 a place of general resort. The Genoese collect with care, 

 in the south of France, all they can find of shreds and 

 rags of woollen fabrics, to place at the foot of their olive 

 trees. 



According to the analysis of M. Vauquelin, this animal 

 sweat is a soapy substance, consisting of a base of potash, 

 with an excess of oily matter, and containing, besides, 

 some acetate of potash, a little of the carbonate and of 

 the muriate of the same base, and a scented animal 

 matter. 



The dung of birds is another very valuable manure ; 

 differing from that of quadrupeds in the food's being better 

 digested; in containing more animal m^itter, being richer 

 in salts, and affording some of the principles which are 

 found in the urine of four-footed animals. 



The dung of those sea-fowls, which are so numerous in 

 the islands of the Pacific ocean, and of which the excre- 

 ment furnishes an important article of commerce with 

 South America, as, according to the accounts of M. Hum- 

 boldt, they import into Peru fifty shiploads of it annually, 

 contains, besides a great quantity of uric acid partly satu- 

 rated by ammonia and potash, some phosphate of lime, of 

 ammonia, and of potash, as well as some oily matter. 

 Davy found the dung of a cormorant to contain some uric 

 acid. 



The good effects resulting from the use of pigeons' 

 dung, in our country, has caused it to be carefully collected. 

 One hundred parts of this, when fresh, yielded to Davy 

 twenty-five parts of matter soluble in water, whilst the same, 

 after having undergone putrefaction, gave but eight ; 

 whence this able chymist concluded, with reason, that it 

 was necessary to employ it before being fermented. This 

 is a warm manure, and may be scattered by the hand 

 6 



