WHAT IS MANUilE? 19 



CHAPTER II. 

 WHAT IS MANURE? 



" What is the good of asking such a question as that ? " said the 

 Deacon ; " we all know what manure is." 



" Well, then," I replied, " tell us what it is?" 



" It is anything that will make crops grow better and bigger" re- 

 plied the Deacon. 



" That is not a bad definition," said I ; " but let us see if it is a 

 true one. You have two rows of cabbage in the garden, and you 

 water one row, and the plants grow bigger and better. Is water 

 manure ? You cover a plant with a hand-glass, and it grows big- 

 ger and better. Is a hand-glass manure ? You shelter a few 

 plants, and they grow bigger and better. Is shelter manure ? 

 You put some pure sand round a few plants, and they grow big- 

 ger and better. Is pure sand manure ? I think we shall have to 

 reject the Deacon's definition." 



Let us hear what the Doctor has to say on the subject. 



" Manure," replied the Doctor, " is the food of plants.'" 



" That is a better definition," said I ; " but this is really not 

 answering the question. You say manure is plant-food. But 

 what is plant-food ?" 



" Plant-food," said the Doctor, " is conipossd of twclvo ele- 

 ments, and, possibly, sometimes one or two more, which we need 

 not here talk about. Four of these elements are gases, oxygen, 

 hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen. When a plant or animal is 

 burnt, these gases are driven off. The ashes which remain are 

 composed of potash, soda, lime, and magnesia; sulphuric acid, 

 phosphoric acid, chlorine, and silica. In other words, the ' food 

 of plants ' is composed of four organic, or gaseous elements, and 

 eight inorganic, or mineral elements, of which four have acid and 

 four alkaline properties." 



" Thank you, Doctor," said the Deacon, " I am glad to know 

 what manure is. It is the food of plants, and the food of plants 

 is composed of four gases, four acid and four alkaline elements. 

 I seem to know all about it. All I have wanted to make my land 

 rich was plenty of manure, and now I shall know where to get 

 it oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen ; these four atmos- 

 pheric elements. Then potash, soda, magnesia, and lime. I 

 know what these four are. Then sulphur, phosphorous, silica 



