THE MAGAZINE 



OF 



HORTICULTURE. 



OCTOBER, 1844. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Art. I. Notes on Agricultural and Horticultural Ch&mis- 

 try. By Robert Carmichael, Newton, Mass. 



(Continutd from page 326. J 



Layers of the difFerent materials, mentioned at page 325, 

 being collected into heaps, should, after laying for several 

 weeks, be carefully worked up and moistened, if necessary, 

 with urine, dung water, lye obtained from the soap manu- 

 facturers, or gas water; and care must always be taken to 

 preserve the ammonia disengaged by those substances. 



This frequent stirring and working the heaps has the 

 advantage of bringing the substances better together and 

 mixing them more thoroughly; it has likewise the addi- 

 tional advantage of facihtating decomposition by contact of 

 the materials with atmospheric air, and, what is also very 

 important, keeps the heap loose, permitting a free access to 

 oxygen, by which means nitric acid is formed by the or- 

 ganic remains, containing nitrogen. When thoroughly 

 well prepared compost is made, it can at once be applied 

 without injury to the roots of plants, and speedily im- 

 proves vegetable nourishment, in consequence of its compre- 

 hending all the materials of manure in a small compass. 

 Those substances upon which plants feed are thus brought, 

 without difliculty, into that condition which is most advan- 

 tageous to plants. 



If then all the advantages of compost are considered, it 

 will become obvious that they are so important that no 

 opportunity of preparing it should be omitted. It is a com- 

 mon practice amongst some, to expose their manure heaps 

 too much to the action of the air, at the certain sacrifice of 



VOL. X, NO. X. 46 



