314 



NEU ENGLAND FARMER 



APRIL 3, 184' 



DANA'S PRIZK ESSAY ON MANURES. 

 Section Ninth. 



(Continued.) 



Much lias been said nboiit tanks, and vats, and 

 tirine-pHs, and many p)ans devised for preventing 

 the escape of volatile ammonia. Mut when once 

 the action of ammonia upon mould is understood, 

 as we have already pointed it out, I am persnadcd, 

 reader, that these tanks, and vats, and urine-carts, 

 will appear to you not only expensive and ciimber- 

 some, but useless. Your first point is, to save 

 your ammonia, your second is, never to use urine 

 in its caustic or burning state. If you do, you 

 will as assuredly burn your crop, as the puddle 

 formed by a cow burns the rjrass upon which she 

 empties her walcrinj-pot. Here (he urine form- 

 in<» caustic ammonia acts as would caustic potash, 

 or a lump of stone lime, left to slake npon the 

 grass. You want to chanj^e this burning or caus- 

 tic ammonia into mild smmonia, or to combine it 

 with some substance which has not only that ef- 

 fect, but also keeps it from flying away. Unless 

 you understand, then, the principles of these ac- 

 tioo'i, and apply thoin too, your labor is all vanity, 

 when you attempt to save your own or cattle's 

 urine. 



These principles are, in number, two. First, 

 the principle which changes caustic to mild ammo- 

 nia, is carbonic acid derived from air, or decompo- 

 sing mould. Second, the principles which render 

 ammonia less volatile, or wholly fixed, are certain 

 acids formed in mould, as sour mould, or certain 

 salts which give up their acid to the ammonia. 

 Plaster of Paris does this, by changing its lime for 

 ammonia. Now let us go into the rea.*on of this 

 a little, and see if we can understand it. Very 

 slowly and supposing moisture present, the oil of 

 vitruil of tlie plaster quits its lime and unites to 

 the ammonia, and so changes a volatile into a fix- 

 ed salt. Now this i.i a change which has been of 

 late much insisted on, and the practice recommen- 

 ded of strewing the stable and barn-cellars, and 

 even the privie.i, with plaster, to save the ammo- 

 nia which escapes in these places. But it is doubt- 

 ful whelher the saving is as great as is usually 

 supposed, for the ammonia arising from the urine 

 18 caustic, it flie.-i of as caustic ammonia, that has 

 no effect upon plaster. To produce this mutual 

 effect of ammonia and plaster, the caustic ammo- 

 nia must previously have been made mild. How- 

 ever, this plan is applicable only on a email scale. 

 Copperas, alum, common salt, potashes, and wood- 

 ashes, all act to fix the volatile ammonia, and have 

 all been recommended for this purpose. But it is 

 easily seen, that, in employing some of these sub- 

 atances, is to buy ammonia almost at apothecary's 

 price. These practices will be followed, there- 

 fore, only by those who place the crop and its va- 

 lue upon ammonia. This ia a limited and narrow 

 view. The true and farmer-like, as well as the 

 most scientific and natural mode of preserving the 

 smmonia of urine, is to fill your yards and barn- 

 cellars with plenty of mould ; by which I mean 

 truly decayed and decaying vegetable matter, as 

 well as loain. There is no mode more effectual, 

 no mode more economical. Consider now for a 

 moment how mould formed and forming, and am- 

 monia act. Have I not said again and again, that 

 (imnmnia hastens decay? makes mould more easily 

 dissolvi'd ? and cooks the food of plants.' That 

 action having occurred during its progress, acids 

 were formed. The ammonia unites with them, lo- 



ses its burning properties, and becomes fixed. 

 The acids having been satisfied, the ammonia is 

 actually imbibed and retained by mould. 



It does not drink it in like a sponge, but the 

 mould forms a peculiar chemical compound with 

 ammoni.i. This peculiar compound, while it does 

 not render the mould an easily dissolvid matter, 

 yet holds ammonia by so feeble a fon-e, that it ea- 

 sily yields to the power of growing plants. It 

 gives up the stored ammonia at the place where, 

 and the time when, it is most wanted. If you re- 

 member these actions of niould and ammonia, it 

 will be as plain as day, that what we have said 

 of the inexpediency and expense of vats and tanks, 

 and urine-carts, must not only be true, but is con- 

 firmed by the experience of a host of hard-work- 

 ing, thinking, practical men. In connection with 

 urine, the dung of birds, for instance, domestic 

 fowls of all kinds, and pigerms, may be here men- 

 tioned. These animals di-charge their solids and 

 what we may term their liquids together. Their 

 urea cornes out combined with or forming part of 

 their dung. Now reflecting a moment on the na- 

 ture of their food, strongly nitrogenous, being seeds, 

 grains)., &c., or animals, bugs, grasshoppers, &c., 

 we can understand why their droppings are pecu- 

 liarly rich in ammonia and salts. The strongest 

 of all manures is found in the droppings of the 

 poultry-yard. 



But since these form but a small portion of the 

 farmer's stock, and are never regarded as a princi- 

 pal 8our<e of manure, their further consideration 

 may be omitted. It may perhaps be here added, 

 that as from their nature bird-droppings run quick- 

 ly into fermentation, with warmth and moisture, 

 so they act quickly and are quickly done. They 

 are more allied to sheep dung than to other ma- 

 nures. Their mould not being ■jreat, droppings of 

 poultry require to be mixed with decayed vegeta- 

 ble matter, or loam. To this class belongs the 

 manure orought from the Pacific Ocean, under 

 the name of Guano, a Sfia.iish word for excrement. 

 New England farmers can find cheaper sources of 

 salts, to which the main value of guano is owing, 

 and therefore, reader, we shall detain you no lon- 

 ger on this point. 



Section Tenth. 

 Mineral Sails or Manures. 



Having thus considered the salts derived from 

 the animal, let us now proceed to those derived 

 from the mineral kingdom. Among these we shall 

 find some whose action is similar to that of the 

 animal salts. That is, they are true nourishers of 

 plants. 



They afford, by the action of the growing plant, 

 the same elements as the animal salts. Of this 

 nature is saltpetre. Now, reader, I want you to 

 understand by saltpetre, not only that well-known 

 substance, but also that which has lately been 

 much used in farming, South American saltpetre. 

 This differs from common saltpetre by changing its 

 potash for soda. One step more ; I want you to 

 understand by saltpetre, not one salt, but, in farm- 

 ing, a class of salts ; that is, a number, having the 

 same acid, which may be combined with several 

 different bases which all act one way. Saltpetre 

 being a salt, of course must be composed of an 

 acid and base. The acid ia always aqua-forlis or 

 nitric acid. The base may be potash, or soda, or 

 lime, or ammonia. 'J'hese all may be called salt- 

 petre. In forming saltpetre, it is generally that 



variety which contains lime and aquafortis wh 

 is procured. So far as we understand the acli 

 of salts, and this has been fully explained, the | 

 tiou of the varieties of saltpetre is the same ; i 

 were it not for the peculiar nature of I ho aqua.f 

 tis or acid ijf saltpetre, the explanation of the 

 tion of this salt might be referred to the gt oi 

 laws above set forth. But the acid of saitpclr 

 composed of volatile ingredients. It is nutli 

 more nor less than a compound of the common 

 we breathe. Surprising as it may seem, rea 

 yet it is not the less true, the common air is an, 

 ture of oxygen and nitrogen. What a bland 

 harmless, yea, what a healthful blessing is air, 

 only to us but to plants! It is a mere mixture, 

 a chemical compound, a mere mixture. In ev 

 hundred partH, eighty of nitrogen, twenty of c 

 gen. Yet if you compel, as natural operations 

 continually compelling the air to unite cliPinicn 

 so that fourteen parts of nitrogen shall unite 

 forty parts of oxygen, you will form aqua-fo 

 Now I do not mean to trouble your head furl 

 with the chemistry of saltpetre, tlian merch 

 say, that having thus shown you the composii 

 and origin of the acid of all kinds of saltpetre, 

 will readily see, that a substance which affc 

 such an abundance of nitrogen, cannot but be 

 neficial to plants. This nitrogen may and pre 

 hly docs form some portion of ammonia in the : 

 It may enter rs nitrogen into the plants dissol 

 in water as a very weak aqua-fortis. 



We have said so much upon the action of 

 monia and nitrogen, that you will perceive I 

 important a part nitre is likely to play in man 

 Not only does the nitrogen act here, but toe o 

 gen, the other component of the acid, also a 

 It acts upon the mould as air itself would, 

 side.s, the mould of soil and manure imbibes 

 condenses this oxygen in its pores, and e(u 

 qucnlly heats a little ; so that saltpetre, whet 

 added as such to soil, or formed in manure, as i 

 always, helps to warm a little the soil, like 

 menting manure. So far as these effects are 

 sirable they may be expected from the use of s 

 petre. But this, reailer, if you buy your saltpe 

 is procuring a small effect at a great price. 'I 

 action of the alkali of saltpetre is not differ 

 from alkali in other shapes ; and therefore if 

 have money to lay out for salts, let nie advif! y 

 reader, to spend it rather for ashes than for Si 

 petre. 



(To be continued.) 



Poverty. — Poverty is a great evil in any stati 

 life ; but poverty is never felt so severely as 

 those who have, to use a common phrase, 'si 

 better days.' The poverty of the poor is mist 

 but it is endurable misery ; it can bear 

 sight of men. The poverty of the formerly 

 fluent is unendurable ; it avoids the light of 

 day, and shuns the sympathy of those who wo 

 relieve It ; it preys upon the heart and corro 

 the mind ; it screws up every nerve to such en 

 tremity of tension, that one cool look, the aver 

 eye even of a casual acquaintance known in pi 

 perity, snaps the cord at once, and leaves the s 

 despised object of it a mere wreck of a man. 



Mr Jonn. Perry, of Dover, tells us that lamp 

 will kill warts on cows' teats — apply it sevf 

 days in succession. If other formers find this 

 ectual, they will oblige by sending us additio 

 testimony. — Mass. Ploughman. 



