98 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Vol. . 



Scientific Agriculture."LetterlV.~Maiinre8. 



The value of nmmonincal liqi'or produced from the 

 istillnlion of coal for gas beinj lully aecertaiiied. 

 'it seemed to be desirable to make a composition which 

 besides other actions, should produce the liijuur or a 

 good substitute fur it, with the additional adTonlage, 

 that it should, by its very gradual decomposition, sup- 

 ply the ammonia slowly and in email portions at a 

 time. Let ua examine how these conditions are ful- 

 filled in this new artificial manure. It is now admit- 

 ted on all hands, that coal is of vegetable oi igin ; in 

 other words, that it is formed from the dense forests 

 of the primeval ages, buried and carbonized by heat 

 under immense pressure, and also that all vegetable 

 substances contain n small portion nf azote or nitro- 

 gen. Now saw-dust is the basis of this new manure, 

 and wood is the basis of coal, according to Liebig ; 

 also vegetable substances when decayed from humus. 

 This sawdust is mixed with carbonaceous matters ; 

 what tbeee ore I do not pretend exactly to announce. 

 Coal tar, as tar, is certainly injurious to vegetation, 

 yet it may, by some proceeo, be deprived of this prop- 

 erty, but nearly nil these carbonaceous substances con- 

 templated, except coal aahes and antliraeite, contain a 

 certain small quantity of nitrogen. To these are ad- 

 ded lime and soda ; these two, besides their value in 

 agriculture by themselves, according to recent chemi- 

 cal discoveries, when in combination, are very power- 

 ful agents to cause the evolution of ammonia ; lime 

 is BO by itself. Of the small proportion of sulphur 

 added I will say nothing, except frankly to confess 

 that I do not at present see its value, unless it produces 

 Bulphuielted hydrogen or in some way assists the de- 

 composition of the mass. Nevertheless, I should by 

 no means omit it in making the trial. 



Here then is an admixture containing many of the 

 most valuable requisites for lu.Nuriant vegetation, 

 which, if its own internal action produces gradual de- 

 composition, must be of much service in agriculture. 

 One thing, however, is still wanting.— proof, cxten- 

 aive proof under many circumstances. That it will be 

 extensively tested with various soils and in various 

 situations, there is no doubt ; if successful, it will be 

 another jewel added by science to the ngricultural 



wreoth. 



Reason and experience teach the undoubted value 

 of nitrogen or azote to plants ; let us now seo what 

 substances contain this, and how the farmer may pro- 

 cure it in the most economical way, for it is no use to 

 oxplain to him the value of the gas liquor, when 

 there are no gas works within miles of his farm. 



All animal excrement, as cow and horse manure, 

 but particularly that of man, contains a large quantity 

 of ammonia, which is azote mixed with hydrogen gas. 

 On the proper management of the dung heap of bis 

 own farm, the farmer has chiefly to depend. 



It is now the fashion to say that fresh manure is the 

 most valuable, that is manure previous to fermenta- 

 tion, as it is by this fermentation that much of this 

 important ingredient, ammonia, evoporates into the 

 atmosphere and is lost to the owner, although bis 

 neighbor moy reap the benefit of it. But the farmer 

 can only manure his land at certain periods of the 

 year ; therefore, even it it were best in this state, it 

 cannot always be used fresh. Formerly it was be. 

 lieved that old and well fermented stoblo dung wos 

 the finest and richest manure that could be had, and 

 this is now not far from the truth, although some val- 

 uable ingredients are lost, and the quantity appears to 

 be much diminished. Let us reoson on the subject 

 with the new lights. Fermentation and heat in the 

 interior of a large dung heap, carbonize the vegeto. 

 ble matters, which ore then in the most extreme state 

 of minute division ; the particles being much smaller 

 tban the finest powdered charcoal, each of these mi- 

 n«M f aitltkt it tbsraughlf ssturased with !b» Rtaine 



nia formed in the centre of the heap, and which was 

 prevented from cscapingby the manure outside; these 

 particlca are moist and coed iind packed together so 

 closely that ail farther caciipe is pie\ented. On the 

 application of these minute well saturated particles to 

 the action of the roots, great lu.\nrinnce results ; their 

 contents, both of carbonic acid and hmtnfiiio, arc af 

 forded to the plants just as ihcy are wanted, in great 

 plenty, and in a Btnle of the minutest divieion. But 

 it is true that much ammonia is lost, and what is lost is 

 wasted, and must be saved. Now good loam is found 

 on many forms, and ihisisan excellent absorbentof 

 amnioniaiaUhough not so good as carbon. The intel- 

 ligent larmer should therefore pny much attention iin 

 making up his manure heap, mid as he lengthens the 

 ridge by nddiiions, should carefully cover it up with 

 loam, which would thus absoib the ammonia that 

 would otherwise escape, and become so impregnated 

 with it as to forma very vnluoble oddition to the heap. 

 Mr. Scliaitcuman in Germany, who has the manuie 

 of about 400 horses to nionage for his land, in order 

 to save the ammonia from escaping, constontly moist- 

 ened his heap with green vitriol or sulphate of iron, 

 and OS fust as it ran through poured it un again ; the 

 sulphuric acid of the Vitriol cr sulphate of iron 

 catches up the ammonia and forms a sulphate of am- 

 monia, which with oxide of iron or iron rust, remains 

 in the dung heap. I confess I am a little tccptical on 

 the value of this plan, and believe in the superiority 

 of covering up, but it shews at all events that there is 

 a general faith in the value of ammonia. The labor, 

 to say nothing of the viiriol, would be too valuable 

 here, and it is probable that the oxide of iron in any 

 quontity would be injurious to vegetation. All night 

 soil and excrements of man, must be carefully col 

 lected and added to the heop, as well as all slaughter 

 house oiTnl, except the fot which is of no value; these 

 contoin a very large quantity of ammonia. It is in 

 the careful preservation of these, and no doubt in the 

 useful practical preparation of them, that the Chinese 

 BO far excel the rest of the world. The communi- 

 cation of the minute details of the Chinese methods of 

 preparing and applying manures of all kinds, would 

 unquestionably be of the greatest interest to ourogri- 

 culturisls, and it is to be hoped than when all the po- 

 litical troubles are gone by, we shall be enabled to get 

 some insight into their practices. Theio substances, 

 however, require to be used with the greatest caution ; 

 all food offered to plants, except in a state of the mi- 

 nutest division, is injurious to them ; the Iloniceopa- 

 ihic system suits them beet, but then it must be given 

 in great plenty and all the lime they require it. Thus 

 the ammonia in roin and snow water which, accord- 

 ing to Liebig, is absorbed by plants, is in so small a 

 quantity as to have, until within the last few yeors, 

 escaped the reseorch of chemical analysis ; and the 

 value of the well fermented manure mentioned in the 

 former part of this letter, depends much on its minute 

 division. The night soil and oHal should therefore he 

 added to the manure heap in small quantities, and 

 spread thinly about, so that its decomposition by the 

 fermenting heop would be surely effected. Green 

 crops also contain ammonia, and mutt therefore be 

 useful manures. There are, however, several other 

 sources, from whence azote or nitrogen may be read- 

 ily obtained in obundance. These are the class of 

 salts called nitrates, such as nitrate of potosh or salt- 

 petre, and nitrate of soda. Your renders are already 

 informed how extensively these are used in English 

 agriculture, and by the last accounts, the application 

 of them was certainly imrensing. 



Dumas, in his Treatise on Chemistry, states thnt 

 100 pounds of saltpetre Cvintains ns much nitrogen as 

 3 to 400 pounds of animal matter. These nitrates 

 consist of nitric scii end p^taai: anJeodai resp«ctiTely. 



and nitric ncid contains one part or equivalent of n 

 trogen and five parts or equivalents of oxygen ; a 

 the constiiEientsof these stbetanres iLsn, are nccessoi 

 to vegetation, and according to the obove ttalenici 

 of Dun as, which there is no reason to doubt, thcs 

 requisites are condensed into o tinall space. My ow 

 experiments with saltpEtre, which were not on a ver 

 extensive scale, gave a lorge increase of foliage ; but 

 could not observe a eorretpouding increase of flow« 

 or fruit, -^this, however, on grass lands would be ve 

 advantageous. Yet these nitrates, hoTiever, like lb 

 former compounds of nitrogen, must be used wit 

 much caution, as too large a quantity presented to tlj 

 roots at once would intviiably desticy them ; of tb 

 many instances have occurred under my own observa 

 tion. With respect to solipetre, it often comes frot »'' 

 the East Indies considerably adulieialed with cummo 

 salt, 03 much ns 5 to 12 per cent, sometimes eve 

 more, and although salt in small quantities is not in 

 jurious, yet it is by no means so valuable as saltpetre 

 It also comes sometimes in large crystols— fomctimi 

 drier than at other times. These remaiks apply t 

 the quontiiy per acre; of saltpetre of fair quality 

 about 1 cwt. to the acre, sown broad cast in the spring 

 is considered a proper supply ; but if the crystols ar 

 large they ought to be broken, ns n large lump fnllini 

 near a plant would prove very injurious on that spot 

 These remarks are equally applicable to nitrate of 8odfl> 

 which, however, seldom comes in such large crystoUi 

 and is often more damp than taltjietre. Of cotirS' 

 the more moisture, the more water, and the lessniirot 

 of soda in the weight, so that it will often be requi 

 site to apply ]| or even \i cwt. per acre of this lotte 

 substance. Another source of nitrogen or azote ti 

 plants is rain nnd snow water. Liebig stotes thot al 

 animal and vegetable substances which decay in ih 

 open oir, give out ammonia in quantity, that wher 

 the rain descends in drops through the atmosphere, i 

 combines with this floating and aeri.'brm ammon:a>| 

 which is thus conveyed to the roots; nnd that in tbii 

 wny considerable part of this necescory substance i 

 provided for vegetation. It will hove been observei 

 in. one of my former letters, that ammonia, nlthoagl 

 found in olmost every part of a vegetable in vei; 

 small quantity, still doos not constitute any consider 

 ably port of the plant as does caibon, but that its us 

 is chiefly to assist in the digestion cr assimilation c 

 the food which the plant takes up ; hence we see th 

 necessity of its being supplied constantly with thi ■ 

 food, and in small quantities ; in proportion, there 

 fore, to the supply of food, so must be that of niiro 

 gen and ommonio. J. E. T. 



Lectures on Agricultural Chemistry, by Jas, F 

 VV. Johnson, reader of Chcnitstry and Miu" 

 eralogy iu the University of Dm ham, Eiig. 



This is an excellent work arid contains a largt 

 quantity of valuable information ; but these Lecture: 

 ouTht to have been called Lectures on the Clicmistrj 

 of Vegetation, rather than on Agricultural Chemistry 

 and this distinction is drawn in order to prevent those 

 who take it up from being disappointed in their expec 

 tation, if they think to find it full of ideas and recipci 

 respecting the mixture of composts and the varioui 

 scientific modes of tillage. 



Although very f;ir from wishing in any way to de'l 

 predate the value of the great mass of scientific knowl 

 edge, of which the rays are now accumulating to con- 

 centrate in one brilliant focus of light on agriculture 

 the truth is the numerous recent publications on this' 

 subject render it quite clear that before this knowl- 

 edge can attain its desired practical force, cither the 

 farmer must become more of a chemist, or the cheniisi 

 more of a practical farmer. When this union of char- 

 acter and pursuits shall have taken place, then, and 

 then only, shall we be able to pass just sentence on 

 racst of thethssrita lecentiy put forth by soientifia meci 



