250 



MANURES. 



Sect. X. 12. i. 



ment through a 



g 



lety of other fermentations 



hich 



can 



d 



:ily be named from the principal material, which each of them pro 



as carbonic acid, alcohol 



nitrous acid, and finally carbon 



o 



Ikali, hyd 



th 



At wh 



o 



It era or ftage of 

 this decompofition of vegetable and animal fubflances can they be 



mofl advantageoufly applied to the purpofes of 

 condly, at what time of the year ? 



? and fe 



ed 



I. In refpe<5t to the era of the progrefs of the decompofition in 

 nure-beaps, in which they may be mofl: advantageoufly applied in 

 •iculture, the particular purpofe of that application mufl be attend- 

 to. Where they are defigned to be fpread on the furface of grafs 

 lands, as a top-drefling, the accumulations of vegetable and animal re- 

 crements fhould be permitted to go through the various fpontaneous 

 proceiTes of decompofition, which begin with the faccharine and mu- 

 cilaginous flate, and end with the production of carbonic earth, with 

 many kinds of intermediate fermentations, if they may be fo called, 

 •which accompany or fucceed each other, and which I believe to be 

 more in number than have had names applied to them. 



But that lefs of the fertilizing materials, whether of foluble fo- 



D 



lids, or of fluids, or of gaffes, may be loft in thefe feries of fermenta- 

 tions; it is a very advantageous management to cover them with 

 foil, when the firft fermentation is advanced, as is known by the pro- 

 du6lion of confiderable heat ; or when the putrefadive one has com- 

 menced, which is known by the fmell of volatile alkali, or of hydro- 



gen. 



By th 



method th 



too 



becked 



pidity of thefe fer 



and the fluid part of the manure is retained by the addi- 

 tion of the foil below, and the gafTeous part by that above ; and if to 

 this be afterwards added a proportion of Hme, which by uniting with 



the nitrous acid 



may 



it from exhal 



from 



every thing is prefer ved that art can accomplifh 



Where manure-heaps 



be ploughed into clayey foils, which 



are liable to become too folid and impenetrable to the root-fibres of 



feeds 



^ 



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