562 FARM-TAED MANURE. 



phates to plants yielding flour, the Jerusalem Artichoke, 

 Cabbages, Turnips, &c. On the other hand, Hme is injurious 

 to Heaths ; manures contaiuing much nitrogen to Conifers and 

 stone-fruits, and so on. 



The progress of Chemistry has not, however, been able to 

 furnish the gardener with any considerable amount of such 

 detailed information as he can use; the application of soils 

 and manures to plants remains for the most part within the 

 routine of a/rt, and the gardener is still obliged to trust to his 

 dunghiU for the elements of fertility. The author is, there- 

 fore, content to leave the refinements of manuring within the 

 province of the chemist, and to point out the peculiar properties 

 of the manures in common use. 



Farm-yard Manure, when well made, is probably the best of 

 all, because of the great variety of substances which it contains. 

 It owes its blackness to vegetable mould, its peculiar odour to 

 ammonia and sulphuretted hydrogen ; it acts mechanically by 

 the undecayed straws of which it consists, and it contains within 

 it all the alkaline and earthy salts and phosphates that were 

 locked up in the tissues of the various plants of which it is 

 composed. When wood-ashes, the ashes of coal, the highly 

 fertilising " house slops " of all kinds, consisting of urine, soap- 

 suds, grease, are carefuUy added, it becomes greatly improved ; 

 and if decaying animal matter is superadded, its nitrogenous 

 products are so increased as to render it necessary to weaJten 

 its force by mixing it with earth. For garden purposes such 

 manure is, however, inappropriate, except in the case of kitchen 

 garden crops like Cabbages, &c.. Celery, Asparagus, Sea Kale, 

 Lettuces, and the like. To fruit-trees it is injurious. When 

 otherwise used in gardens it requires to be reduced to the 

 condition of mere mould, when its nitrogenous constituents 

 shall have been much dispersed. 



According to Ricliardsoii's analysis, 10,000 parts of farm-yard dung 

 contain 332 potasli, 273 soda, 34 lime, 711 phosphate of lime, 226 

 phosphate of magnesia. Boussingault found only 2 per cent, of nitrogen 

 in what he examined in the dry state ; and Richardson none at all : 

 from -which we must conclude, either that the substance examined was 

 badly made, or that the analyses are imperfect. 



