MANURES. 



163 



proving beneficial to vegetation, they would be 

 actually destructive to it, as has been pointed 

 out with reference to guano, &c. ; all such are 

 advantageously formed into composts. 



Lime should never be used in composts with 

 animal matters in the decomposition of which 

 large quantities of ammonia are formed. With 

 weeds, and the roots, leaves, and stems of plants, 

 excellent composts may be formed, and the use 

 of lime in this case is not objectionable, more 

 especially as it rapidly destroys vitality. Another 

 excellent mode of economizing all such vegetable 

 refuse is to thoroughly rot it in liquid manure, and 

 this can hardly be applied to a better purpose. 



Flesh, hair, feathers, the refuse of sugar-re- 

 fineries, pond-mud, ditch-scourings, and numerous 

 other kinds of animal and vegetable refuse, the 

 names of which alone it would be tedious to 

 enumerate, may all be advantageously employed 

 as manure. In general it is most economical 

 and convenient to make such substances up into 

 composts with earth, urine, and other matters. 



II. — Inorganic Manures. 



Coal Ashes are useful as manure on certain 

 kinds of soil, and are found to encourage the 

 growth of Peas and Beans. AVhen mixed 

 with bones, night-soil, guano, blood, or other 

 substances rich in nitrogen, they form a good 

 manure. It is more especially upon stiff clays 

 that coal ashes are found beneficial, and on such 

 they tend to loosen the soil. The value of coal 

 ashes is almost entirely due to the sulphate of 

 lime or gypsum which they contain in variable 

 quantities. 



Peat Ashes are very variable in their composi- 

 tion, according to the localities from which they 

 are brought. In some cases these ashes are 

 principally composed of carbonate of lime; whilst 

 in others they contain a considerable amount of 

 the phosphate and sulphate of lime, and are of 

 considerable value, as in the case of Dutch ashes, 

 which are much esteemed in Holland as a ma- 

 nure for Turnips and Clover. 



Peat ashes are usually applied as a top-dress- 

 ing, at the rate of 20 or 30 bushels to the acre. 



Wood Ashes form a valuable manure, always 

 containing potash and soda, besides other inor- 

 ganic elements of the food of plants. Wood 

 ashes are exceedingly well adapted for mixing 

 with guano or dung. They are also an excellent 

 manure when applied by themselves. Of course 

 they will not supply the want of organic ma- 

 nure. A bushel of wood ashes will weigh about 

 50 lbs., and contains potash and soda, 4*6 lbs.; 



phosphoric acid, 1*47 lb.; hydrochloric acid, 1*22 

 lb.; magnesia, 1*96 lb.; lime, 21*77 lbs.; sulphuric 

 acid, 043 lb.; iron oxide, 0*21 lb.; manganese, 

 0*41 lb.; carbonic acid, 17*12 lbs. 



An excellent substitute for wood ashes may 

 be obtained by mixing together : Muriate of 

 potash, 9 lbs.; phosphate of lime, 6 lbs.; and 

 slacked lime, 35 lbs. 



The roots of plants, weeds, &c, are frequently 

 burned, and their ashes applied to the soil : but 

 as all the organic matter and nitrogen is lost by 

 this means, the practice is not to be recom- 

 mended. It is far more economical to form 

 them into a compost with earth and quicklime, 

 or other substances, to destroy their vitality. 

 After they have been thoroughly decomposed 

 and brought to the state of vegetable mould, 

 they are excellent for horticultural purposes. 



Charcoal forms a valuable auxiliary to ma- 

 nures, and even when applied to the soil with- 

 out the admixture of manuring substances, it 

 has great fertilizing properties. Its action, in 

 either case, is almost entirely due to its well- 

 known property of absorbing ammonia, carbonic 

 acid, and other gases, and again giving up these 

 substances for the nourishment of plants; for, 

 as far as the carbon of the charcoal is concerned, 

 that yields no food to plants. There is no 

 doubt, however, that the mineral matters con- 

 tained in charcoal, as usually prepared, contri- 

 bute in some measure to its fertilizing effects. 

 It also renders the soil to which it is applied 

 in any considerable quantity lighter and more 

 friable. Another circumstance worthy of re- 

 mark is, that charcoal, by darkening the colour 

 of the soil, increases the power of the latter to 

 absorb heat — a point of no small importance. 

 Charcoal forms an excellent mixture with guano 

 and other artificial manures, in order to secure 

 their more even distribution. When so em- 

 ployed, it not only answers this purpose, but, 

 from its power of absorption, prevents the escape 

 of the ammonia when more of this is liberated 

 than can at once be absorbed by the soil, or by 

 the roots of plants. By reason of this property 

 it forms an excellent covering for manure heaps, 

 and prevents all bad smell. AVhen applied by 

 itself it has been found to produce very bene- 

 ficial effects on Turnips and Carrots. 



Ashes of Burned Clay. — Burned clay is exten- 

 sively used in the heavy lands of Essex, Suffolk, 

 and elsewhere, and the practice is attended with 

 great success. The beneficial action of burned 

 clay is chiefly due to its altering the texture of 

 the soil, rendering this less compact, and con- 

 sequently more permeable to air, water, and the 



