ORGANIC MANURES. 



295 



respondent," and is worth the attention of pur- 

 chasers : "Burn 200 grains of guano in an open 

 fire, in a common iron ladle ; it must be fre- 

 quently stirred, and after keeping it at a strong 

 red heat for ten minutes, and allowing it to be- 

 come cold, if the ashes weigh more than 72 

 grains it is not genuine Peruvian guano." 



In applying guano in a dry state, it is advis- 

 able to keep it somewhat apart from the seed 

 or roots, because, if of good quality and applied 

 liberally, it is apt to injure them ; so it is also, 

 when applied in a liquid form to growing crops, 

 if applied too strong, and allowed to fall on their 

 leaves or tender stems. Like all other potent 

 manures — the dung of birds, rabbits, deer, &c. 

 — it is better to apply a little at a time, and re- 

 peat the application. In its liquid state we 

 have found it very beneficial to all the Brassica 

 tribe, to asparagus, rhubarb, and sea-kale. 



Nightsoil is an excellent manure, computed in 

 value at five times that of horse-dung. It is, 

 however, transient in its effects, and leaves no 

 residuum or earthy matter for decomposition. It 

 is usually mixed with other materials, such as 

 peat, garden soil, vegetable mould, &c, in the 

 proportion of one part of its bulk to five of 

 the others. It is, however, most conveniently 

 managed when in a liquid state ; and when re- 

 duced by water in the proportion of 1 to 5, is in 

 a fit state to be applied to the soil over the roots 

 of plants, but never over their leaves. 



Liquid manure is composed of the urine of 

 animals, dissolved excrementitious matter, the 

 draining of dunghills, wash-houses, sculleries, &c. 

 From such sources it is easy to conceive that it 

 is of variable value as a fertiliser, depending upon 

 the proportions which each of these contribute 

 to the manure-tank. Its importance in culture 

 is daily becoming more valued and understood. 

 Its effects are of the most active description, be- 

 cause it is, as it were, the already prepared food 

 of plants. The Chinese and Flemings, who have 

 employed it for ages, and place great reliance 

 upon it, allow it to putrefy in large tanks, and 

 dilute it with water previous to using. Chemists 

 assert that putrefaction is not only useless but 

 actually injurious, causing the soluble matter to 

 dissipate ; and also, that in an unmixed state it 

 would contain too much animal matter to form 

 a fluid fit for the roots of plants to take up by 

 absorption. On the other hand, they admit that 

 urine, in a putrid state, abounds in ammoniacal 

 salts, and if less active than when in a fresh 

 state, is nevertheless a very powerful fertiliser. 

 From the way in which it is generally collected 

 —namely, conveyed to a reservoir or tank — it 

 follows that putrefaction can scarcely be pre- 

 vented, as it has often to remain for days, or 

 even weeks, accumulating before it is required 

 for use. Opinions as to the relative value of 

 solid and liquid manures are as yet greatly at 

 variance ; the cost of its application, when ap- 

 plied upon a large scale, is no doubt a strong 

 argument against its use, and this the more 

 so when it has to be conveyed to a considerable 

 distance, and where steam or mechanical power, 

 and great extent of pipes, are required for its 

 transport. According to the calculations made 

 by Mr Stephens on the sewerage water of Lon- 



don, it is stated that 560 tons of water only 

 afford one ton of fertilising ingredients ; and if 

 this estimate is correct, then would we say 

 sewerage water would be one of the most ex- 

 pensive applications that could be applied to 

 any land. But the sewerage water of London is 

 very different from liquid manure collected in 

 private establishments, because it is so much at- 

 tenuated in consequence of the extraordinary 

 supply of water brought into London for domes- 

 tic and other purposes, and the enormous quan- 

 tity of rain water which, falls on the general sur- 

 face, all of which, excepting what little is lost by 

 evaporation, finds its way into the common 

 sewers, and is mixed with the materials which 

 constitute the whole mass, and thereby greatly 

 reduces its manurial value. From this it is quite 

 evident, that, in the management of a liquid- 

 manure tank, care should be taken that a limited 

 quantity only of rain or other water be admitted 

 into it — perhaps not more than sufficient to flush 

 the drains occasionally out. The arguments 

 brought forward against liquid manure, based 

 on the analysis of the sewerage water of towns, 

 scarcely apply to the liquid manure procured 

 from private dwellings, or even well regulated 

 farmyards ; and it is from these sources that 

 liquid manure applied to horticultural purposes 

 is derived. 



The urine of animals possesses greater value 

 than solid dung, but is liable to great loss when 

 not properly treated. The ammonia, which is 

 one of its principal ingredients, is found in 

 greatest quantity when putrefaction has taken 

 place ; but as ammonia is a highly volatile sub- 

 stance, it evaporates rapidly from the watery 

 solution ; and when this evaporation is allowed to 

 take place, then liquid manure ceases to be so 

 valuable as it otherwise would be. With little 

 trouble this evaporation may be prevented. Sul- 

 phuric acid and sulphate of iron, both cheap 

 articles, if mixed with the liquid in 1 the collect- 

 ing tank, will fix the ammonia ; for liquid manure 

 containing an average amount of ammonia, 1 lb. 

 of acid to 150 lb. of liquid will be sufficient; and 

 where a greater or a lesser amount of ammonia 

 is contained, a greater or lesser quantity of acid 

 will be required. 



The acid should be diluted with water before 

 throwing into the tank. Sulphuric acid in no 

 way affects the value of liquid manure as a fer- 

 tiliser ; it only prevents the loss of ammonia, 

 as the compound it forms with it does not 

 become volatile under the temperature of boil- 

 ing water. Indeed, experience has proved 

 that its value is much enhanced by the ad- 

 dition of the acid. From the experiments of 

 Mr Kinninmonth, quoted in " Morton's Cyclo- 

 pedia," " 3000 gallons of cows' urine, to which 

 sulphuric acid has been added, are equal in fer- 

 tilising value to 6 cwt. of Peruvian guano, and 

 superior to 20 cwt. of farmyard dung. To 160 

 gallons of urine he adds 3 lb. of acid diluted 

 with water." However little value some che- 

 mists and many agriculturists may place on the 

 drainings of the dunghill, or on liquid manure 

 properly collected and prepared, gardeners place 

 great reliance on it, and agree with Nicol, who 

 emphatically declared it to be " the nectar of 



