438 The Neglect of Chemistry hj Practical Farmers. 



amount of ingredients contained in the quantity usually applied 

 to 1 acre — a quantity that in many instances it would be impos- 

 sible to estimate — I thought it preferable to give the composition 

 of 1000 gallons of each species of manure, since by this, on the 

 preceding part, the farmer will be easily enabled to calculate the 

 amount contained in any given quantity of manure, whether he has 

 been accustomed to estimate it in gallons or tons. 



The farmer must not consider these liquid manures of little 

 importance on account of the small proportion of matter contained 

 in them ; for it must be remembered, that although the quantity 

 is small, it is all in a state to be at once assimilated by plants — 

 that is, as far as our present experience on this subject extends. 



Table I. — The form of this table is identical with Tables 

 A, B, C, D, and therefore needs no further notice here. I may 

 add, however, that whilst the proximate elements are supposed to 

 indicate the feeding properties of the articles in this table, the 

 inorganic matter at the same time points out the probable increased 

 value of the manure. 



I have included in this table many articles that are not at present 

 used for feeding purposes in England, but the late revolution in 

 our commercial policy has made it not improbable that we may 

 import many of them. 



Tables L. — These tables are only calculated in one form, on 

 account of the practical impossibility of giving a fair average of 

 the water contained in them, from the fact of there being no 

 stated period of growth at which they are made use of by farmers; 

 this is, however, of the less importance, as it is in the form of 

 ashes they are generally applied to the ground. 



Liebig asserts that the younger the wood the greater the amount 

 of ash ; the young shoots, for instance, containing a much larger 

 quantity than the parent stem. 



In calculating from these tables for practical purposes, the 

 farmer must make due allowance for the dirt, or unburnt matter, 

 that may be present in his ashes. 



Tables M, N. — Although these tables have more interest to the 

 speculative chemist than the practical farmer, they are nevertheless 

 necessary to the completeness of this work, as showing the con- 

 nection that exists between the composition of the various crops 

 raised by the farmer, and of the materials from which all soils are 

 composed ; they may also be useful in enabling the farmer to 

 make a rough guess at the probable composition of his soil, when 

 be has ascertained to what geological formation it belongs. 



The various specimens in these tables are supposed to be 

 perfectly dry, the quantities given under the head of ' water ' 

 indicating the amount of ' water of crystallization.' 



