344 
Chemical Cliamjes in the Fermentation of Duiij. 
human mine to the bases soda and ammonia, or that of Johnston 
which distributes it among soda, ammonia, lime and magnesia, 
we are equally unable to account for the result of Dr. Stenhouse, 
unless there be a change among the arrangement of the bases 
and acids of the inorganic salts, and that such a change did take 
place in the case recorded by Mr. Stephens is clear. That a 
change takes })lace we think the prior portion of this paper will 
induce to the belief of, but what that cliaugc is can only be 
known by a wide range of carefully conducted analyses so com- 
pared amongst themselves as to show the law which determines 
what takes place. Giving one or two analyses and reasoning 
from them would be worse than useless, and I have therefore 
attempted nothing of the kind. I venture however to state that 
the Royal Agricultural Society would add another claim to the 
gratitude of British agriculturists if it would have an extended 
series of analyses made under its own supervision in order to 
determine by a wide induction what changes take place in home- 
made manure with a view to the proper treatment of it. If three 
analyses be made in each case, 1, of the manure when fresh ; 2, 
at six weeks old ; 3, at 12 weeks ; I believe the Society will itself 
discover a substitute for much of the guano now imported, and 
that a very large sum of money will remain in the farmer's 
pocket which now flows annually into the Pacific. 
Some persons may be inclined to regard Dr. Stenhouse's result 
as exceptional, and account lor the effect of the milk of lime 
upon the principle of predisposing affinity, such as occurs in the 
formation of nitric acid from ammonia in the presence of lime, 
&c. No doubt that principle was active, but so also must it be 
in the decomposition of straw which abounds in strong alkalis as 
may be seen from the following table from Johnston : — 
A Thousand Pounds of the Ash of the Straw of Wlieat, Barley, Oats, Rye, and 
Indian Corn, have been found to consist of, respectively: — 
Wheat. 
Barley. 
Oats. 
Eye. 
Indian 
Coni. 
12.5 
92 
191 
173 
96 
Soda 
2 
3 
97 
3 
286 
67 
85 
81 
90 
83 
39 
50 
38 
24 
66 
13 
10 
18 
14 
8 
31 
31 
26 
38 
171 
58 
10 
33 
8 
7 
11 
6 
32 
5 
15 
6.54 
67G 
48-1 
645 
270 
1000 
963 
1000 
1000 
1002 
