NORTHERN CALENDAR FOR FEBRUARY. 
59 
18 per cent, of phosphate of lime. If this lime¬ 
stone is burned and brought in that state to the 
fields, it must be a perfect substitute for bones, the 
efficacy of which as a manure does not depend, as 
has been generally but erroneously supposed, upon 
the nitrogenized matter which they contain, but 
on their phosphate of lime. The osseous breccia 
found in many parts of England deserves especial 
attention, as it is highly probable that in a short 
time it will become an important article of com¬ 
merce. What a curious and interesting subject for 
contemplation ! In the remains of an extinct an¬ 
imal world, England is to find the means of in¬ 
creasing her wealth in agricultural produce, as she 
has already found the great support of her man¬ 
ufacturing industry in fossil fuel,—the preserved 
matter of primeval forests,—the remains of a ve¬ 
getable world.” 
We quote this passage for the sake of showing 
the vivid style of the author, and not because we 
quite concur in Prof. Liebig’s anticipations con¬ 
cerning coprolites, whose value is probably ex¬ 
aggerated. 
From these we turn to other considerations. It 
will be remembered that in former editions the 
author adopted, as a proved fact, the theory of 
excrementitious deposites by plants, and even went 
so far as to assert that it was a necessary conse¬ 
quence of their secreting power, that excremen¬ 
titious matters should be formed. We and others 
have pointed out the objections that must be taken 
to these views; and upon turning over the pages 
of this new edition we at first believed that they 
had been quietly abandoned. We find, however, 
at p. 75, that the accuracy of Macaire Prinsep’s 
views is still unquestioned, at least in part. In 
this instance Dr. Liebig relies upon the following 
case:— 
“ Let us,” he says, “ consider the exposition 
of the ashes of two fir-trees, as analysed by an 
acute and most accurate chemist. One of these 
grew in Norway, on a soil of invariable composi¬ 
tion, but to which soluble salts, and particularly 
common salt, were conveyed in great quantity by 
rain-water. How did it happen that its ashes con¬ 
tained no appreciable trace of salt, although we 
are certain that its roots must have absorbed it af¬ 
ter every shower ? 
“We can explain the absence of salt in this case 
by means of the direct and positive observations 
referred to, which have shown that plants have 
the power of returning to the soil all substances 
unnecessary to their existence.” 
But to our apprehension, there must either be 
some error in these analyses, or the trees never 
could have absorbed any salt. For if they had 
ever taken it up, there must have been some portion 
remaining at the time when they were felled. It 
strikes us that this cas e proves too much. 
But if the old theory of vegetable excrements be 
virtually abandoned, or limited to the extrication 
of oxygen, (p. 170,) we have a new one, which is 
not a little curious. Professor Liebig considers 
bark a kind of excrement. To avoid the suspicion 
of misrepresentation we quote his words:— 
“These barks are in so far true excrements, 
that they arise from living plants, and play no fur¬ 
ther part in their vital functions; they may even 
be removed from them, without thereby endanger¬ 
ing their existence. It is known that certain trees 
throw off annually their barks: this circumstance 
viewed in its proper light, shows that, during the 
formation of certain products formed by the vital 
processes, materials arise which are incapable of 
experiencing a further change. 
“ There is every reason to believe that this sep¬ 
aration takes place over the whole surface; it is 
observed not only on the stem, but also on the 
smallest twigs; and hence we must conclude that 
the same excretory process goes on in the roots.” 
We will not set about seriously refuting this 
strange hallucination, but content ourselves with 
asking whether scurf-skin, the points of our hairs, 
the ends of our nails, or the slough of a snake, are 
excrements ? 
We had hoped that Professor Mohl had put an 
end to the folly of asserting that dryness of the soil 
is of no consequence to plants when matured ; that 
is, we suppose, when the fruit is ripened. We 
are, however, mistaken. Professor Liebig main¬ 
tains this opinion with as much pertinacity as if 
there was not a tree or bush within a hundred 
miles of Giessen:— 
“ When a plant is quite matured, and when the 
organs by which it obtains food from the atmo¬ 
sphere are formed, the carbonic acid of the soil is 
no further required. 
“ Deficiency of moisture in the soil, or its com¬ 
plete dryness, does not now check the growth of 
a plant, provided it receives from the dew and 
from the atmosphere as much as is requisite for 
the process of assimilation. During /the heat of 
summer it derives its carbon exclusively from the 
atmosphere.” 
It seems useless to put him right upon such 
points, for he does not appear to be acquainted 
with some of the commonest facts connected with 
vegetable life. We shall therefore dismiss the 
subject for the present without further comment, 
in the hope that with time this learned chemist 
may become sensible of such errors as this, and his 
speculations about lactescent plants, which he still 
maintains have their moisture secured from evap¬ 
oration by a coating of caoutchouc and wax , 
which surrounds them by a waterproof envelope ! ! 
Gardeners' Chronicle. 
NORTHERN CALENDAR FOR FEBRUARY. 
Continue to look well after your stock. This and 
the following, are the trying months for animals, and 
if carried well through these, you may more safely trust 
them afterward. As all animals are accustomed to 
green food throughout a great part of the year, such as 
are now kept on dry, should have their condition care¬ 
fully observed, and their food varied to suit their wants. 
Roots ought always to be provided for an occasional 
change. Potatoes, sugar-beet, mangol-wurzel, ruta-ba- 
ga, carrots, or parsneps, may be given, as they can be 
most profitably raised by the farmer. According to Da¬ 
vy the order of their nutritious properties, pound for 
pound, stand thus : 1, potatoes, 2, sugar-beet, 3, man¬ 
gol-wurzel, 4, parsnep and carrot, 5, ruta-baga, 6, and 
by far behind all others, the common turnep. We are 
of opinion that the carrot and parsnep are equal to the 
