Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1844-03-01

acid. You have a fever: your doctor gives
you sweat with Sivius's salt, that is, ace
tate of ammonia, IA salt composed of that
and vinegar; or you take perhaps an e0er-
vescng draught formed of lemon-juice and
pear-ashcs. All does you goods but sup
pose now you change these cooling, veget-
able acids for a mineral acid, say oil of Wit
riol. You may now take potash united with
a dose of oil Of vitriol equalent to the tar
taric acid in the cream Of tartar, without Sc
rous injury.
SO is il, reader, in farming; the acids of
some salts are not only harmless, but bene-
fetal to plants; others are actual poisons.-
II the first case salts help to nourish plants.
as common salt helps to nourish yourself; in
other cases they poison plants, Just as they
would impair your constitution, perhaps kill
you. But it is to be remembered, as in our
own case, even those that poison, in small
dose, become medicines, so in plants, a
small dose is not only good, but truly essen
tlal. Now if we divide the acids into two
classes, the nourishcrS and the prisoners,
such will also be the nature Of the SALTS
When we therefore attempt such "A general
division of the salts, 1t may be said that all
the acids derived from the vegetable king
dom are harmless so are the acids called
mineral, yet whose componcnts are in part
like those Of the vegetable acids for in
stance, aquaforts or nitric acid. But the
true mineral acids are poisonous, such are
oil Of vitriol and spirits Of salt. One thing
IS here to be borne in mind. 1t must never
be out of sight, in trying to understand how
salts make plants grow. You cast your salt
upon the ground, 1t lies there, no action &C.
ours. 1t rains. Your salt is dissolved and
disappears; it seems to do no good. Cast
your salt now among sprouting seeds, and
growing roots, here is life; well, now, life
is just as much power or force as electric
ity is. 1t eXerts its force, no matter how,
that is quite another consideration. | say,
life cXerts its force here to separate the acid
and the base Of salt, usl like a chemical
force. We can and do separate the compo-
nentS Of salts by other substances, nay, we
do it by electricity alone.
Now this is all which it is necessary for
you TO know, and to understand about this
action of plants upon salts: it does dsunie
the Componcnts of the salts. What is the
consequence? The aIkali earth, and metal
act as such the same as if no acid was
present. The acid also acts By itself; if it
is "A nourisher, it helps the plant; if it is IA
posoner, it hurts it, 1t produces either
healthy, green crop, the effect of alkai, or
a siunted yellow, sioky plant, the effect of
acids. Now, neutralize this acid-kll it
and you see your crops start into luxuri-
ance, and you reap where you have strcwed
So much for illustration.
Let US now apply this view of the action
of salts to those contained in cattle dung
In the first place, we have salts of potash,
OF soda, of lime these are the most album
dant and active. Then we have salts of
iron. manganese, of clay and magnesia.-
These last, existing IN small proportion, may
be thrown out OF the account, bearing in
mind, however, that, though We set these
aside, a Plant does not; they enter equally
wiki the others into its composition. Let US
begin with the salts Of potash. 1t is found
combined in cattle dung, first, with vege-
table acid, the acid of mould. II is nour-
isher of plants. Secondly, with sulphnrc
acid or the acid of sulphur, called oil of Wit
riol. This is one Of the prisoners, existing
only in small proportion in COW dung: it
ministers to the want Of a healthy plant
The same is true Of the common salt or the
murlae of soda Of dung. If it existed in
larger quantities ii would poison the plants
TO which it might be applied. The next
salts are those Of lime, phosphate and sui
pIa;e Of lime, or lime united to sulphuric
and phOsphorc acid, forming plaster and
bone-dust The acids here, if abundant
would have decided bad innuence-thcy
are poisoners: but the carbonic acid in the
carbonase Of lime, is a nourisher. Now
from the small quantity in which these all
exist in cattle dung, they act only beneficial
ly. But if you apply great excess, even
of cattle dung, you may be sure of an un-
favorable result. twill be produced by the
acids Of those salts which we have called
poisonous. To continue our remarks on the
acids of salts of dung, it is to be observed,
that they act also upon the soil.
They decompose that. Tha, is, they ex-
tract from the soil alkales,o or other substan-
ces, like those in the original salt. Now
though applied, as they must be, in very
small doses in cattle dung, yet, because OF
their decomposing action on soil, they con-
llnually renew themselves, they last till all
their acid IS taken up TO supply the wants
OF growing plants.
Let US now, reader, if you understand
how the acids of the salts of dung act, turn
to the bases or the alkalieS and metals and
earths Of these salts. What is their action ?
What purpose do they serve in dung appi-
ed as manure First, they enter into and
form part of the living plant they form
part of It's necessary food so much as do
the constituents Of mould. Secondly, when
these akalies and metallic bases are LET
loose, by the disuniting power of growing
plant, then they act as alkales upon mould
They hasten decay, render mould then
more soluble, fit it TO become food fol
plants
This account of the action of mould and
salts in cattle dung, may appear to you
reader, long and hard to DO understood.
do request you not to pass it over on tina
account. a patient neutrality-suspicious. some