The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1844-07-11
100.
SECTION foURTir.

SECTION FOURTH.
OF The Attisn Of Mould In Cattle Dung.
Here. then. we have calde dung with
Is several ingredients spread out Lelore
Us. .. a---
We have now 10 study It's action. We
need here consider only the salts and
mould. The water is oily wafer. and has
no other action than water. The mould
includes the hay, FOR that has by chewing,
and The action ofthe beasts stomach. Loot
so much Of is character. that, mingled with
The slime and bile, &c. il more rapidly de-
Gays than fresh hay would. placed in SINH.
lar circumstances. During ihi. act Of de-
cay, a. you have already learned, ihe yo-
lallle parts Of the mould are given OF in
part. These escape rs In burning wood,
as water or steam, carbonic acid. ammo.
MIA. In consequence Of this slow moul-
dering FIRE or decay, the manure heats.
Here then we have three very decided and
important actions produced by The vege-
table part, or mould Of cattle dung. First,
csrbonic acid is given of; Second, ammo.
MIA is formed; Third, heat is produced.
Let Us now consider each Of these, and
their effects.
First, the great srtlon OF the carbonic
acid Is upon the soil, its earthly paris. II
has the same action on these, that air.
rain, frost, have; it divides and reduces
them. II moi only reduces them To pow.
der. bu. il extracts from The earth potash.
and the alkalies. This is very important
act. and shows why il is necessary that
decay or fermentation, should tske place
in and under the soil among sprou,ing
seeds, aud growing roots, in order that
they may obtain from the soil. the salts
they want.
IL well-rotied manure contains abun.
dance Of these salts, ready formed in its
mould, then there be will less necessity Of
this action Of carbonic acid. But here
again /, must be remembered, that This a.
bundanre Of salts, ready formed in mould.
can be produced only at the expense of
great loss by fermentation, of real valu-
able parts. For.
Secondly, the next great action Of the
mould Of cattle dung is. TO produce or
form ammonia. This plays a three-fold
part; its first action is, to render the mould
more soluble; this acton it possesses in
common with the fixed alkalies, potash
and soda. All the alkslies put large but
underlined portion of mould, into state fit
to become food for plants. The second
action Of ammonia, is that, it haslens de.
cay. II is the bellows. we may say, kind.
ling the slow Wondering fire. The third
action ofammonia is, to combine wi h any
free acids, such as vinegar, or even an
acid form d Of mould itself. but especial
ly with aqua.fortis, or nitric acid, which
is always produced, where animal or ve-
getable matters decay. This is highly
important fact. The result Of this action,
The production of ammonia and aqua-fortis,
during The formation of mould, is. that a
kind Of saltpetre is thereby produced.
That is, the ammonia and aqua-forlis unite
and form salt, with properties similar to
saltprtre. But we want the first and Sc.
conf action Of AMMONIA to occur, before
the third takes place. Consider now,
reader. whether more beautiful and af-
fectual way can be devised, to hasten de-
cav, and wndeF mould more fit for nous
rishing plents, than this which nature has
provided. The ammonia is volatile, lire.
mains. not like potash and soda, where il
is put, incapable Of moving unless dissolv-
ed by water. but ammonia, like stram,
pervades every part. Iii is as expansive
as steam, Heated up by the slow moul'
dering fire Of decay, il penetrates the
whole mass of mould. II does its work
there. What is that work! II has al.
ready been told. But, if il finds no acid
to combine with, il then unites with the
mould itself. II is absorbed by il.
The mould holds it fast; il stores it up
against the time when growing plants may
need it. Now il is only where the abun.
dance Of ammonia produced satisfies these
lotions of fastening decay, making mould
soluble, and filling its pores without COM