The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1844-08-08
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ElsIgEsi-l PgIlE ISxlI.
nv q. Z. DANA.
SECTION TTSTH.
Einrral Salts or MsnRrx.

Having thus considered the salts de.
rived from the animal. lel Ne now prnered
IL those derived from the mineral King.
dan. Amang these. we shall End some
whose action /. slmIlsr 10 that 81 the ami.
NAL salts. That Is, they are true nOurish
ers Of ri MS.
They afford. by The action Of the grow.
ing plant. lhe same element a. The animal
Fslls. 90 this nature is ssl'petre. Nov.
reader. ! want wa 10 understand nv salt.
pere. not only that wrll.knawn subsisnre.
bn, ale 3, thai which has lat ly been mush
used in farming. Snuih American sallpe-
ire. This differs lrm common salIpetre.
by changing ils potash far soda. One
step more; want you 10 understand by
salipeire nat one salt, in farming. but
= class NJ salts that 10. q number, hay-
ing The sane acid. which may be con-
bined with several different bases which
ell act one way. Sallpelre being salt. &c
course must he composed Of an acid and
base. The scid b always squa-foriis. or
nitric acid. The base NAV be potash. or
soda. or lime, or ammonia. These all may
be called salipelre. In forming salIpetre,
Il 10 generally that variety which contains
lime and aqua-fortis which 10 procured. So
Tar as we understand tie action Of salts, and
this has been fully explained, the action
Of the ssriIies Of sal'peire |. lhe same; and
where |, not Cor the peculiar nature Of the
squa fordis or acid of the salipelre. the ex-
plana,ion Of The action ri this salt nigh
be referred to ,he general laws above Sc,
forth. But The acid Of sal,peire is com.
posed Of volatile ingredients. I, is moth
ing more nUhing more NOT less than o
co .pound oflhe common air we breathe.
M rpsislng ss IL may seem. reader, yet u
is NOT he lrss true, the common air 10 a
mixture Of oxygen and Nitrogen. What
Q bland aud harmless, yea. what health
ful blessing is air. moi aRls Ia ne. but m
plants! |, Is mere mixture, not che.
mical compound, a mere mixture. In
ever, hundred parts, eighty of nitrogen,
twenty Of oxygen. Yet if you compel,
% natural operations are continually conf
polling The air To unite chemically, so that
fourteen parts of nitrogen shall unite tn
forty paris Of oxygen. you will form aqua
FORTS. Now, | DO no. mean to trouble
your head further with The chemistry oil
salipe,re, than merely to say, that having
thus shown you The composition and ori.
gin Of the acid fall kinds Of salipe,re, you
will readily see, that substance which
affords such an abundance nf nitrogen
cannot but be beneficial tn plants. Thi.
nitrogen may. aud probably does form
some portion oG ammonia in the soil. Il
may enter as nj rogen inla the plants. dis
solved 10 water, as 4 very weak alua.fo''
iis,
We have said so much upon the &C.
linn Of ammonia AMI nitrogen. that you
will perceive how importan: part nitrt
10 likely 10 play in manure. Not only
does the nitrogen ao, here, but the oxy'
gen, the other component, Of ll,r acid. also
acts. d acts upon the m 'uld as air itsel
woaid Besides. the Inould Of soil ant
manure imhihes and oondenses this agy
gen in its pores, and consequently hea, ;
lule; so that sal,pe,re, whe her added ~
such 10 soil. or fnrmed in manure, as il i,
always, helps I" warm little the soil
like fcrmenting manure So far as these
effects are desirable they may be expect
ed from the use Of saItpe,re Blu, this
reader, If YOU buy your saltpetre. is pro
curing small effect at great price
The action Of the alkali Of sallpetre is no
different from alkali in other shapes, ant
therefore if you have money IN lay on
for salts. let me advise you, reader, I,
spend il rather for ashes than for sal,pe
ire.
The American Farmer, from whlcl
We copy, containing the 18th and l2tl
sections, has been mislaid. We are there
fore compell d TO omit them for the pre-
sem. The following section closes III
series.
SECTION THIRTEEN,
Nanurs composed chiefly Of Mould.
These are Of vegetable or animal ori
gin. And first, Of animal mould Her
we shall tind. tina. we come, perhaps, be-
ter prepared to understand this part q
our subject. Than either Of the prece,lln
classes. We have explained the primo
Piles which enables US to understand VIII
il is that animal and vegetable substance
produce, BY decay, identical matter.
The only difference consists in the quar-