Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1846-03-13
THE =: FARM.
ON ARTIFICIAL MANURE.
ny PROF. JUsTUs LrEBIG.

tOur friend ana correspondent al GieSsen,
Prof Horsford, has sent US the following
copy Of q communication, written by DR..
Jsstus Liebig for the first number of the
agricultural Magazine" work recently
commenced in London, and for which the
copyright was secured in Eng'snd.-Alba-
ny Cult.
Sra: twenty-five years ago, when the
manufacture Of spa and mineral waters be-
gan, they met with violent opposition from
the members Of ,he flculty,as being deprived
Of oil good qualities of the natural one - as
waiting in a certain conditio sine qua non
10 . spiritus rectus, or vital power, which
alone gave them any medical qualities
Those times have passed now - chemistry
has demonstrated to certainty what the
constituents Of those various waters arc, and
under what forms and compounds they are
united in them. 1t has succeeded in COM
bining them exactly in the same proportions,
and il rendering them not only equal to the
natural ones, but even more effective. Only
from that time physicians were induced to
connect certain effects on the human body
with certain elements in the waters, and
wore enabled, by the light of science, TO add
more Of this element, or more of that; nay,
to apply, in stead Of the waters themselves,
one active element alone, as is, for instance,
the case with iodine in indurations and stru.
ma. 1t is we'll known that, at this moment,
there are extensive manufactures of mineral
waters in England, in Berlin, in Dresden, in
Vienna, &c.
Now, believe, sir, that the same princi.
pie may be applied, partially, at least, TO the
use Of manufactured n,anures, which in Eng
land, has just been called into existence
Guano, that powerful manure, the efficacy
Of which, in judicious application, has been
clearly demonstrated by the testimony Of the
most Intelligent farmers, cannot be supplied
for much longer period to come. The
rich stores in Chill and Africa must be short
ly exhausted. As it is only in very dry
countries that it is found, we cannot expect
10 discover many more places containing it.,
and what are we then 10 do? My attention
has often been directed to the question,
whether, according to our experience and
tue preseut state of science, Il manure might
be composed which would replace the genu.
inc guano in ITS effects, and whe,her l
could not, by series of experiments,
point ont a way Of preparing one equa
to it in all It's chemical and ply pro.
psrties You are well aware, sir, tina,
We know with certainly all the elements OF
gusno, as we'll as Of the urine and solid t;pces
Of mon and ANIMALS. In like manner does
it seem to have verified the opinion which
have lald down in my work on agriculture
that the salts manufactured in the laboratory
have the same effect on The growth Of the
plants, If they are embodied to the fields, in
the same forms in which the animals furnlsl,
them in their excrements. This must be ev.
idsnt 10 every one who knows that, 10 pro
duce these compounds in the laboratory, thu
Same agencies and means are made use o
which are employed by nature. The fabr
cation Of a manure, equal in its composition
and effects 10 the solid and fluid excrenent
Of animals and men, seems 10 me one of thu
most essential demands of our time - NOR,
especially for a country like England, il
which, from various circumstances, a ration
81 agriculture without supply Of manure il
some shape or another, from vithOut, seem
nearly impossible. Our reasoning will ap
pear the more correct, if we remember no,
different are the results which have obtalne
By tho aumerous analyses of the differer
ssrts Of guano-how little the farmer can de
pend upon producing from given quaint
q certain effect, US the latter NATURAL varie
according 10 the composition Of the forme
there are scarcely any two samples in I'll
market Of the same composlion-nay, NJ
evsn similar. The following may be rsgart
cd Is the essential constituents Of q powerf
manure applicable to all sorts Of soil.
Earthy Phosphatss.-The most impo
tsat Of these is phosphate of lime. which o.
ours in nature as mineral called apatite.-
l, is the principal element in the bones, whit
6cacious if csleIned, consequently deprive
Of their animal matter. The rapidity of Il
effects of phosphate Of lime on the growth
plants depends upon its greater or lesser so
utility. Its amount Of glue (gela,ine) d'm
ishss this solubility if the soil is rich in veg
table matters, which furnish carbonc acid
their decomposition, and which acid is requ
red for rendering the phosphate Of lime Sc
ublein water and introducing il into the o
gansm Of plants. In the calcined state Il
bones act sufficiently quickly; but IN tho
soils in which this cause OF soubily IS wan
ing, their action is slower. In my work
had recommended the addition of a cer,a
quantity Of sulphuric acid, both in order
render the bones moro soluble and to chan
the neutral phosphate of the bones into gy
sum, and into a phosphate which contai
m,rs seid ,(superphospha,e of lime.) ha
been informed that this advice has been IN
extensively adopted, that the super phosph,
Of lime hes been found to be a mos, eff,
cious manure, and that il forms, already
most important article Of com merce. A s,
ond earthly phosphate, not less importan,
tho phosphate of m0gnesia, which it is v
known enters IN a still larger proportion Il
tho phosphate Of lime into the compost
oftne grain.
The alkaline phosphates, although
originally found in nature, are important
ements Of the seeds of grain, ofpeas, bsa
&c. A rational farmer must provide til
in sufficient quantities to those plants wi
require them for their development, Fl
knowing that human excrements increase
produce in grain in q far greater propor,i
bacausa thew confain lkalina phosn