Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1853-07-14

| From the Southern Planter.
ACTION OF GYPSUM ON ORGANIC MA
NURES.
by PROFESSOR CAMPBELL, OF NORTH CAROLINA.
Certainly one Of The most important ques-
tions with the farmer, especially in the older
States, is lhis-'how may fertilizers be best
obtained, and made most profitable ?"
Soils tha. have been long under culliva-
tion, mnst necessarily become deficient in
many Of the elements of fertility, unless the
exhausted supply be restored from time to
time by proper applications. Wi'hou. this
restoration, farming would soon become
profi.less business. Labor cannot bring
from a soil what is not there. When you
wish your horse to do long and faithful SER
vice, you feed him we'll; if you do not, his
strength soon fails, and whip and spur are
insufficient to revive his dropping energies.
So, plough aud hoe are equally inefficient
in reviving the energies of STARRING field.
Economy in sustaining or restoring the
strength Of soils, is no less important than
economy in feeding horses and cattle. But,
as an abundance of such nutritious food as
may arise from the products of home cul-
ture is most economical in feeding stock, so
the free application Of home made manure,
aoeH collected and nell kept, is the most e.
economical of all fertilizers. The farmer who
goes abroad to buy guano, while he leaves
al home masses of manure, from which wind
and rain are rapidly carrying off some Of the
very same elements that give to guano its
value, is not ac'ing more wisely, than he
who leaves his hay to be drenched with rain
and bleaehed by the sun. while he goes out
10 buy oats or barley to take the place cf
hay in his next winters feeding. Let what
you have be made as available as possible; !;
then, it will be time to begin to look abroad
for it. After ell proper means have been
resoried to for collecting and preserving
your barn yard, stable and hog pen manures,
ashes, soapsuds, &C., you can better afford
an occasional ton of guano for the sake Of
an extra crop of wheat, and succeeding
''fair set'' of clover.
In collecting fer,ilizing materials for far
ming purposes, two leading objects should
be kept in view:
l. To prevent as far as possible, any loss
of value in the material during the interval
elapsing before it can be conveniently ap-
piled TO the soil.
2. To incrsosc its value, if this can be
done probably.
My present wish is to state briefly, that
different form-what careful experiments
dictates as The most efficient means of attain
ing both these objects.
am we'll aware how little confidence
farmers, generally, place in chemical sheo-
ries and laboratory experiments, before their
claims have been fully established by the
unerring test of practice. Hence, for the
satisfaction and benefit of those whom it
may concern, have jus! concluded an ex-
pertinent independent of laboratory, c'ucible
and re,or.-an experiment, involving no.
thing new or remarkable in the eye of one
familiar with the principles Of chemical sci
ence, yet, important in its practical bearing.
1t was conducted as follows:
A barrel was filled with fresh scrapings
from The stalls of horses. Over the manure,
as thrown in, a lille ground plaster was
sprinkled from time 10 time. After the bar
rel had been compsctly filed it was allow
ed 10 stand for some weeks, until il had
gone through the heating process, found al
ways TO take place when newly collected
manure is thrown into heaps. But during
this heating or fermentation, as i. may with
proprie.y be caIled,) there was none of that
svapor" of strong odor which ordinarily
arises from fermenling manure heaps. When
the mass had become cool, clean rain water
was passed through it and collected at the
: bottom of the barrel. This water was found
, 10 contain one of the elements Of plaster
and one of the volatile substances (carbo
nate of ammonia) above alluded to. On emp
tying the barrel, white powder, looking
very much like plaster was found mingled
with its contents. But, when tested, thi
powder was found TO contain only one o
the elements of plaster; while il contained
also one element Of the volatile carbonate
of amonia just mentioned.
In order that those who are not familia
: with The principles Of chemistry may under
stand the foregoing experiment and fully
> appreciate its results, llt,le explanation il
necessary.
: The volatile matter which escapes go ra'
, pdIy from heaps Of manure, and the pres
> ence of which is perceived by It's odor abou
stables where horses are fed, is called by
chemical writer's ''carbonale Of ammonia
consisting of carbonic acid and ammonia
combined.
Plaster (gypsum) is, according to cheml-
cal nomenclature, sulpha'e of lime; I. e.
sulphurc acid aud lime combined. Liebig
says, 'scarbona,e of ammonia and sulphate OF
lime (ovnsum0 cannot be brought together
al common temperatures without mutual de-
composition. The ammonia enters into
combination with the sulphuric acid, and
the carbonic acid with the lime, forming
compounds which are not volatile; and,
settlement is not used here in its strict chemi-