Delaware weekly Republican. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-188?, 1857-11-26
For tho Delaware Republican.
ARTIFICIAL MANURES, l..

Ma. EDiToR I'll am pleased to see that your
correspondents are trying to spread before the
Farmer information calculated to benefit not
only the producer, but the consumer also, of
his products. Tho census of 1850 discloses
the important fact that while our population
has been very rapidly increasing our agricul-
tural products have been diminishing thus
paying for the necessaries Of life.
On enquiry of the superintendent of the
Wilmington Gas Works as to tho disposition
there made OF the gas-liquor 1 received for
reply "we let 1t run into the Christiana." This
l think all wrong. The water which distlls
from the retorts in the preparation of coal gas
Is strongly charged with ammonia. And since
ii has been ascertained that animal manures
act rs far as the formation of organic matter
is concerned) only by the ammonia which they
contain, 1t becomes an object to procure that
ingredient at the least possible cost. The wa
ter distilled from the retorts is mixed with tar
and other empyreumatic impurities. Since
then this gas liquor consists Of ammonia COM
bined principally with carbonic acid, Il is eyi.
dent, 1t may be converted into sulphate by
admixtnre with sulphate of lime (plaster of
paris.) One gallon of the ammonical liquor
added 10 Id "a ozs. of powdered, but not cal
cined gypsum, will produce 10 of crys!alize1
sulphate Of ammonia. To effect the decompo-
sition the material should be mixed and stirred
up together for ten or twelve hours, q heat be-
low that OF ebullition, being at the same time
kept up. The sulphate of ammonia remains in
solution, and may BIO obtained in solid state
Ivy eyaporating at low temperature.
Theory would suggest that this material
ought to supply nitrogento the crop at a much
cheaper rate than the nitrates employed for
that purpose. For let us suppose that the far
mer wants to add to his land 90 lbs of CRYSTAL
lied sui iiRte of ammonia. This may be OBJ
tanned by introducing about 20 lbs of powder
ed gypsum, uncalcined, into so gallons of
ammonical liqu0ri II has been found that one
gallon mixed with chloride of calcium Yielded
aoVo grs. OF carbonate of lime, equivalent to
about zoo grs., of crystalized sulphate of am
monia, or lib ozs. Now 1890 grs. of car
Donate OF lime are equivalent to $3.50 grs. or
TO lib o2s. of sulphato oflIme with two atoms
OF water. This, therefore is the quantity of
gypsum required to convert the contents Of
gallon ofgas liquor into sulphate of ammonia
and accordingly 90 gallons will require 7Olbs,
OF gypsum and will produce about 80 lbs ofthe
ammonical sulphate. Now take tho price of
plaster or gypsum at $500 per ton, 70lbs
would cost about 12A cents and the labor of
mixlnglt about as much more; so that gas
company where this liquor not being employed
ior manufacturing any of the salts of ammonia,
mas hitherto regarded It as SO much refuse and
when the heat for evaporating and crystalizina
tue prouuct can DO obtained with scarcely
any increased expenditure the cost OF the i'm
pure snlphate would not exceed 9 cents mar
pound. -
This then is less than half the cost of an
equal quantity Of nitrate OF soda, and yet it
may be shown that given weight Of suphate
OF ammonia con tains more ammonia and con-
sequently ought to yield more nitrogen than
nitrate OF soda.
These considerations are merely thrown out,
that any wishing to try the experiment may
nave the information necessary in aiding them
to do so. a