The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1858-06-24
THE PA01FIo
Commercial Advertiser.

COIIlIiIcFCIdl ADVERTISER.
Chsresal .. {. Ma.srs.s ..A Ds.zsfecss.s
Ase~s.
~ D. r"cE, IL D, cOssrIrrss sAsrvAcrurse CHEMIST.
Charcoal, reduced to . state Of coarse powder, Of
which the largest grains should not be above the sire
Of the comEonest gunpowder, has for some time -
deserved the agronome's attention, 6rzt, on account
OF the carbon which it supplies to the root of the
plant, second. f. its faculty to protect it against the
.rottenness which is onen impaired to it by the de
composition Of The different sorts Of manures.
In localities where charcoal may be obtained at q
cheap rate. this f~ertilizing agent offers besides the
valuable advantage Of giving porosity { stif or marty
soil Being very greedy Of moisture, it absorbs as
much - 80 per cent Of water by rain, dew or fog,
and keeps the ground in . state Of salutary damp
nea, whilst . portion Of its carbon is dissolved in it.
It's allow decomposition guards the most inexperienced
Arner against the exoas Of its application. which is
Dot limited by any proportion; for it does not impose
III virtues 10 vegetation. but merely obeys the call, as
required by natural wants. The unsteady state Of
hath noticed Of late in the growth Of potatoes. has
induced rs to make . series Of experiments in bring
ing that valuable tubercle in contact with charcoal.
We have chosen for that purpose potatoes that we're
evidently attacked by the disease; and. instead Of
cutting them into sets, We have taken small whole
o.. which We have placed in the usual way in the
ground which was previously MANFRED with farm
dang. and without any other preparation. We have
dsposissd . handful Of coarse powdered charcoal upon
osb, before covering them With soil. The result was
an abundant crop, entirely free from any trace of de-
oomposfion-
In other trials We have mixed the charcoal in four
different proportions with common garden soil, with
onx sddsxsou ~ ~nw nxkw w~<s&,~o ~,pc;c1o xha ~
fses produced were that the color of the stalks and
qusnsity Of charcoal employed. and exhibiting upon
ths whole that character Of vigorous vegetation 50
evident when growth is stimulated by charcoal. We
beg. however, to Observe that we consider one-fourth
II char . given quantity of soil, the maximum
that shcuIdb Be used, in order not to deprive this
tubercie Of the other e}npsso Of its nutrition. Pro-
portions much below II hove mentioned have suf
feed 70 attain our object. which was chiefly to prevent
the return Of the frmeIneqmplain of this fruit.
practices. in this c~fcumstadsA i perfectly in har-
,seny With theory. for it show5 the disease re
moves the carbon from the gen md that charcoal
gives il back.
We have also used charcoal for the preservation Of
potatoes stored in heaps, under roof or under ground.
Their appearance npeing very healthy, we expected
that such an application would insure their sound
ksep. For that purpose We have filed the i~nterstices
of the layers with powdered charcoal. to prevent, here
sfter, q contagious contact between the tubercles.
The charcoal took hold Of the moisture escaping from
the fruit, a. well As Of the putrid emanations that
we're disengnged; and At the same time that it neu-
tr.lized the damp vapors. it arrested the shoots Of a
presasure vegetation which usually enervste the sets
hssors sAeir return to the soil; in this way. vegetables
that betrayed an unsatisfactory sanitary condition
we're protected for consumption or reproduction. The
charcoal itself had lost none Of its properties as . fer
liking power. We may add that we have introduced
charcoal in many combinations Of soil for the produc-
ton Of the chief plants Of the great and the little Gull
~tivsfion, and that an Uniform answer has always
responded to our expectations and confirmed our pre-
visions, whether charcoal was employed as an anxil-
iary Of another manure, or whether as an isolated
n~urturing source 4Frs
For the potatoes, the result was nearly . double
crop, free from any affection; for the ~cereaiia, from
sns-third to one-haf more in quantity; for artificial
ar natural grass, . considerable increase. evil
dent by its thickness and hight For all other
vegetables. earlier Development; more striking vigor,
weight always superior to that Of a produce obtained
without the uss Of charcoal powder.
Equally important il the application Of charcoal A.
, disinsscting agent, when mixed up with the pure.
soid and LIQUID refuse Of animal economy: for that
purpose il is necessary to separate by a riddle, the
powder from the coarse particles of the
charcoal. 50 as to produce a granaiation of the size of
ago; the finer powder is then reserved for the cases
above alluded to. This graduated substance has an
disinkcsing property, when mixed with
the most corrupted focal matters, and a great power
Of absorption; BY that double advantage it may be
considered ~ The cheapest and most ef6cacious means
TO ~pafalyze the insslubrious effects of the emanations
from nIaepz where the EXCAVATIONS Of animal economv